Editor’s note: welcome to Tehillah’s 2023 season! We have welcomed five new members, held a committee meeting, selected music, and are making plans for our August tour. Thank you to Dan Miller, our Artistic Director, for all his hard work! Thanks to Seth Yoder, our Tour Director, for his effort in planning a smooth rehearsal weekend.
Below, Karen Martin, our new soprano, shares her experience of our June rehearsal weekend.
This weekend we had spring rehearsals in Millersburg, Ohio, our first group meet-up. Unfortunately, we were short one member (we missed you, Ruth!) but were still able to get the first feel of how we work together and sound as a group.
Practice started roughly at nine o’clock Friday morning. I say roughly, because there were reunions and introductions, and some slight confusion as to which church practice was taking place. We soon figured it out and got off to a strong start. For some, it was majority review, but for those of us new to Tehillah, it was a lot of learning how the parts mesh together, marking dynamics and breaths, and working on timing. The practice took up most of our weekend, as we started warmups at nine on both Friday and Saturday and finished singing around five. However, time flew by, and though I personally had moments when I wished we could keep singing, each of our breaks was much needed. (And the families of our Ohio members made sure we were well provided for.)
We are not, in fact, workaholics when it comes to music, as each of our breaks was filled with snacks, chatter, and banter, with a mix of getting to know each other for the first time and stepping back into familiar dynamics between friends and family alike in the group. After group photos and individual portraits on Friday night, we went to a nearby ice cream/coffee shop. On Saturday night, the family of a former Tehillah member (hey, Tasha!) hosted us for supper around the campfire, where we lingered till late in the evening.
Looking back over the whole time, I have a hard time saying it was work. There was definitely a challenge in figuring out some of our songs, but we were all there because of our common desire to praise God in song. It was obvious that each person there had a love for music and a passion to express the messages in our songs, and I was blessed by that.
We closed the weekend by giving a Sunday morning program (of all but two of our songs) at Dave’s church. As ill-prepared as I felt going into it, and despite all the technical errors I caught myself making, it was yet another good experience for the books.
So now rehearsals are over, and we have two short months till it’s time to go on tour. I’m coming out from this weekend with a new supply of inspiration and focus, and more awareness of just what I need to be working on and what I’m singing about!
– Karen Martin