The Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Servi, a Gothic cathedral in Bologna, is a lovely place for an impromptu concert. The Rockford Choirs sang there on Saturday, March 31.
Over the altar hung three large chandeliers full of what must have been dozens CFL light bulbs (not genuine Gothic, perhaps, but certainly eco-friendly and less of a fire hazard.)
Of the light bulbs, one was nearing the end of its life, and as CFLs often do, blinking. And even among all the other light bulbs, it affected the lighting for the entire space and drew the viewer’s attention.
A singer not fully committed to what the full choir is doing will do the same thing to the impact of the choir’s work. Singers: don’t be the blinking light bulb.
(And of course, often the only way to fix a blinking light bulb is to change it; it is the conductor’s to identify and address the problem so it is fixed.)