Jeez, Mags, lighten up. There's a human dimension involved here, ya know?? I'm glad you have such a long list of been-there-done-thats, but just about everybody I've ever worked with (plus myself) has had a good set of capabilities balanced by a couple real blind spots. Not to mention the fact that "just get a singer" is not all that easy. I have a number of really polished acquaintances whom I would love to have with my group. They're so busy--precisely because they are very accomplished--that it's impossible. So you take what you've got and you try to make it better.

CC

PS. I had a fiddler like that. He wanted me to "just give him a nod." I found that awkward, given our position on stage. Is there another person in the group who can do some sort of instrumental run-up to where she enters?