ACDA (My Olympics)

Is it any wonder we are singing the 2002 Winter Olympic song "Call of the Champions" by John Williams this week? Probably not.

We are in the middle of rehearsals for the ACDA conference coming to Salt Lake City next week. Preparing for this experience has been like preparing for the Olympics.

Over the course of the past few months we have been working and memorizing music for this event.
We are performing roughly 26 pieces, all memorized. That's a lot of music.  The 26 pieces are divided into 2 separate concerts. We will do concert #1 on Thursday and Friday evening. We will do concert #2 on Saturday. Of course we will be back again on Sunday morning for Music and the Spoken Word but will be joined by the King Singers which is exciting.

For me choral singing like this is not easy. You can't just show up and call it in. There is a lot of focus, attention and personal responsibility involved. Our rehearsals are intense but have intensified and require absolute focus and attention. Seriously, it is like brain gymnastics and yet it is so refreshing to do something that is challenging. I enjoy it so much.

Next week is going to be very busy in choir.  Beginning this Sunday I will be gone to choir related things every day except Monday. Tuesday is a dress rehearsal concert, Wednesday is a rehearsal of concert #2, Thursday and Friday are formal concerts in the Tabernacle and Saturday is the final concert in the Conference Center.

I have just compiled the music for our Thursday/Friday concert and have been listening to it in sequential order. It's fantastic. The two concerts have music for everyone and touches on every emotion.

After ACDA you would think things would slow down. Only slightly. We are still doing Mozart's Requiem in Choral and will begin music for General Conference and the tour this summer.

It is a busy calling but a great blessing to be a part of something so wonderful. I count my blessings every time I enter the Tabernacle.

Now back to memorizing.