Back in BYU Singers

Well, I'm back in BYU Singers this year, and I'm very excited about the possibilities. So far, we've been looking at a lot of Renaissance stuff, mainly Byrd and Taverner. We also looked at the first two pages of Bob Chilcott's "High Flight" that we're doing this with the King's Singers next month. Really looking forward to that.

Being back with a completely new group of people (there's been a lot of turnover this year) I started to ask a question: What does it mean to be in BYU Singers? Well, in my pondering, I've come up with a small list:

- You must be willing to learn a piece, rehearse it relentlessly, take time outside class to memorize it and then end up never singing it in concert or even recording it. All this without complaining, because it never felt like a waste of time.

- You must be willing to forfeit all personal space you once had. You do not have a "bubble."

- You must accept the fact that you will drop your music folder and all 60 pieces of music will spill out everywhere. And if you lucky, this might even take place in the middle of rehearsal. Bonus points for all the paper cuts you get trying to put your music back in some sort of order.

- You must not only gratefully accept constructive criticism and correction from those around you, but seek after it.

- You must get used to people thinking that because you're in BYU Singers you have this amazing voice that can do no wrong.

- You are with a bunch of other choir nerds who love choral music and have a palpable sense of ownership and commitment to sharing something profound. You've never felt more at home.

It's just a few things I thought of, and looking back on it, I'm just flooded with so many wonderful memories. This is such an amazing ensemble and I'm so privileged to be a part of it. At the same time, I understand completely that I'm still a pup in this group compared to everyone else around me.

I'm counting down the hours every day till the next rehearsal.