With the New Year upon us, Angel City Chorale’s 2016 Holiday Season has come to an end. Our two evening concerts at Wilshire United Methodist Church were standing room only and our Tour of Hope, which completed our season, was a lovely day spent singing for our community. We are grateful for our family and friends and you, our community, for so many memories we hold dear.
For our audience the concerts represented the beginning of the season, while for others, it was the first time they felt joy after a long and arduous fall. We premiered the beautiful and haunting composition The Feast of the Snow, written by Philip White, a former member of our choir. Our diverse program covered songs from the middle ages to present day in Latin, Swahili, Hebrew and English. We were proud to bring on the joy for all of our listeners. It warmed our hearts to be able to transfer our love of the season outward.
As a newer member of the choir, one thing that struck me was how much each person puts into the choir, by attending rehearsals, volunteering for everything from bringing snacks to rehearsals to setting up our entire concert from the ground up. The behind-the-scenes look at how our concerts come together is one of tenacity, strength, bonding and an ever present sense of responsibility to the choir and all of its members.
Many of the tasks require a balanced eye – setting up our reception area with delicious nibbles for our guests after the event. Some require physical strength – actually carrying our risers from the depths of the Church basement to the stage and setting them up. There is the tearing down of them and bringing them back down the flights of stairs to let them rest for another year. Our hardiest members take care of that for us and do it with a smile and a good pair of gloves.
From assembling the programs, making flyers, getting the word out through press releases and selling tickets, there is much to be contributed and not a single member sits back to rest on their laurels.
Now we are wrapping gifts and making travel plans, full of the joy of the holiday spirit and a little sad that the winter concerts are a thing of the past. Spring is already a little bird on the shoulder of our choir and we are getting ready for a new season filled with surprises. For now, we are full of joyful expectations for the coming New Year!
