General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: It's that time of the year...what is your favorite Christmas Carol? [View all]MineralMan
(146,284 posts)I also sang in choirs as a boy, but never in a major or traveling organization. At about the same age as you were, I was a boy soprano and was often a soloist with various choirs. I didn't think a thing of it, really, at the time. I had a clear, clean voice and perfect pitch, so someone was always having me sing. I was always happy to do that.
There was a period of about two years, later, as my voice changed that I did not sing, but then, I returned to the choir as a bass/baritone who could range up into the tenor range easily. Once again, i was singing solo parts. After high school, I developed stage fright and stopped singing solo music abruptly, although I continued choral singing for a number of years after.
Eventually, I stopped singing and focused on playing the oboe. Still, I continued singing for myself. I remember one time, during a rehearsal of Handel's Messiah, the orchestra was rehearsing the arias, but the Bass vocalist did not show up for the rehearsal. The conductor said we'd have to rehearse that piece at another time. So, I said, "I'll sing the aria." I stood up and did the "But who may abide/Refiner's Fire" aria. Nobody there had ever heard me sing before, but I knew that music from having performed it when I was younger. The director was surprised, to say the least.
I'm glad you had the opportunity to do what you did as a youngster. How wonderful!