The annual concert at Alix Gooden Hall, at the Royal Conservatory downtown, is always my favorite. It is ‘the big one’ to all us choristers, and signals the year winding down. All the choir kids, from grades 2 through 12, sing, and in some songs, together. Its an organizational nightmare, I’m sure. There is a ramp up to the stage, so no horrid lifting for me, which is wonderful.
Both the Jazz and Concert seniors choirs sang.
First I will describe the hall to you. It is a dream come true, acoustically speaking. Each word you say bounces sharply back at you, each footstep feels like pounding. If you look up, you will find you are craining your neck to see the very top of the dome-ish roof, with slanting beams and suspended lights. Stained glass windows line the walls, and in the daylight, would shine their multicolored light across the smart wooden benches of the mezzanine. Below is where they cram all of the choir members. The whispering, rustling of programs, and giggling are hard to control.
This was my 7th Spring Concert at the Hall. Some things don’t change. The crinkling of the programs, till they turn into a fine, rough paper, is a classic. Jessica and I always end up sitting next to each other, or near enough to pass notes on scrap corners of our programs. There are the games of rock-paper-scissors and the slapping game, and general gossiping that you can really only get away with in those confined spaces.
Anyways, the Senior Concert Choir sang ‘Bonjour, mon coeur’, a French song, as you might have guessed. Its kind of naughty and a bit sleezily-romantic, and makes us a bit giggly (We’ll never grow out of it). We also sang the gospel “Ain’t a That Good News” which is livelier and would be fun to dance and sway to if we weren’t all in tight blazers and ties. The Jazz is always way more relaxed. We switch into black-and-red clothes of our choosing, which do not constrict our movements as much, and encourage a rebellion of onstage sway- movement. We sang “A Sunday Kind of Love” which I adore! “Lullaby of Birdand” which is the most awesome lullaby ever and so romantic! We also sang “In the Mood” which definitely has some PG content and is a faster piece we can really have fun with!
The Spring Concert also marks the time for the grade 12 goodbye, which is when the grade 12’s are invited back on stage, to receive a flower and a thankyou for their dedication. It is always the sad part, and usually the rest of us are somewhere between bawling and gently snuffling. This year was our goodbye, and I really don’t want it to be over. I want the magic to last forever. I’ve been in choir for 7 years. It is like…my favorite home. Our principle, Mr. Calderwood, also welcomed me back to GNS and said how nice it was to see me around campus again. I nearly lost it right on stage, in front of all of those people. It was hard not to cry, to realize the likelihood I would be standing on that glorious stage with all of my best friends again, had decreased significantly. I love you guys so much, you know that :D.
The rose lasted over two weeks if you can believe it!
So here’s the Senior Vocal Jazz Ensemble singing “Lullaby of Birdland”.
Soloist: Jenn and Ilana! (woo. awesome, ladies! :D)
Enjoy!