I much prefer the endings.
The final concert comes with tearful goodbyes and is hard on everyone in the choir. We know we’ll never have that group together again. But as hard as that is, I prefer it to the beginning.
Endings are anticipated, are the natural result of the work you’ve done all year.
As I’m moving rapidly toward the beginning of the year for me and my ensembles, I’m facing unknowns.
On the third week of rehearsals, there will be things I’m not sure about – how much we’ll get through, what will be the challenges, etc. On week zero, before we start, I don’t know anything. I don’t know the right music to program, I don’t know the social dynamics of the ensembles, I don’t even know who is in my ensembles, necessarily.
That challenge is much harder, to me, than the emotions of the end. I can’t wait to get past the beginning to my favorite part – the middle.
The work itself.