Post-Concert Musings

We performed a delightfully successful concert last Sunday afternoon, a celebration of St. Patrick’s Day (which means Celtic music of course), and a few moments stood out for me that I’d like to share.  And apparently they stood out for at least two of our audience members because I heard directly from them about the innovative way we began and ended our concert.

I like to be a little different, to surprise the audience, and one of the ways to do that is the way we enter and exit the stage.  Since the stone-age choirs have been filing on and off stage, row by row, in sometimes endless lines…is there any reason we always have to do it that way?

There are times when that kind of entrance is appropriate, but why not play with audience expectations a little bit and do something unusual?

So on Sunday I and some MCE members wandered into the hall from the lobby and chatted with audience members, thanked them for coming, talked about the numbers we were going to perform, as we slowly made our way toward the stage.  After a few minutes I walked on stage from the audience and invited them to join us in our first number.  As we all sang Will Ya Go, Lassie, Go, MCE members flowed onto the stage from the wings and from the audience and took their places.  It was warm and inviting and natural, and according to at least two audience members, made them feel at home.

Then at the end, after the bows, MCE sang Will Ya Go, Lassie, Go one more time—with the audience of course!—and MCE slowly walked off stage into the wings, singing as they disappeared into the Green Room.  As their voices faded away our accompanist, Merry, and I also turned and ambled off, still singing—with the audience still singing too!  The song continued, even though the concert was done!

What a treat!

Dr. Linda Gingrich

Artistic director and conductor

Master Chorus Eastside