Off The Risers-Life as a singer (Jake 10/30/13)
Off The Risers-It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas!
Well, it’s that time of year again. It’s that time when we Minnesotans start seriously considering pulling the winter coats out of storage and taking bets on when the snow will stick. It’s also that time when I get in serious philosophical debates with my friends and colleagues about when it is acceptable to start the Christmas “season.” Some of my more free-spirited friends seem to think August and September are acceptable times to bring out the garlands and lights. Even worse is seeing Christmas displays at Macy’s in July. While I don’t fault them for their enthusiasm, I do take issue with the folks who seem to think anything Christmas-y needs to wait until after Thanksgiving.
While the jury may be out on society as a whole, I can bet that most people in the music world are ready at the end of October. Personally, I start burning the pine-scented candles as soon as I have Christmas repertoire in my hand. And as luck would have it, I got my annual pine-scented candle AND my Christmas music for The Singers on the same day this year!
I want to clarify; I am only a proponent of Christmas music, not Christmas weather. This is a very important distinction.
Most importantly, one month is just not enough time to appreciate the 80+ hours of Christmas Music in my iTunes library. If you need any suggestions for your holiday “mix,” I’ll have a few for you as we get closer to the 24th of December. If you are looking for a poppy “jump-start-to-the-season” album, I would suggest getting your hands on the Mariah Carey “Merry Christmas” and “Merry Christmas II You” albums. Everyone needs a little Mariah in their life. Some of the chilly nights to come will require a little soul warming, though, so be sure to check out “Dulci Jubilo,” The Singers’ most recent Christmas release!
With our first Christmas rehearsal behind us, I can’t help but be excited about the repertoire for this year! I would name some of the composers and pieces, but like Matt said at our concerts last weekend, “name a Minnesota composer; they are probably on our program this year.” We may be a few weeks away from our concerts, but I can’t wait for you to hear us!
