BCS Connections and Reflections no. 16: In this reflection and musical offering, BCS alum Tim Jessen reflects on the momentous day he and his wife auditioned for BCS.
We welcome input, questions, and ideas from all of you who read this email. Thanks!
A Memorable Audition Day
Elma and I arrived in Indiana in the summer of 2001. Though we had been in community (and church!) choirs in three communities, we figured Bloomington would not “need” one. We knew of the great IU School of Music and were attracted by the many musical activities available at IU. We heard about the 4th Street Arts and Crafts Festival and attended it over Labor Day weekend. There we were introduced to BCS by joyful members and encouraged to try out. Auditions were being held on September 11, 2001.
As the day's events unfolded, we wondered if the tryouts would continue as planned, and social networking was not as available then. So we took the 45-minute drive to Bloomington from Mitchell. On the door of the Unitarian Universalist Church was a note, "The auditions planned by BCS WILL continue tonight as scheduled." But they did not. Things changed very rapidly that day, and about a half dozen other auditionees also arrived. After a reasonable amount of time waiting inside the building, everyone left, disappointed, but certainly understanding why. Elma and I somehow found a church service that had been hastily planned by some congregations, attended it, and went home.
The next Tuesday we returned and were gladly welcomed by Gerry. In a move unusual for him at the time, he heard us sing and invited us to join THAT VERY NIGHT. (Often, people wait a week for notification). The first time I heard the group sing that night, I thought to myself, “I must be in heaven.” The music was truly glorious. We had been in half a dozen choirs together—but none like this one! When I retired several years later, there was no question where we would go—to Bloomington, of course. Janice Bagwell turned out to be a nearby neighbor, and we made dozens of friends in BCS—some now gone, like Natalie Wrubel and Jocelyn Wentworth. We helped plan memorial services for each of those two fine ladies and sang at others to comfort and cheer. I joined the BCS board, and when John Collins asked me to be the Board Chair, I jumped at the chance, as I had just lost a chaplaincy job. It was to be a one-year term to fill out Jenny Lawrence’s term (she was Board Chair when we arrived), but it turned into five years.
As board president, Tim Jessen makes opening remarks before a 2009 Messiah Sing at a Bedford church.
We had great fun, lots of work, and always lots of interesting problems to solve! Like the scratch in the floor of First United Church we caused by moving a piano. Like finding venues when churches were getting fussier and wanting more money to use them. I got to attend two Chorus America National Conferences in Atlanta and Philadelphia. At one, friends of Robert Shaw shared memories of him, including the never-to-be-forgotten Alice Parker (internationally renowned American composer, arranger, conductor, and pedagogue)!
We used to go around at the beginning of each year and introduce ourselves, including the year we joined. Some could not remember the year they joined, but we always can. It was September 11, 2001—or rather one week later. That date will live in our memory, for a very horrible reason—and for a very good one! Keep on singing!
Musical Offering
My musical offering relates to another sad situation. In 2006, five IU Jacobs School of Music students were killed in a plane crash returning to Bloomington. Two of them were connected to BCS: Zachary Novak actually sang with us for at least one year, and Robert Samels was a bass soloist when we sang and recorded Messiah in 2004 with the Bloomington Early Music Festival. In this musical offering, Robert sings the (Part One) recitative, Thus saith the Lord, and the aria, But who may abide the day of His coming?
