Most of us are completing a year of choral performance, and in various ways, we are called to measure it. For the American Choral Directors Association, I measure activity in members, conferences, budget measurements, programs, and methods of participation and engagement. With those measurements, something similar to “Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred” is likely to appear. But after all the calculations, I am still left with the profound question in my artistic endeavors, “how do I really measure this year?”
If I try to apply math to the performances I have with the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, I suppose I could count the measures or notes in the Bach motets, cantatas, Magnificat, and Mass in B Minor that comprised our 2011-2012 concert year. Another measurement could be to calculate the several thousand audience members, the hours we spent in rehearsal and performance, the personal time we spent studying and learning the scores on our own outside of rehearsal. All of these are significant measurements, and to be sure, they are healthy numbers.
However, I prefer to measure things differently. Here is how I measure a year in our life:
We experienced profound Celebration in “Singet dem Herrn”
We experienced profound Thankfulness in “Gott, der Herr, ist Sonn' und Schild”
We experienced profound Confidence in "Ein feste burg"
We experienced profound Expectation and Hope in “Wachet auf”
We experienced profound Praise in “Magnificat”
We experienced profound Playfulness in “Pirates of the Carribean”
We experienced profound Joy in Mahler’s “Symphony No. 3”
We experienced Universal Faith in Bach’s “Mass in B Minor”
I am certain that life was richer, better, and more profound for those that we touched in our concert season this year.
May your own measurements lead to a season of productive preparation for another great season of choral music making just ahead.
Jura Litchfield says