Music Weekend

Hello,

The first experience was to hear Concert Chorale. For fifteen years I sang with and breathed in life and energy from this group. It was great to see some of the people that I used to sing with as well as many new faces. Some of the old faces had names that remained obscure even after I looked at the list of participants. Oh that memory just goes down other roads that are not needed sometimes.
The group was joined by a group from Coe College. They were also very good, but as Leroy commented their voices were not as mature. It was wonderful to be enveloped in music. Leroy even stayed awake for the entire time. I believe it helped that many of the songs were fairly short gospel or spiritual type rather than long classical pieces.

The second experience was one we participated in. It was singing in the choir for a hymn sing at church. We sing special settings of four hymns as well as choir only on verses of some other less familiar hymns. It was great even if we did have to attend two services. The only problem for me was that the readings were too long. Long enough that I lost some of the content, but was able to get much more the second time around.

The last experience was the best. Simon Estes has made it a goal to sing in all 99 counties in Iowa. We have missed him in other counties that we have lived in. He was singing in a town that is, according to the internet, 50 minutes from our house. So it seemed that maybe it was now or never. He was wonderful. Even though he is an opera singer he did only one selection that was from opera. Many of the rest were from musical theater. It was great to have his powerful voice wash over one. No sleeping here. Leroy was again awake the entire time. He made the comment afterwards that on the way over he was bemoaning to himself about making the trip, but declared it well worth it.

An additional bonus for that experience was that we saw a minister friend and his wife. We even spend some extra time with them by going to a restaurant after to get more fully caught up on our families. Blessings abound.

Paula