BCS Connections and Reflections no. 12: BCS alto and current Board President Pat Slabach reflects on her journey, from joining BCS to leading the group as board president in just a few short years.
Are you enjoying these connections? What would you like to see more of? We welcome your feedback.
Wonderful and Daunting
When I moved back to Bloomington and looked for a classical choral ensemble to sing with, I checked out the Bloomington Chamber Singers. The Music Director, Dr. Gerry Sousa, was very welcoming and offered me a chance to audition. I was a voice major in college and also had sung previously with the Indianapolis Arts Chorale under the direction of Eric Stark.
My audition was a comedy of errors, from the accompanist racing through my audition piece at twice the speed I had practiced it, to my score falling off the music stand! We all laughed, and I tried it again. Fortunately, I was accepted into the group as an alto.
The first night of rehearsal, Gerry assigned me to the soprano section, and we started rehearsing a Bach cantata, Unser Mund sei voll Lachens (May our mouth be full of laughter), BWV 110. Imagine, me, an alto, struggling to sing sustained high G’s! Luckily, Gerry and I discovered the error at the break, and I was moved to the alto section. Whew!
My three years with the Chamber Singers have been both a wonderful and daunting experience of learning new music, challenging myself with German, French and even some Russian language. I am a better musician today because of this experience and learning from Gerry. But more importantly, I made some treasured friendships and valuable connections with other musicians.
Another benefit to the last three years was being able to introduce my family and friends to the joys of choral music. Imagine the pleasure I felt to see our seven-year-old grandson sitting through Poulenc’s Stabat Mater and actually enjoying it!
In 2018 I was invited to join the Board of Directors, and this past year served as the president, filling out the term for Paul Pisano, who had moved to the Assistant Director position and could not continue as President. The 50th anniversary season in 2019 was a busy one, with a Gala event at the Woolery Mill, a fabulous Fall 2019 concert of Our Favorite Things, initiating marketing strategies, creating a new website, building a donor database, and working on and receiving numerous grants and awards. The Board members stayed engaged and worked hard; it has been an honor to serve with them.
The Chamber Singers Board found also new connections with Indiana University through the “Serve IT Help Non-Profit Technology Clinic”, who worked alongside our Board on various projects that included web design, project management, social media, and grant writing.
And now, here we are in the summer of 2020 in a pandemic. We are reinventing ourselves as other arts organizations are, looking for ways for our membership and audience to stay connected and engaged through music. With our singing and our season put on hold, I miss the singers and hope everyone can stay safe until we can sing and perform again.
Musical Offering
Here are two pieces I love and want to share with you. My grandfather, Michael Verbich, was born in Slovakia and was a choirmaster in a Greek Catholic church. My father, Basil, was a singer, too, so I feel some strong family connections to these beautiful religious pieces.
from All-Night Vigil, Opus 37, by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943):
1. Пріидите, поклонимся (Come, let us worship)
6. Богородице Дѣво (Rejoice, O Virgin)
