Choral and Orchestral Musicians
I wamted to create a thread for more classical musicians such as myself to chat as I feel like choral and orchestrap music is kind of its own little world a lot of the time.
Choral music was the first passion/special interest of mine I was fully able to pursue in a way that made me complete. I think choir was also the first community I felt truely a part of and not like an outsider. Essentially singing in a chorus for me is like an amazing stim that I can get completely lost in, appreciated for, and somehow connect with people while getting lost in myself.
I haven't been able to pursue choir in over a year and I've been extremely depressed due to chronic illness but I still love talking about it and sharing my favorite pieces. My favorite composers are Eriks Essenvalds and Karen P Thomas both of whom I got to meet and think are incredible people.
I enjoy other non-classical/choral music as well but I don't seem to get lost in it the same way. Do any of you relate to this? Also have any of you had to leave your ensembles for some reason and how did/do you deal with it? How is your relationship with performing groups different from your relationships with "normal people"?
Oh also just for funsies feel free to say if you have perfect pitch, I feel like its more common with AS folk than NT. Unfortunately I missed out
I've sang in various choirs, in one of them I met my husband
I'm a dramatic mezzo, so I was often assigned to any female part that lacked force. My favorite (and natural) place is first altos.
I think with harmony and I always hear myself in relation to other voices. Singing in first sopranos wasn't that pleasurabe for me - in first sopranos, you hear mainly your own melody. In altos, you hear the whole harmony.
I don't have and don't pursue perfect pitch. My ideal is perfect harmony.
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Let's not confuse being normal with being mentally healthy.
<not moderating PPR stuff concerning East Europe>
@magz That is super relatable (about the harmony). Do you hear all the parts in your head when you subaudiate (sing in your head)? It drives me crazy when I'm alone to be able to hear them all and not sing them all. Sometimes I record myself singing one part so I can play it back and sing with harmony which is nice. 2nd altos is my home In my choir we assigned hogwarts houses to all the sections, A1s were Ravenclaw cause they need to be the smartest to hold their part. My husband doesn't sing so you're lucky you married someone who does.