So many to thank . . .

Here are my beginning thoughts on words of thanks to the directors that prepared the chorus for our Carnegie performance. I'll be personalizing the message, but here are my first thoughts.

Dear Director,

Please accept my heartfelt thanks for your efforts in making our Carnegie Hall Concert a night to remember. In my opinion, the performance was a wonderful culmination of:

1. our efforts at learning the score before arriving in New York
2. A period of intense but fruitful rehearsals together
3. A superb effort on the night of the performance

Everything that I asked for in the moments prior to the concert was present during our performance: percussive consonants, beautiful vowels, focused eyes, passionate singing and incredible attention to detail.

It was more than a privilege to stand in front of the choir, it was the experience of a lifetime. I will never forget the experience we shared; it is already one of the very special memories in my life and I will always consider the evening of May 9, 2006 with pride and honor.

The concert had one flaw, of course, from one of the soloists. The choir, however, was not shaken. They were focused on the music and responded to the challenge like champions. On this night, the “amateurs” outsang the “professionals” in every way: dramatic nuance, beautiful tone, outstanding precision, and beautiful musicality.

My parting word to the choir was “God sings through you tonight.” It may be presumptuous to make such a statement. If it were possible to invoke such an occurrence, however, it happened. On that night, I felt like a servant to both God and Mozart; it was an honor to be the facilitator of both.

Forever indebted to you and your chorus,

Philip L. Copeland