HEAL thyself!

New father, new church, new home, in addition to a new job: each responsibility took its toll on time for writing his blog.
The new job, as Chorusmaster for the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus for their tenth season, was one he could not refuse. They granted him the opportunity to conduct in the arena of "choral-orchestral major works", as he phrased it.
Serendipity has a way of stepping in when least expected.
Last April, as the new Chorusmaster, he had organized the pieces for tonight's concert. With spring as an eternally optimistic season, he had turned to two of his favorite poets for inspiration and hope, gifts for his listeners in a troubled world.
Little had he expected at the time that he was choosing the music for his final time in front of this chorus.
However, that is exactly what has happened.
The SPO has been seeking a person to fill his shoes for the last few months. They are planning a series of musical offerings for their next season, each with a different Chorusmaster at the helm. They are hopeful that the audience will help them make the final choice, similar to the music contests on television, I suppose.
Meanwhile, Dr. Matt Caine still had this last concert to present. Laryngitis caused him concern for the days prior to today's evening performance. When he stepped up to the microphone on stage for his sound check, he told the folks in the booth that he might not be able to talk very loud, due to the larynx illness.
I happened to be standing in the right-center aisle, at the back, chatting happily with Joe and Lois. My position meant I was right beside the sound booth.
The Chorusmaster had no sooner finished telling his voice woes than I threw my right hand forward, palm toward an imaginary forehead, while uttering the classic line, "Heal thyself!" Then I watched, in surprise, as his head reeled back as if smitten, and heard him say, "Thanks. I felt that all the way up here!"
How very nice of him to play along!
And that must have relaxed him, too, as he had no vocal problems all night.
i thank You, God, that i was there to usher at the Lucas.
Sometimes, I think my being somewhere is for my benefit, but I am always pleasantly surprised when I find that I am there for someone else.
That's all part of being a volunteer, isn't it?
Pleasure at being part of a favorable experience for others?
It's just a perquisite if I happen to enjoy the event, too.

I certainly did enjoy this concert, as it so happened.
Walt Whitman's poetry is not very familiar to me, though it is more so ever since the exhibit "Open Road" at the Jepson, about this time last year.
Robert Frost's works, on the other hand, have been favorites since I first read them in Mama's copy of a poetry compilation. Apparently, I'm not the only one who cherishes his words. In 1959, Randall Thompson incorporated seven of the poems into a new musical composition, "Frostiana: Seven Country Songs", for chorus and piano. How fortunate that I have been introduced to the piece while I am still celebrating birthday60!
I'm not saying that I recognized all the poems in the piece. However, "The Road Not Taken" is one of my favorites and it was the first today. Then, "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening" was near the end, which was fortunate; not only did I find myself reciting the words along with the singers, but it was so very lovely that I had tears in my eyes at the end of it. The next, and final song in this composition was "Choose Something Like A Star", the perfect ending to a glorious choral work.
Two pieces based on Walt Whitman's open-verse poetry preceded "Frostiana" and one more Whitman-inspired song followed. Those songs were, respectively, "Song Of The Open Road" and "Invocation And Dance", then "A Jubilant Song".
Altogether, the four works selected for this concert, aptly titled "Frost on Leaves of Grass", certainly did lead to a spirit of optimism for all present, including myself.
Thank you, Matt Caine, for this evening's beautiful program!
i thank You, God, that i was there!