A higher-priority item on my calendar this weekend — the Charlottesville Ten Miler — took place before the three musical events, but will have to be written up later.

Attended the U Mary Washington Philharmonic concert Saturday. Heard Itzhak Perlman play the Beethoven Violin Concerto. Terrific! And the orchestra sounded better than I’ve ever heard them.

Sunday, sang my second ever solo in church. (A few years ago, I sang If Thou Be Near, being enamoured of Kirsten Flagstad: If Thou Be Near) This time it was Wilt Thou Forgive, a John Donne poem. I listened many times to one done by a baritone to lute accompaniment (which I actually paid for), and really enjoyed. There’s one done by a boy soprano here: Connor Burrowes: Wilt Thou Forgive

Our choral society’s annual spring gala “Just Jazz” (dinner/concert) was held Sunday.
We sold 98 of the 100 tickets — I think there were ten tables with ten $75 seats, and I didn’t notice any vacant. Here’s what we did:
5:15 p.m. SET 1

Afro Blue — instruments only
Medley 1: When I fall in Love, Dundee Frim Fram Sauce, Carla My Funny Valentine, Adrienne
Duet: It Don’t mean a thing: Pam and Dawn Able
Medley 2: You Belong to Me, Regina Someone to Watch over me, Jenny, Love me or Leave me, Sarah
Small Group: The Way you Look Tonight

5:45 ish SET 2

Pass me the Jazz — small group
Words—small group
Do you feel the rhythm — SoundCheck (in audience)
Linus and Lucy
Summertime

6:45 SET 3

Your Cheatin’ Heart — Women only
Love is here to stay — Women only
Take 5
You’d be so nice to come home to
Ain’t that a kick

7:35 SET 4

James Bond Theme — Men only
Sweet Georgia Brown — Men only
Sway
Ain’t Misbehavin’
All the Cats Join in
Encore—Ain’t that a Kick (just the finale)

Sandy said the best small group number was the Don’t Mean a Thing mother and daughter duet. After the men’s Sweet Georgia Brown, I thought the men’s director’s wry grin hinted that we blew it. SoundCheck is the auditioned subgroup of our “y’all come” choir. Pass Me the Jazz was its most ambitious piece, evidently too ambitious for the whole group so it was done as a subgroup of the subgroup, so I was not in that.

Of the whole-group numbers, I think my favorite and the one I think we did the best was Ain’t Misbehavin’. Linus and Lucy went pretty well. It was a clear favorite of all those lovers of the cartoon characters, something I never could understand. The James Bond theme had a similar strangeness for me, until one of the altos mentioned Pierce Brosnan and I realized he must be the source of much of the bass lyrics, “baaaaaaaaaaaah, baaaaaaaaaaaah, baaaaaaaaaaaah.”

There may be a photo or two later.