BCS Connections and Reflections no. 14: Jason Wadsworth has been singing in our tenor section for 15 years and works as Communications Officer in the IT Department at Crane Army Ammunition Activity. He shares his musical beginnings, current music-making (with videos), and his passion for singing with BCS.
We welcome your stories, questions, and ideas. Thanks!
"I Believe in You!"
Greetings, my fellow musicians and arts patrons! I hope this letter finds you all safe and in good health as life in the pandemic trudges along. These times have been very difficult with no Tuesday rehearsals to look forward to, no performances, and no social fellowship.
My own musical journey began when I was eight years old, in the 3rd grade. I was verbally and physically bullied by my classmates on a daily basis while my teachers often looked on, allowing this abuse to continue. I tried out for a solo in our May Day program that year singing High Hopes (from the 1959 film, A Hole in the Head), and to my surprise, I got the part. This would be my first public experience in the performing arts. After the performance, I was on the gymnasium floor when a lady came up to me, knelt down to my level, placed her hands on my shoulders and made me promise to keep singing because she wanted me to be in her high school choir when I was old enough. This was the first time anyone outside of my immediate family essentially said, “I believe in you!” It was a pivotal moment in my life that I will never, ever forget.
Unfortunately, that high school choir teacher who inspired me left the position before I was old enough. Still, I went on to perform in all of our school musicals, as well as in Indiana's All-State Choir for four years. Several years later, I went to college at IU in 2004, and in 2005 I was introduced to the Bloomington Chamber Singers.
At the same time, I was introduced to a very talented musician, Sara Angharad Bishop. We've been singing and performing together now for over 15 years in various iterations and groups. Together with several other local, talented musicians, we formed The Global Warblers, a semi-professional, mixed-voice, a cappella ensemble with an eclectic repertoire of global music from madrigals to pop, and folk to jazz. Another smaller, as yet unnamed quartet also formed from this group along with my wife, Andrea Chesak. Over the course of the pandemic, we recorded two virtual choir pieces: Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill and How Deep is Your Love. The four of us are still gathering on a weekly basis to work on new repertoire.
While the future is always uncertain, I will never stop singing. And as long as I'm near Bloomington, there are three things that keep me coming back to BCS, year after year:
1. The quality, professionalism and passion of the performers: it is just superb.
2. The repertoire chosen: it often pushes us to become better, stronger singers—both individually and as a whole.
3. The passion for the arts of our Music Director, Dr. Sousa: I've never known any other conductor that dives so deep into the meaning, the history and the context of the music, all while pushing us to do our very best and then doing it again and again, only this time, better. These things thoroughly satisfy my soul.
I greatly look forward to what we have in store for everyone in the next few months, and I'm hoping we can get back to rehearsing Considering Matthew Shepard again soon.
Stay safe everyone!
Musical Offering
Jason shares with us the two virtual choir videos his quartet recorded during the pandemic: Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill and How Deep is Your Love.
