Berkshire Recap

I’m not even sure where to begin my summary of BCF. So much was compressed into 5 weeks that it’s quite difficult to summarize it effectively. I am glad that BCF lived up to my expectations (expectations arrived at rather hastily as I applied for the position on a whim rather late). I love it when a plan comes together.

In a way, this program was all about acquaintances - faculty, my fellow apprentices, 5 very different but gifted conductors, 1,000 choristers, and the music of some great composers. In addition to all of the music, I was thankful to be around such an easy going and fun group. It really made the weeks go fast and not seem as tiring.

In regard to my fellow apprentices, you never know what you’ll get for colleagues when you are all thrown together from different places in a cramped, hot dormitory for a few weeks. I think this group had a good chemistry, with each person bringing something different musically and socially. I especially enjoyed our four recitals and appreciate their professionalism and musicality. It was good for me to meet some people my age who are multi-talented as singers, conductors and pianists. That’s one of the things I took away from this - that my diversity of musical interests could be a good thing because it means that I have more possibilities to pursue.

It was great meeting and working with all of the conductors and finding out how they got to where they are now. Most of them had multiple interests and did not follow a prescribed path. They realized they had a particular talent or a particular love and so utilized it to begin to make a career. This was another reinforcement idea for me - there is no specific path that we must follow as musicians. We must simply do what seems right and what seems like it may help us in where we are going. It takes a special kind of conductor to accept the challenge that BCF offers: to prepare a major choral/orchestral concert with 250 volunteer choristers whose performing ability you know nothing about in the span of a week with only 2 orchestral rehearsals.

I am glad to have rediscovered my voice. Singing 6 hours a day for five weeks, I was able to gather some focus and really concentrate on my voice. I haven’t had to work that hard in awhile, but in many ways, I feel as if I’m singing batter now than I have in awhile.. I’ve missed the immersion that happens in a summer program or an academic atmosphere. It was so hard for me to make any growth working in an office, spending much of my time commuting and only singing at night after a long day. I am hoping that some of my momentum will be carried through to York. I enjoyed working on repertoire again and having the chance to perform something for an audience multiple times. The choristers were very vocal about their appreciation and sometimes it was good to get a sort of "man on the street" opinion about my performances.

So I guess this kind of sounds like an advertisement for BCF, but that’s okay. As our artistic and executive directors suggested in our farewell brunch: Pay it forward.