Hi Jerry and everybody--

So sorry to hear about Joe Evans--and his wife Corrie.

We have something similar in Choral Arts. I remember being just crushed to learn of the death of one of my closest bass friends--he and I were the "consonant mafia"--the director kept asking for--early-- rolled r's, big t's and others--which of course had to be precisely at the right time. He kept saying "I want the words on a neon sign"--out front--so the audience could easily understand them.   And in a group of 180, it's easy for diction to get mushy. He and I were famous for diction.


And he seemed to be immortal. He was 75--and then 80--, and still playing tennis often--and his voice range and power were amazing. I told him often he was my role model.


We're like a tiny little town--marriages, births, deaths over the years. And of course we're tightly bonded to each other by our passion for music--and our love of making it together. And if anybody does not pass the yearly audition--which sometimes does happen-- it's just horribly traumatic for that person--and others. We are very lucky that as long as the conductor likes the sound of the group, nobody is likely to be cut for the next year. So often the only spaces that open up are through attrition, people moving etc.

And our main rivals in the area have just imploded. Their board fired their conductor--he went on sabbatical and they told him not to come back! Now there's likely to be civil war in the group--half the group have gone with the fired conductor.

Even the choral world can be rough.



You're right, Jerry and Patty--just getting people together to rehearse is more than half the battle. It's hard to get people to make room on their schedules--unless it's a regular commitment they're willing to plan around. So actually a weekly session is far better than what I tried to do--once a year--with my sea chantey group.

Good luck to you both on putting together your groups--and keeping them together. Obviously it's a lot harder with a smaller group--since every voice is crucial.