Singing Impostor

This morning I sang in to the Christmas Bureau Sing-along at the Winspear. which was being broadcast on CBC. More specifically, I was in the choir side (or rather "the chorale" as the slightly weird MC kept calling us). I felt like a bit of an impostor, since I wasn't exactly sure how I came to be in the choir, only that it was somehow through Sarah and Jamie. I felt like even more of an impostor when I wasn't able to sight sing the crazy Alto part for "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", which was the finale, although I did pretty well at the Hallelujah Chorus (and it's harder than it sounds).

I got to sing "Jesus Christ the Apple Tree", which sounds curse-y but isn't, and it made me feel better because up until that point I though Sarah had been pulling my leg about that being her favorite carol. We also sang my favorite "What Child Is This?", which I love not only for the awesome alto harmony (in any version, they're all good) but also because I get a perverse kind of joy from the incongruousness of singing "Nails, spear shall pierce him through" so cheerily.

I particularly enjoyed the close up view of the organist (which sounds dirty, but isn't) playing the Davis concert organ http://www.winspearcentre.com/content.asp?catid=119&rootid=2. The man playing the organ (Jeremy Spurgeon?) was simply fantastic and we were treated to two pieces of organ music. For the first piece, since I am currently reading Terry Pratchett's 'Men At Arms', I couldn't get the image out of my head of the Librarian playing the organ at Captain Vimes wedding, complete with barnyard animal noises and hurdy-gurdy sound effects and triumphant cries of "Oook!" and "Eeeek!". Watching someone play the organ is really quite amazing. It has four keyboards layered one atop of the other and surrounded by shiny knobs and buttons. Below, it features a matching number (a plethora?) of knobs and buttons spread across from knee level to ankle height and below that basically twenty odd wooden levers that are played, piano like, but with the feet. It was like watching someone drive the world's most complicated and beautiful sounding car. There's a reason that most organists are slim; it's a full body workout playing that thing.

The low point of the concert was a "surprise visit" by I kind of creepy Santa. His laugh was less jolly than maniacal and I certainly would not want to leave my children alone with him.

At the end of the concert, I finally introduced myself to the woman that shared my music. She turned out to be a UAMC Alum from the Fuscia Era (I was Green Era to Black). I left the concert filled with holiday cheer, which was not deflated on my drive through downtown, despite the efforts of crabby people and their car horns. I travelled to my chiropractic appointment (to get the painfully subluxated bones in my left foot relocated) in a haze of holiday inspired joy. Awaiting my turn at the chiropractor, I was surprised to see a young man walk in with a CBC TV camera. Of course the receptionist asked why he had it. He quickly replied that he had just come from filming the Christmas Bureau Concert. I had to comment that I had just come from singing in the choir, and that we should have carpooled. Strange coincidences.