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Bob Moody conducts members of the Evansville Philharmonic Chorus in 1997. "Just one more time, I promise!" My views
I guess I began singing as a young child. I remember when I was about 5 years old, standing in front of a hotel with my mother. A man passing by stopped to talk to me, and asked me to sing for him. I sang "Let Me Go, Lover," a Patti Page hit of that era. The man gave me a dollar. Recognizing my talent may have been elsewhere, my mother arranged for me to take piano lessons when I was eight. These weekly lessons, with the tortuous recitals, continued until I turned 16. While in junior high, my best friend, Maggie, gave me a reality check. She asked me to quit singing along with the radio. I sang in the chorus throughout high school, but I think the real reason I was there was because of the eight years of piano lessons. I made an adequate accompanist for the class. I bought a guitar my last year of high school and taught myself some chords. By the time I got to college, I was a *folk singer!* Hootenannies were the big thing at college, and I met up with some like-minded singers. Either as a solo act, or as part of "The Three Sides of the Wind," I spent many weekends performing in coffeehouses or at hootenannies. I studied enough music in college to minor in voice, then set off to New York City to find fame and fortune. Rudely awakened, rather like Mr. Tanner in the Harry Chapin song, I saved my singing for mostly private occasions, and stopped performing publicly, concentrating instead on my journalism and weaving. In 1996, at the urging of a friend, I auditioned for the Evansville Philharmonic Chorus and was accepted. I found the joy of singing that I once had, thanks to the fine caliber of the chorus, the challenging selections, and the masterful and always interesting direction of Conductor Bob Moody. As Bob moved on to bigger and better things as Associate Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, he left behind him a strong legacy of his six years in Evansville. He touched the lives of many in those years with his talent and charismatic personality, and gave the chorus a goal of excellence. And for that, I am forever grateful to him. My last chance to sing with the chorus was a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 14, 1999, conducted by Moody. It was an unforgettable experience. Relevant Links: Back to home page Last updated May 19, 2007 |