I fell into choral accompanying quite unexpectedly. I was in high school at the time, having taken private piano lessons for a number of years. I was a good sight reader, and loved playing duets with my dad as well as my teacher, who would sometimes suggest reading through duo-piano literature instead of our usual repertoire – to my delight!
There was a certain boy who sang in the top auditioned choir at my high school, and when he off-handedly suggested that I come play for the group, I jumped at the chance. One day after school, we approached the choir teacher with the idea. She asked me to play for her, which I did, and then she inquired about my study hall – which happened to be at the same time as this top choir slot. Immediately I was “hired,” and I’ve never looked back!
Those first rehearsals were rough, as I had never played for a choir before. I learned to “give pitches,” playing first the bass, then tenor, alto, and soprano starting notes; to read different lines at the same time (soprano and bass, alto and tenor, and all sorts of other combinations); and to follow the conductor’s gestures. I failed many times, but fortunately there was much grace, and I ended up playing for all four choirs for the next four years, and then was hired “for real” when I graduated and I continued to play for concerts while pursuing my undergraduate degree in a neighboring city.
My early exposure to amazing musical experiences in my high school set the stage for a lifetime of pursuing music, most specifically in the realm of collaborative piano (accompanying), but also leading to numerous performance opportunities, gigs, the birth of a house concert series, and a private piano teaching studio. The music program at my high school introduced me to the world of musical theater (Fiddler on the Roof, Westside Story, Something’s Afoot), opera (with in-residence opera singers and coaches), Christmas caroling a la The King’s Singers, the magic of John Rutter (Gloria, and his many songs for chorus), and touring the British Isles (with a choir made up of high school alumni).
From there, I went on to major in Piano Performance and spent as much of my “free” time as I could accompanying choirs, opera and musical theater productions, and voice lessons and recitals. After I graduated, I played for an accomplished 100-voice church choir that sang at notable local concert venues as well as travelled to Rhode Island and Detroit, Michigan, to sing world premieres of works by ASCAP composer Dr. Stephen Michael Newby.
Once I married and had three children, life in the music lane slowed a bit, but I kept my “chops” up by practicing when I could, and though I let go of the church choir position when home life got too busy, I started to miss it before too long. After a few years, I started to research local community choirs. I ended up going to a summer “sing” of masterworks where I introduced myself to the accompanist and offered to substitute if she ever had a need. Much to my surprise, I got a call not long after, and I began subbing regularly for her choir. That eventually led to a job opportunity when her schedule became too busy for her to continue with the choir.
I have since filled in as a substitute and danced around with a number of choirs in the area, which has been wonderfully fulfilling and has led to even more networking, friendships, and rich musical collaborations.
The choir world is a unique one, in that it is made up of a wide variety of people. Of course, serious professional singers may be a part of a choir, but more often than not, choirs are made up of schoolteachers, psychologists, judges, lawyers, doctors, chefs, waitresses, actors, music teachers, firefighters, and every other profession that you can think of. The members may have minored in music, or they may just miss singing in their church choir. They may be proficient sight readers, or they may be fantastic aural learners who struggle to read music notation. Usually, every member can point to one significant musical memory from their childhood that got them “hooked.” And the best choir directors can take this conglomerate of people, musical abilities, and experiences, and weave their voices into a beautiful, unified tapestry of sound that touches the souls of those who listen. It is an amazing thing to be a part of.
What about you? If your musical journey includes choral accompanying, how did you get started?
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