Virtual choir songs, and losing a singer

[sonia]

Earlier this year, I sent in tracks for "The Artistry of Balkan Singing," two virtual choir projects co-run by Kitka and Zado.

Zaspo Janko, I sang the middle (melody) part. Top row, second from right.

Watch on YouTube

Dragana i Slaveja, I sang the middle-high part, with the "second choir," so I'm singing the second line where two choirs trade off.

Singing starts at about 1:00

Watch on YouTube

Recording a video track is certainly a learning process! I compared it with signing up for a day-long bike ride. An accomplishment when I'm done, but in the middle of it I wonder what the heck I was thinking. I originally signed up for the high part of Dragana, which is what I usually sing, but after multiple attempts and bursting into tears, I wrote to them that they could have the middle or nothing. They graciously accepted the middle!

I can't find the words to post about this separately, so I'll put it here. Larry Gordon, founder of Village Harmony, is dying from a head injury from a bike crash. Here's the Caring Bridge site and Journal with more information.

They invited people to send notes to be buried with him. Here's what I sent.

Dear Larry,

Thank you for creating the Village Harmony organization and keeping it going all these years with the wide range of skillful teachers who joined you. The 2008 Oregon camp changed my life. I'm still connected with friends I met there and singing songs I learned there. The camps I attended after that have also added to my singing life in wonderful ways. Thank you. May you enjoy gorgeous harmonies wherever you go next.

Love,
Sonia

He wasn't at that 2008 camp, but he was a teacher at several other camps I attended. Great teacher, warm bass voice, and a Balkan dancer. An incalculable loss to a worldwide community of singers.

Comments

[silveradept]

Unfortunate to hear about Larry.

The two virtual choir pieces posted here sound lovely, however. (And yes, recording for virtual, with all of it supposed to be blended together, is an ordeal itself. Or it was for me, because I could hear all of my mistakes and kept wanting to do it correctly and perfectly, even though it was all going to be mixed together.)

[sonia]

Thanks!

Yeah, recording is so hard. I'm slowly acclimatizing to the fact that it's an iterative learning process, and also that eventually it's time to take what I've got and let it be good enough.

The virtual choirs were originally conceived as a community chorus sort of project, but I think in the end they turned up the gain on the professional singers and the rest of us are a quiet whisper in the background.

[silveradept]

I can't imagine how someone like Eric Whitacre's mass choirs of thousands of people get mixed and recorded together so that they sound well, because it's probably a similar situation of dentist amateurs, professionals, and people who are there too try and see what happens.

Learning to admit that you've done the best you can and to let go is hard for me, but it's important to do for projects like these. At some point, trying for an additional take only has diminishing returns.

[jesse_the_k]

...learning to blend is a such delightful part of choir singing, that seems to be lost in virtual contributions.

Just noticed a fascinating vocal transform

https://mobile.twitter.com/hollyherndon/status/1456380201110315012

[sonia]

Wow, that's cool! And creepy.

Yeah, blending, and also feeling supported by the other voices. *wistful sigh*