Brookline Chorus's "Sacred Concert" by Duke Ellington

On May 10, the chorus I sing with, The Brookline Chorus, sang Duke Ellington's Sacred Concert. Although I found myself struggling to rehearse the music, the concert was success for both the chorus and the audience (there were about 600 people in the First Baptist Church of Newton) -- and I felt great.

It was a struggle to rehearse partly because time was tight in the weeks leading up to the concert, because I had never actually heard the music (there are no CDs), and I because I was not especially fond of the music at first. Without hearing and sensing the music, it was difficult to fully express it until the final dress rehearsals. There, finally, we had the White Heat Swing orchestra, the soloists (Rochelle Ellis, the soprano, and Aaron Tolson, the tap dancer). Then it all made sense. Then I could move with it. And naturally, at the concert, Aaron Tolson stole the show. He generated a lot of excitement and pleasure when tapped and leaped in the center of the stage.