My first REAL performance

I had my first real solo performance yesterday.

I have done many solos in my life but to be a 'soloist" holds a different meaning.

I was able to wear a different outfit - which for me is a blessing - I HATE black and White. We ladies decided we would wear all black.

I had my bio put in the program - that was kind of neat. No head shot which is good because I don't have one!

My coach made me a little crazy - he kept tellng me to relax. I was relaxed. That close to zero hour - it doesn't pay to get stage fright and I rarely do until immediately after when I start critiquing my performance. I told him twice that I was fine. After that I was going to blow so I just didn't respond.

I find that part of my pre-performance stress behaviour is my inability to have any level of patience. And I usually have patience for miles. So my lack of patience this week was in part due to this performance and the fact that the other 4 soloist had 3 months to learn the music and I had a week and half to learn a tune meant for a man that has notes for me to sing that I think only dogs can hear. I immersed my self in the piece - here's where the IPOD was handy. I listened to my 2 pieces constantly for nearly 2 weeks right up the instant I sang htem in rehearsal on Tuesday and dres on Saturday.

This patience thing is kind of funny. As my college room mates can attest to - I have ALWAYS been like this. I try to manage it better now that I am aware of it.

Getting back to the performance. It went splendidly. I was happy with my performance. There are things that could have been better of course, but the major points that needed to be made went perfectly. Afterwards, I went to each of the soloists ( All seasoned and I knew all of them at least by sight) and thanked them for opportunity to work with them. They all seemed surprised but pleased that I felt that way. It's something that I think a new comer should do with the incumbents.

I have seen too many "newbies" walk in with their head held high and behaving in a less than humble fashion and get stepped on. With this group particularly. The soloists that are normally hired are wonderful down to earth people who happen to be talented. More importantly they are the ones getting RE-hired. I have yet to see the same second soprano hired twice. I hope I break the trend. I am using the humble but deserving approach. Arrogance doesn't bode well with this crowd. The fact is, Those other folks have been doing this for years. They are getting paid. I did not - this time - and that didn't escape me. I got some free press through ads in the program which was cool. And one of the soloists did approach me to join another audition only group as well.

Some really nice things came out of this. Payment would certainly have been nice - but I wasn't doing it for the money. I was getting my foot in the door. I am making nice with the director and his wife. They are lovely people so that's easy to do. The soloists were such nice folks and it was so great to be included with them. At the very least I will enjoy working with all of them regardless of my capacity in the future.

So all in all - things went well. I was really pleased with the way everything turned out.

And I'm back to my normal self at least until next week.