This Side of Lost

("Hello, Andrew.")

The update on the addiction: I've joined the Connecticut Choral Society. They met most of my requirements: not a big group, not a ton of rehearsal time, not terribly out of the way from my usual travels. It also came recommended as the best option among the two or three I had been looking at.

It's okay so far. They're not great, but they're not awful. It's very well run -- they've got a great fundraising and marketing machine going. The group is definitely older (as many community choirs tend to be), and I have yet to have an opportunity to meet the (very few) younger members. Doesn't exactly bode well for making new friends. The conductor is good -- I like his repertoire selection and his Midwest sensibilities. He has a tendency to fixate on and over-rehearse difficult passages (one of my pet peeves), but that's a common problem among choral conductors.

So we'll see how the year goes. We're doing some interesting repertoire for the Christmas show -- it's pretty challenging for a choir of this size and skill. I'm not sure this is a group I'll stick with, but it'll do for now.

I've also been hired as a section leader at St. Luke's Episcopal in Somers, NY, a very small, sort of patrician congregation in northern Westchester County. It's basically a walk in, sing and walk out sort of gig. This is nice in that there's no weekday rehearsal, but it feels a little impersonal so far. Not sold on this one long term either, but we'll see.