LCURRENT MAGAZINE F I L E MAY 1984 "GETTING IN TUNE" by Pamela Wing I was late as it was. An excused late however. It so . .. " We all sort of stare dumbfounded. She really bothered me, not so much because I had to miss the can't do all that in two days, can she? And the very first half hour of rehearsal, but because I had to walk mode of her direction and conducting is theatrical into the middle of it. Oh yes, here I come, trying to and crazy to say the least. She is the 'Evelyn Wood' squeeze between the piano and Louise . .yes , and of music. "Don't breathe where it says breathe," to add to everything the second sopranos sit on the Louise commands. Busby looks at us mid-piano other end of the room. No, I never could sneak and Louise corrects herself, "don't ever breathe ..." unobtrusively into the Emmanuel Chorus practice. I usually ignore direction like this. She has some Louise Cash (professional singer and performer) different ways of expressing what she wants. is the director of the Chorus, to mention merely the "Squishy face girls---not 000, AAWW---more nasal pertinent aspect of her mUlti-faceted self. Her dark sounds ... Sopranos where are you? See what hap­ brown hair is coaxed into a style of its own. Make-up pens when you don't watch?" Groans from the and manner are theatrically embellished, but all ranks, and Stacia the very tall, long-haired soprano relative, isn't life a stage? Everything about Louise is flings her head forward in frustration and fun like a completely and personally Louise - from pianissimo colt. Rehearsal always pays off though. to furioso. She told us once - "don't tell me it's not Continued 'you' - how do you know who you are!? There are lots of you inside you and every one of those per­ sonalities can come out when the mood or situation fits, why stick to one?" Busby, rather Jim Busby, Louise's professional pianist, sits with one leg wrapped over his other leg and a foot sitting playfully on the pedal. Burger King coffee cup in hand, he is trying to grab an hour of semi-relaxation in between his hectic schedule. Oh . yes, he is an impressive talent. .don't let the preppy sweater and sneakers, or that boyish smirk CONTENTS: hide the image of the professional - the black tux Getting in Tune ......... Pam Wing P. 1 and virtuosity at a gleaming baby grand in the spot­ My Blind Date .. .. ... Kelly Fox P. 3 light - that comes to mind. I know, I woke up to "Saint" Patrick's Day? . Karen Gallagher p. 5 WGBH radio early one morning to some opera or The "Simple" Decision .. Kristin Anderson p. 7 other, hearing that great baritone announcer Can We Talk: an interview smoothly say".. .James Busby accompanies . ." with Liz Walker . ..... Liz Keats p. 8 That and the next five minutes I managed to stay Van Halen Jumps awake to satisfy my curiosity impressed me com­ Unchained into 1984 .. Mischel Silva p.13 pletely. Busby is great. He and the chorus give Explosive War at Louise a hard time; she gives us a hard time; she Emmanuel . ..... .. Joan Raferty p.15 doesn't always know we're kidding her; and she and On the Move . .. .. Andrea Decusati p.15 Busby laugh at us. God help Louise Cash, she's an opera singer right down to her high-heeled leather boots. The time and energy she gives to us is incredible. "Don't worry guys, I have a show to do in Rhode Island tonight, but I'll be back early because I've got a meeting and three classes to do tomorrow. .. re­ hearsal. .oh, and Busby we've got to see so-and- "Getting in Tune " cant. we sounded excellent. Even more excellent if only The lights dim, we rise from our seats and file on more people had been there to hear us ... stage organized and confident. As we turn to face We sang beautifully with Fairfield, and pulled off the audience, it is difficult not to look crushed and marvelous feats with only ten of us in the boonies of defeated before we've even opened our mouths to Maine with Maine Maritime just before Christmas. sing. This was our second concert at Emmanuel, Emmanuel Chorus has spirit! And has caught the and like the first one in the fall, there was not much gutsiness of Louise Cash. We squeezed that six of an audience to speak of . no one to hour drive between finals, actually slept on a sh ip, applaud .. no one to absorb that awful empty and came home again - another six hours - in one expanse of chairs . weekend. Louise hopped off the van in her fitted "Lilly saw us at our last concert guys," Louise said