The Last Monday Night

Photo credit - Beth Hager

Tomorrow night will be our last Monday night driving to Hershey to rehearse under the direction of Linda Tedford. For ten years, my husband and I have spent two and half hours every Monday night from September to May singing with the Susquehanna Chorale.

We’d both sung for years in various church and community choirs. We actually met each other through choral singing. But we reached a point in 2016 when we thought it was time to take a chance on auditioning for the Susquehanna Chorale which we viewed as the ultimate central Pennsylvania choir experience. The superb repertoire, the professionalism, and the sheer beauty of the blended voices was something we wanted to be part of before our own voices aged out of viability.

When we got in the car after our first rehearsal, I looked at my husband and said, “We are not in Kansas anymore.” There was not a wasted minute in the rehearsal, which was clearly planned down to the last detail. This was serious business from start to finish. High expectations and tremendous respect for the conductor as well as for each other as musicians separates this group from choirs where there is a constant undercurrent of sidebar commentary and lack of focus.  

I’ve often said once you’ve sung for Linda, your approach to singing is forever changed. Even if we’re singing elsewhere, we’re constantly hearing Linda’s voice in our heads reminding us about schwas, or vowel placement or a myriad of other pedagogical and artistic nuances that make all the difference in how a piece reaches an audience. Her instruction becomes part of your vocal DNA. (When hearing contradictory directions from other conductors, my husband will nudge me and whisper, “Linda would have a stroke.”)

Singing under Linda’s leadership is not easy. There are times when I’ve felt frustrated, discouraged, and exhausted. I never again want to record and upload a song for a virtual choir during a pandemic. But it’s like being part of a team, you suck it up, practice a little harder at home and come back the next Monday night and try to do better. And that’s not a bad life lesson, especially when you’re our age. Occasional discomfort reminds us that we can push past our perceived limitations and that we’re still capable of growth and improvement.

Now, after a year filled with anticipation and celebration of Linda’s upcoming retirement--of watching each milestone in our choral season go by--the end is truly upon us. This momentous change which felt like something so far in the future is now a reality. Tomorrow’s rehearsal to prepare for our annual concert at Mt. Gretna is the last one under her direction. And as much as we look forward to a new season led by highly qualified interim conductors who will smooth the way for the next artistic director, (and there are fabulous candidates), it’s still bittersweet to relinquish this choral way of life that we’ve been privileged to experience for the last ten years.

We want to be part of the change and growth coming to this magnificent organization so we’ll still drive to Hershey on Monday nights, at least for the next year or two. But this last Monday night will be special. For one more time, we’ll  keep our eyes out of our folders and our faces expressive as we watch the woman who, for 45 years, and by the subtlest of gestures, has shaped multiple voices into one extraordinary sound, truly enriching the lives of everyone around her through song.