I talked to a good friend tonight who asked me some personal questions for fun. One of the questions that came up was to name my favourite musical moments in my life. It really got me to thinking about some of the best moments of my entire life. Not just musically but as a human being. So I thought it would be neat to share them for this cyberspace world.
I have a few that stick out in my head. Lets go in order of my life, because that seems logical.
1)I once did this solo at school in "this land is your land" and it was pretty epic. you would be jealous.
2)I did my first major solo at the winspear in this song and it was really cute. I was pretty good too.
3) I sang at this festival in banff for 3 years. The rocky mountain music festival. It was the highlight of the choir year from me. You go to see other choirs, and see clinicians, and have your own choir work with a clinician and its just an amazing experience. My second year in banff was particularly special to me. It was part of my last week in the country before I left for a long student exchange to africa. I was scared and wasnt even convinced I was going on this exchange. I just didnt want to leave my life here behind. I talked to a few friends about it extensively. We were singing our showcase concert in a small intimate church, as the main hall was being renovated that year. So we sung in this packed church and the world went quiet for one song, and my fear of leaving was gone. My very very good friend Adam, is probably the sweetest person you could ever meet. He also has an incredible voice. He got the solo in one of my favourite songs. "FARE THE WELL,LOVE". He sang this solo and looked at me as we surrounded the audience, and I felt like this moment was made just for me. I bawled. It was such a content moment for me. I connected with him on such a personal level for that one song, that was just SO special.
4)After leaving banff, I went on the most incredible trip of a lifetime. I travelled across the world to South Africa. I stayed with a family there, and went to school for a few months. During my time off at the school I worked in a preschool called "Emyezweni" for quite some time. I got very close with these children, and the teachers there. It was a very special time in my life.
This whole trip happened through an exchange via my choir. My choir, (as I have mentioned in other posts), was a huge part of my life aswell. I ended up waiting to meet up with the choir after my exchange, as they were on tour the last month I was in Africa. So I stayed an extra month to meet up with everyone before heading home. On one of my last days in africa, our choir went to the township of the preschool, to visit some other schools.
We made an impromptu trip to Emyezweni and visited with the kids there. We all knelt down surrounding the kids and sang soft African lullabies with them, and then they sang to us. We played games with them, and sat with them, learned their songs, and just spent time together. It was one of the most special moments of my life. Two of the most special groups of people in my life together, sharing time enjoying eachothers' company. It was truly amazing.
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I have very few regrets as you know. But the one I hold strongly is the fact that neither you nor Austin got to know and love your Nan and Gramps.
And of course being so young, you missed out on the most powerful musical memory/moment I have ever experienced outside of hearing my Daughter sing.
You have heard the story a million times, but the moment that all of us minus you and Austin, Geoff, Ed and Michelle stood beside Gramps and sang Amazing Grace as he left our world, was perhaps the most poignant moment in my whole life musically. The fact that the staff wept with us, the man across the hall woke from his 2 week coma...something so deeply spiritual about music touches the core of our souls; living or dying.
The second moment interestingly enough comes at the same place, same singer, same song as yours only hours earlier. When Adam sang Fare Thee Well Love, I was swept back to endless drives up to the hospital to see Nan towards the end. I would never cry in front of her, I always saved it for the car and sang that song and wept heart-wrenching tears of anger and sorrow so that when I got home, my little 2 year old girl could shower me with giggles and love and I would leave that pain behind. When Adam sang it at midnight during rehearsal, I was cooked. Again, music touches your core and whether you follow a faith or not, it is an experience that binds us to one another; for ever, for always. And 2 weeks ago in the hospital with Austin, meeting Adam, it was my turn to sing and comfort. We are bound together by notes formed into chords harmoniously written that draws our soul into our willingness.
Thank you for letting me share your musical moments over the years. My memories of you and choir(s) are some of the happiest I have.
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