pants, high-heeled boots, short fur jacket, make-up, speaking of Lily Owyang, Professor of Music here and dark glasses. We all figured she must look like at Emmanuel. We got the Face from Louise. (That Somebody. And then the first words she uttered in face she makes - the dramatically made-up eyes roll that desolate, male inhabited academy - "Where's around agonizingly, and the eyebrows arch satani­ the john?" Sure. All those guys around, John must cally.) "She said she liked us better with the lights be there somewhere. Such city glamor glowed like off. .." (We had had technical difficulties with the a neon light in that God-knows-where-Iand of Cas­ lights during the first half of this recent February tine Maine. concert with Maine Maritime.) But our last concert was awful when Maine Mari­ Busby tries to ask seriously, but his smirk cannot time returned to exchange in February. Emmanuel be kept from hiding. "Did she see us with them on?" Chorus is beginning to wonder what it is doing "Yes, she said it sucked . Lily Owyang, here. The Chorus has to get some outside interest, woman of few words,. .. " and an audience isn't too much to ask really. That is But who felt like singing to barely a fourth of the bottom line. It is embarrassing and painful to an auditorium? invite a group to travel six hours and return them with an unattended performance. What happened to Emmanuel Chorus? The first concert we did in the fall with the Fairfield Men's April 29. Sunday evening. The campus is finally Glee Club, THE ALMIGHTY Fairfield Men's Glee blossoming into spring. The stage is set for the final Club, was terrific! Not that there was a greater concert of the year - target Emmanuel Chapel audience, but it was such a challenge to sing (people seem to find a sentimentality connected against such a good group . .and do as well as we with the Chapel so we hope for attendance), a short did ... morale and inspiration were high. It was also evening concert that ought not to conflict with an interesting series of events. Chorus does have its schedules (you see, we try to accommodate.) social advantages. Did you know guys can't even Early on that gorgeously warm, sunbathing, get into this club without a haircut? And this is not sailboats-flocking-on-the-Charles afternoon, the even military. And who were they to boot Busby out Chorus gathers to rehearse. Bare feet pitter-patter of his seat? WE had the professional pianist and this on cold marble sounding the migration from the Mr. Bigshot Whateverhisnamewas, flew in from blankets on the lawn outside in a determined sort of New York to direct "his boys" and said he wanted march. We are getting down to some tuning up and his student to play the Requiem Mass we were sing­ serious vocal work-out exercises. ing. What a creep, he COUldn't even carry is own Half an hour to concert time ... now dressed in briefcase; he had some ingratiating short-haired white, and black formal attire, the Chorus is once peon to trail in behind him! How do those guys more prepared to perform. Louise needs a tape of a stand it?! All that fuss for one man to fly in special song to send to the Friendship Ambassador place delivery to wave his baton in our faces and then to see if we can travel to Europe next year. Busby rush out again? I wonder if they ever dared fool him didn't quite realize the tape had begun as he was and sing terribly? No, I guess not. These were the making fun of the song sincewe had sung it QUITE kind of professional amateurs who stopped singing enough that year by his standard. ("Are we on?" during concert to start a song over if they had "Yes." "You mean you're taping now?" Louise nods somehow gotten off key. placatingly. Busby smirks, blushes and plays scow­ You should have seen the look on Mr. Bigshot's ling at his fingers as they trip over each other. The face when we were all singing in concert, but sped recorder clicks. "No, we're not on now." But Busby the tempo up too fast. Man was he furious! "Girls---­ keeps playing .. his own tune now, mind you.) I---will----say---this----only----ONCE----" such a Oh yes, Busby gets ample opportunities to get his vicious whisper. "Listen----to----me----SLOW---­ asides in between Louise's. We're doing a selection down---WATCH---me----!" His eyes flashed and from "Oklahoma" this time and one of the songs is the angelic smile he attempted was choking on a supposed to imitate the sound of a "Surrey with the pitchfork.