Waking up at 7 am is not the easiest for most of us, but the energy and fun the staff put into waking us up helps put everyone in a better mood. This morning, the Cardinal Chorale had the fifth day of Workshop to conquer. The fresh fruit and pancakes for breakfast most certainly helped.
Members of Opus 4 were challenged to take a selfie with four different staff members. Evidently, Jordan’s selfie with Patrick Sulken and Mr. Snyder was Mr. Snyder’s very first selfie. Kudos to him!
In sectional rehearsals, the Chorale made even more musical progress. Each voice part is becoming much more confident with their music every single day. Many of us reported that the song, “Let There Be Peace,” was becoming one of their favorites.
During lunch, everyone was preparing to go to their fourth and final elective afterward. However, while we were eating, the staff announced that the elective would be moved to tomorrow, and the rehearsal following would be canceled. Instead, we got to take a nap! One could say that there has never been a group of people as excited for a nap as the Cardinal Chorale on July 28, 2016!
Once we finished either napping or studying our music, the staff members drove us back to the music hall since it was still raining. We were much more rested when we arrived at the full rehearsal; our voices certainly needed a break. We worked through several sets of songs, one including the song “Anthem” where we heard Logan Foster’s incredible solo for the first time.
During this rehearsal, Haley also gave her “Facial Expression 101” speech. We learned how to be more expressive while we are standing on the risers. This helps us be more engaged in the music, as well as bringing in the audience to be more engaged with us.
After rehearsing a few more songs, some of the staff told us they had another surprise for us, and we wondered what it could possibly be this time! Then, the one and only Chad Putka walked through the door! He was recently in France with a choir and now has come all the way from his home in Boston to visit us for the day. We couldn’t be more excited!
We also met Jake Burnett from the admissions office at Muskingum. He spoke to us about the school in case there are any prospective students in the Chorale.
Then, we walked back to the dining hall and had a wonderful meal. The great food here has certainly been appreciated here so far this week.
Again, back to rehearsals we went. This time, though, we had the amazing Len Thomas with us! He recently underwent surgery, but you would never know it because he is so animated and has such a great sense of humor. We loved working with him through “All the Things You Are,” previously sung by Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians. He was so amazed by the way we sang the song the first time, that he knew he could be a bit pickier than usual. He gave us tons of suggestions on the musical dynamics of the song, and we followed his every request. We were as shocked as he was to hear how good we sounded in rehearsal!
We finished singing through the song, and he imparted some words of wisdom upon us. He told us that everything we do in life is important and will impact someone, whether it is just yourself or even another person.
It was then time to walk over to the performance hall for the musical theater showcase, put on by several of our wonderful staff members. This performance was a reprise of the two they gave in June to raise money for the Cardinal Chorale. It was absolutely fabulous! We all both laughed and cried as we applauded the amazingness that is our staff.
Then, we held the evening Chorale circle and headed back to the dorms for some evening socialization and impromptu story times. We can’t believe how fast this week has been flying by and don’t want it to end, but we are still excited for tomorrow to come!
