Greetings folks, Well, I went for an audition this evening to join a gay choir called Ganymede (I learned about them at the Gay Community Day in the village during Pride week). After I finished a duet of Chanson Triste by Henri Duparc with the choir Director he said simply "you're in". I hadn't planned to attend the rehearsal that immediately followed, but there I was, with about 16 gay guys of various ages (tending on the older side...ok, my age-ish), languages and ethnicities, in a jovial but disciplined environment learning some really complicated tunes. Before starting I told the Director and the administrator about my background, they took it in stride and appreciated my participation. They put me in the Base section, although I thought I would be a tenor, but it was explained to me that in an all-male choir, the tenors need to be really high-pitched in order to balance out and contrast with the base and baritone voices, their tenors were too high-pitched for my comfort. I think this is going to be fun...
Well, just remember the name "Choirboy" is already taken! That sounds so exciting. I checked into that where I live and it looks like the local gay men's chorus disbanded a couple years ago, so I guess I'll just keep singing in church for the time being. Now that my wife knows, I feel like I can start looking into a few ways to inch into the community when I have the time, as long as I'm still available for the family for the usual homework, chauffeuring and spider-killin' duties. Singing would have been great. But I'm sure I'll find something!
Sounds like fun! Before I lived in this very gay friendly area, my gay friends all went into the city (NYC) to join the gay men's chorus. Funny, but I have a (supposed) straight friend who sings in our local gay men's group. ;-) I'm going to think about this! As I kid I was always in church choir and was part of all the singing groups in high school (and music, and theatre, and band... geez... wasn't it obvious that I'm gay??)
It sounds like it's something you'd like and that you've done at some point before, no? I mean, the director said "you're in." Sounds like an opportunity to meet new people while practicing a potential hobby. The diversity in the small group itself sounds like a kick.
Yes indeed, I had been part of my synagogue choir for about 18 years, had participated briefly in another community choir, had taken music lessons as a kid and I have a decent voice, so it's all good, and this provides a kind of continuity (with certain, ahem, adjustments, of course)!
I'm jealous but very glad to for you! Seems like a wonderful niche to find! I absolutely love to sing and there is a community choir that is looking for people right now but it would be so nice to sing with like minded people! I am a first soprano but have a three octave range. I can also pick out a harmony to almost anything. Right now I just sing in the car and, if I am alone, I sing at work. I am that person that people stare at at the traffic light. :icon_bigg
Greatwhale, that's wonderful! And even more impressive that they asked you to join after one quick song. You must be really good. Congrats!!
I'm blushing! :icon_redf I have a decent voice, but I'm not that good...he handed me a music sheet and asked if I could identify the notes, after about 4 seconds, I said no (they laughed). I just explained that I more or less instinctively could follow the patterns, but that I really couldn't read those parts where there's more black dots per square inch than normal :dry:
Ooooh, I remember wrapping up a very energetic duet with Aretha Franklin ("Think!") on the freeway en route to work, and glancing at the car next to me--only to see another guy from my department smirking at me. Apparently he had watched the whole performance!
My problem with singing at work is that there are NSFW songs on my playlist and I don't always pass over them. I did notice that there was another person singing at work in the room next door last week.
That's AMAZING!!! It sounds like such a great way to find support and have a great time too. I've been in a few really great choirs. It's a blast.
Snarky smirk or "laugh with you" smirk? Darn, it could have been Aretha's "Freeway of Love" - "knew you'd be a vision in white ... ... how'd you get your pants so tight?" Me? I sing in the shower. Anyway, GW is trying to be modest. He knows he's good!
A little of both, I think! I have been surprised while singing more times than I can count. I had a co-worker who used to play grunge and I found myself singing along more than once, and got a few weird looks because my voice at the time was a high, clear tenor that could pass as a low alto, and the effect was pretty much like Anne Murray covering Alice in Chains. When I sang in a guitar choir at church, we would hang out after practice and the director/guitarist would jam a bit. Once he started playing "Landslide" and without even thinking about it I started singing it--in Stevie Nicks's voice. That was good for a few weird looks too!
Good for you on joining the choir! I love singing and would be lost without it. I sing alto (am a 3 octave mezzo, really) in two choirs, one of them is at my church and we get to sing all sorts of repertoire, from English Anthems and Canticles, to French Mass Settings and everything in between, eg Mozart, Handel, Victoria etc. Church is very gay friendly; there are therefore several gay men in the choir, and at least a couple of lesbians, but it's never a big deal.
Please don't take this in a negative way, because he's an absolute favorite of mine, but with each subsequent post of yours Choirboy, I see you inching further and further into Nathan Lane territory! LOVE it!
Actually, my real singing voice is a whole lot closer to Christine McVie than Stevie Nicks. Sometimes when I'm home along, I turn the lights down when I'm home alone, sit down at the piano and do "Songbird", the way she always does the final encore at the Fleetwood Mac concerts. Don't worry, Dragonbait, the "flake" side of me LOVES the Nathan Lane comparison! And the "contemplative" side is a bit amazed at how easy it is to be a clown lately. We went to a high school football game yesterday (kids in the marching band), and while my wife was working the concessions stand, I hung out with one of the moms, and we joked around and had a marvelous time. She said she never knew what a character I was, and I have to say that up until recently, I had kind of forgotten how to be fun. While I'm still a lot more sparkly in print than in person, it's very cool to see some of the old shyness and anxiety becoming less of a problem. I guess there's hope for me yet! I think we "later in life" types probably need those opportunities to express ourselves more than most, because we have held back for so long. It sure feels good to be able to open up one way or another, doesn't it?
This! It is absolutely what's happening to me! From the sudden desire to dance all night, to meeting new people (and am I ever!) and actually going to parties. I went to a break-the-fast evening just last night (invited by this wonderfully eccentric woman and her family), perfect strangers all, and I forced myself to talk to people and find out about them, and I was actually interested...I'm... I'm...becoming...fun...and, and...social!!!
