Now that I am "kind of" graduated (pictures to come), I have started thinking about the things that I will definitely miss more than a little at the BYU. Women's Chorus hovers right at the top of that list.
I have been in Women's Chorus now for many years (I became a member the year after Sister Applonie, the director, became director) and I haven't gone a F/W semester at the Provo campus without being a part of this excellent choir. Back in 2006, I was even the Publicity Chair. It was a thrill (and completely exhausting!).
This girl, Megan, told me that she joined Women's Chorus because of me (we went to Jerusalem together).
Women's Chorus is a huge, huge time commitment. One hour of class M-F, added to several dress rehearsals and concerts a month, singing at devotional, and extra practice times all add up to being way more work than just a one-credit-hour class. However, even in my busiest semesters (19/20 credits and 2 jobs), I still did Women's Chorus because somehow, singing with 180 girls under one of the best directors I have ever known (Sister Applonie) makes me feel more human (and with 20 credits and 2 jobs, I need all the help I can get to be human!).
Clearly, Women's Chorus was a thrill. I mean, just look at that face. We were rehearsing for a concert that started in about 20 minutes and I just wanted the whole world to know, "There's a mess of moonlight, won't you share it with me?"
If I had to go back and do my undergraduate experience again, there are a lot of things I would do differently. However, one thing that would stay constant would be my involvement in Women's Chorus. I would gladly do all those years again, despite my busyness.
It was that awesome.
Favorite memories of Women's Chorus:
*One year we took Women's Chorus pictures on the back steps of the Maeser building. It was an incredibly hot day in April and, at 3:00 in the afternoon, the sun was baking those steps like cookies in a 350 degree oven. Unfortunately, we were on those steps wearing black dresses. Girls kept passing out, and someone would drag them over to the shade and fan them as the photographer kept taking pictures. I think somewhere between 5 and 10 girls passed out that day...
*We got to sing in April Conference in the Conference Center in 2006. It was awesome. I will never be the same after sitting in the choir seats at General Conference. I think President Uchtdorf even drove past us in one of those little golf carts the General Authorities use to get around after the session was over and we were in the tunnel.
*My folder partners have just been awesome. Really. Somehow I always got put with someone that laughed at my jokes and even had some of their own, which made class time a lot more pleasant (since I had to sit next to them every day for 8 months!).
*When President Hinckley dedicated the JFSB in 2006, guess who sang at the dedication? The combined choirs, including Women's Chorus.
*Recording sessions are long and sometimes miserable. Once we were recording on stage in the DeJong and right as we finished one of the songs, a girl in the front row passed out. She fell forward and cut her chin and they were afraid to move her, so someone held her head in their lap and waited for the BYU medical people to come while we kept recording. As we finished the next song, this guy came in and ran up to the stage. "That's my wife!" he said. I don't know why it was so funny, but the situation was just one of those crazy ones that you laugh about afterward.
*Sister Applonie was the best director (and mentor and friend) that I could ever have hoped for. Especially since I saw her every day for many years, I had a lot of time to learn things like balance, efficiency, and how to have high expectations without overwhelming yourself from her. If the conductor had been someone else, I might not have stuck with it for so many years. But seriously, she was all I could ever ask for in a conductor.
As you can tell, it has been quite a ride! Plus, we have our own chocolate. How much cooler can you get?
Such a fun post! Although I was never IN Women's Chorus, it (along with the other choirs) is also one of the things I really miss about BYU. I loved going to your concerts! :)
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