When friends and colleagues ask me what I'm working on right now and I tell them I'm singing in the Bürgerchor for Showboat, they always respond with "I didn't know you could sing!" And I get it - most people know me as a dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher, so it's a bit surprising.
Well, I want to share the adventure that brought me to singing in a musical! Let's rewind to December 2023. My friend Katrin Mengast invited me to her venue to see a choir perform Christmas songs. I thought it would be fun, so I went with my buddy, the music composer Daniel Williams. And you know what? I loved it! I really get moved when I hear people singing.
During the break, Daniel mentioned that Saxony is famous for its choirs and there are tons of them around. That got me thinking - it would be so cool to be part of a choir, even just as a hobby. I didn't know where to start, so I went around checking out the choirs at local churches. Of course they all had them, but I didn't actually sign up for any.
Fast forward to February 2024. Someone in a WhatsApp group I'm in posted an open call for singers to join the Bürgerchor for the Showboat musical at the Staatsoperette. Without overthinking it, I picked a song I liked and started practicing it a bit. The audition was coming up quick, so I also had to work on my mindset. I kept telling myself "I sing beautifully, I sing from the heart" and visualized myself performing on the Staatsoperette stage.
The audition day came, and to my surprise, I had the wrong date! The kind guards at the entrance helped me out and got me the right info. Phew! I had a couple more days to prepare.
When the real audition day arrived, I wasn't sure if I'd be singing a cappella or with accompaniment. I went with accompaniment, thinking it would be easier. Well, the pianist played this huge, grand intro that totally threw me off, and I missed my cue. I just asked them to start again, and then in the middle of the song, I forgot the lyrics and started dancing a bit. By the end, I was just mixing up the words, but I kept singing. Honestly, I had no idea how I sounded.
The next few days, I kept visualizing myself singing, and then - ta-da! - I got an email saying I was selected to be part of the Bürgerchor! I was over the moon, you have no idea.
Now, the adventure didn't end there. We started rehearsing in March, once a week. And let me tell you, reading music is not my strong suit - I've only really done it when practicing piano. Plus, we had to sing while sitting, which felt so restrictive for me. I'm used to using my whole voice and body!
I also thought someone would assign us our vocal parts, but nope, we got to choose. I went with alto because it felt more comfortable, but little did I know the alto provides the harmony while the soprano has the melody. There was so much for me to learn!
Overall, this has been an incredible opportunity and adventure. It's also an affirmation that whatever we visualize and see ourselves doing will eventually become our reality. So I encourage you - think of something fun and new that you'd love to try, and just imagine yourself doing it. I promise you, it will happen!
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