Well, we pulled it off. This concert was a lot of work for the choir. The world première performance of Between Earth and Sky by Timothy Sullivan almost didn’t take place because of difficulties in obtaining the full score. In fact, the first time the choir performed the entire work from beginning to end was in practice an hour before the performance. You can’t say we peaked too early.

Not only did the choir sing this concert but several also played percussion. I premièred (if there is such a word) my thunder sheet, I have described previously (I, II and III), during the work Cloudburst by Eric Whitacre. I anxiousily await the archival concert CD to hear what it sounded like. I also did a short solo (as in voice) in that same piece. When a fellow bass and I moved it off the “stage” one of the frame couplings broke. It turned out to be easy to fix. Next time I think I’ll tape those couplings once I’ve assembled the thunder sheet frame for a performance. Oh, I also had another solo bit during Lydia Adam’s Mi’kmaq Honour Song — I was Loon 1. I finally got to show off those years of loon call practice on canoe trips.

Cassava Latin Rhythms accompanied us during some pieces and played some of their own. I thought the bassoon was a classical instrument until I heard it used in a Cuban-style Cha-cha-cha last night. Cassava played a set at the Red Violin, a Latin dinner-dance club, on Friday night and invited the choir to attend after the dress rehearsal. Some of us did and enjoyed the rest of the evening drinking, eating, dancing salsa, cha-cha-cha and being deafened by the sound system. How loud was it? It was louder than standing beside a 500 MW turbo-generator so I would say probably close to 100 dBA. You had to either yell to be heard or get right next to someone’s ear. But I digress as usual.

My sister, my brother-in-law and my mom came to the concert and said they enjoyed it. I enjoy performing all the more for having a “home town” crowd in the audience. Did I say the concert was a lot of work?

And before I sign off here’s another slightly jaundiced view of the development of the world première work:

“Choir tries not to cringe as they sing the world premiere of Timothy’s work. This concert would have never been if their musical director, Lee had not met Timothy on a street corner in downtown Toronto. Lee was pushing a large photocopier at the time ready to run off several copies of this new work or a blank cheque for Tim. This depended on whether Timothy got around to splattering black dots on manuscript paper before the photocopier could warm up or not. Unfortunately there was no electrical outlet nearby so the choir was sent to the cleaners on a wild looney chase.”