yesterday my balkan choir, dunava, performed what has come to be an annual gig at a local unitarian church. the sanctuary has a domed ceiling which creates terrific resonance for speaking and especially for music.
we've been rehearsing for weeks to pull this off, learning new material both as a group and as individuals. we invited two guest musicians to join us on accordion and percussion. d, our director, honored my request (among other's) to perform a solo.
the theme of the concert series was remarkable women. the first half of our performance was divided into themes of work, war, marriage, and love, with a tongue in cheek sub-grouping of songs that compare women to birds. (the women always win.) we wore original and stage recreation costumes.
the second half was the dunava cabaret, with some group numbers and five soloists. we changed into our new skirts and they even got a round of applause!
the audience was so appreciative. we like to divide up the talking, so i introduced all the costumes. later i "set the stage" by asking people to imagine they were sitting in a cafe with a favorite companion, a delicious drink, smelling the aromas of roast lamb, garlic, fresh bread and coffee.
i think my rendition of the serbian drinking song "evo banke" brought the house down. certainly i had fun, and if the audience clapping and singing along is any indication, they did too.
it was easy to find the joy in life last night!
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