Handel's Messiah

I've always wanted to go to a Messiah Sing-in... something about being involved in the performance really appeals to me. I knew this was right up my Dad's alley so I got us tickets and we went to Abravenel Hall in Salt Lake on Sunday night. Dad brought his old copy of the score. Tucked inside was the program from the same event 24 years earlier, when I was just a baby. That was the last time he'd gone to a Sing-in. It used to be a tradition with him and his parents and siblings. The Joneses are known for being quite musical so that wasn't surprising. It was surprising that he hadn't been since then.

I realized mere seconds into this thing that it was going to be iffy. The performance itself was marvelous but my participation was nothing to brag about. I have a good voice but I cannot sight read to save my life and this was no basic melody. The music is crazy hard, especially for a soprano who can't read music. Needless to say, I was lost about 95% of the time. My dad did much better than I did. I mostly just mouthed some vowels and listened to the people around me. It was interesting though... between arias and choral numbers, the people around us would chatter and laugh nervously and encourage each other. You never see that during normal performances at the Symphony Hall. 

There are a couple pieces I know well enough to pull off a decent performance. During these numbers, I noticed the cute little girl in front of me turned around and just stared. She was darling.

Overall, my performance was a big fat flop. BUT the experience was entirely worth it. Very Christmasy. 

Reminds me of one of my all-time favorite Flash Mobs: