Singing my way through life
November 20, 2017
Since I can remember, I would find myself singing around the house, in the car, or almost anywhere really. My parents and my aunt strongly encouraged me to join choir and learn more about how to make my voice better. When I was in sixth grade, I auditioned for Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus (KCC) for my seventh grade year.
As I walked down the stairs and opened the door, little did I know there stood the directors I would be with for the next few years. The audition went on and I was excited to find out at the end that I had made it into concert choir.
The summer passed by and it was a Tuesday in September, so it was time for choir to start for the school year. Since the first rehearsal that I was a part of, I could tell that I wanted to be a part of something amazing…I wanted to be a part of this. Throughout that first year I had great concerts and met a few amazing people that I still talk to to this day.
Towards the end of the season, they gave us information about move up auditions. I went to my audition super nervous, thinking I wouldn’t be able to do it and really scared about the outcome. If you fast forward to a few weeks later I found out I made it into Touring choir, and I was ecstatic to start the next season with my older peers and learn a lot more about music.
Somewhere in my first year of touring they told us that we were going to New Orleans for a choral festival they were having there. The trip was so much fun, and even though we had rehearsals every day, we were still able to explore New Orleans. My favorite part of the city was the French Quarter because of all the music, but especially the jazz. They also had a lot of art and shops. By the end of the week we were performance ready and it ended up being amazing and the cathedral we sang in had the best acoustics.
The most memorable concerts would be when I sang with Jackie Evancho, KSO, and Andrea Ramsey. They’re all so talented and it amazes me every time I get to sing with them. I remember the concerts we’ve done with KSO the best. The one that stands out the most with them would have to the the one that we did when MIstro Harvey, the conductor of KSO at the time, was conducting us, the orchestra, and making the movie Ratatouille all matched up.
I have loved working with all who I have because it has helped me understand music better. I will definitely remember everything from this organization and the people who have impacted me.
