Commissioned premieres are a special kind of anxiety and stress.
First comes month of discussion, negotiation, waiting for the piece to arrive.
Then, if you’re lucky, the piece is a beautiful, challenging piece that pushes your ensemble in the best possible ways.
Hours spent in rehearsal, interaction with the composer, feedback, revisions, more rehearsal.
Finally the day comes, and you stand in your concert attire and present the piece to its first audience. Your choir is ready and bring it to life for the first time.
A year of preparation is transformed into three or four minutes of sharing on a stage. The circle is completed from composer to conductor to performer to listener.
The next day, you rest and reflect on the journey. You are tired, but you are ready to try again.
A hearty thank you to Michael McGlynn, the Rockford Education Foundation, the Rockford Choirs and families, and most of all the thirteen Rockford Aces for a wonderful premiere of May last evening. I think my job is to be a midwife in the delivery of the new work to the world, and I’m so proud to be a part of this one.
What’s next?