rehearsal was going.. as well as could be expected. ronnie runs his rehearsals with a lot of chit-chat, guffaws, and gum chewing unprofessionalism. one afternoon rehearsal with soloists and orchestra, dinner, then right straight into the performance at 7pm.
this was the third time in 9 years jc sang the magnificat with this choir and orchestra. he was confident, but nervous as always. two new replacement soloists added to the intensity of the moment. young kids just out of college, all fluttery and ready to sing. like puppies you just want to pat on the head and instruct to sit and stay.
small talk began during the choral numbers. he hated small talk. especially the kind that included name dropping and 'my teacher this..' and 'my teacher that..'. and then the inevitable.. 'well, you are a veteran..' rolled right off the tenor's tongue and jc wanted to punch this guy. instead, he grinned, put on his old geezer glasses, crossed his leg, pulled out his score, and ignored the kid.
the first solo was for the young tenor. he had a nice, typical conservatory sound. resonant, heavy, and pushed. just exactly the sound that gets tenors roles but finishes their careers fairly early.
and then, it was time for jc to sing.
he stood up.
and as he stood.. there was a collective gasp behind him.
the tenor was standing too.
why the hell was the tenor standing?
for a brief moment, all eyes were on jc. shock and embarrassment and then rage coursed through him within seconds. time seemed to stand still. everyone was frozen. the orchestra staring, the choir silent behind him, ronnie even stopped chewing his gum in his bewilderment. no one moved a muscle or rustled a page.
and then he spoke..
ahem. ronnie, who will be singing this solo?
oh. i dont really care which of you sings it. you two duke it out. ronnie blurted offhandedly.
WHAT?
-followed by dead silence.
you need to make a decision.
the tenor piped in his two cents. 'doesnt matter to me, old man.' but didnt take a seat.
ronnie, are you going to make a decision.?
ronnie just stared.. unsure yet unbudging.
jc took a very long, relaxed breath and looked around the room. all eyes were still riveted to him. he glanced back at the choir, smiled casually, and took a seat.
rehearsal resumed. afterward, the tenor leaned in and explained in a somewhat panicky tone, 'ronnie called me and told me to learn the solo.' jc shrugged. poor kid was caught in the middle. let him have his moment.
it would be a long time before he ever sang with this organization again.
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