In BCS Connections and Reflections no. 15, we hear from alto Elizabeth McKillip, who describes her first experience with recording virtual choir music during the pandemic.
We welcome your stories, questions, and ideas. Thanks!
Seeking A Musical Oasis
I have been singing with BCS since my husband and I moved to Bloomington in 2015. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Music Education, so as you can probably imagine, singing has always been a huge part of my life. I knew that I needed to get connected with a choir as soon as possible after our move. Jan Allen, BCS soprano, found me at the Fourth Street Festival of the Arts and Crafts, and the rest is history.
During the past 6 months, trying to find a musical outlet has been like searching for an oasis in the middle of a desert. Shortly after quarantine began, some of my best friends decided we should try our hand at virtual recordings. The Golden Girls is a show that we have all binged together over the years, and the theme song, Thank You For Being a Friend, was even played at one of our weddings as the bridesmaid processional, so we knew that had to be our first recording. One of my friends arranged it for us, and away we went. Using an app on my phone to record individual parts to a piece of a cappella music was probably one of the most time-consuming and frustrating musical adventures I’ve ever had. Once one part was recorded, another person layered on top of that, and so on, until all parts were there. Trying to stay in tune with people who are not in the same room as you is a whole new level of ear training. We initially thought it would sound awful; we couldn’t hear each other as we were singing to make sure we were blending, using the same vowel shapes, breathing at different times, etc. Even as each person added their voice, we could tell that there were things we needed to fix, but we decided to wait to hear the finished product. The last person to record sent the final cut out to the group and we were stunned. It sounded much better than we imagined! Listening to us all singing “together” and being able to see our faces in the video gave me a feeling I can’t describe.
As BCS ventures into this chapter of virtual rehearsals and recordings, I know it will be hard. It is new and uncomfortable. As singers, we feed off of one another’s emotions. We depend on our conductor to keep us together and help us make the music speak to an audience. The feeling of hearing a live audience erupt with applause after a performance is something that can’t be manufactured. But in the end, this new chapter will be worth the effort. We will learn together, get frustrated together, and grow together, just as we have always done. I am so excited to start singing with this group again, and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes us.
Musical Offering
This is the first attempt my friends and I made at virtual recordings. It was arranged specifically for us by Courtney Sturgill (middle, left), so it is very special to our little group. I hope you enjoy it, imperfections and all!
