Forgotten Carols Choir

Tyler Castleton with me before the show.

This past week, I had the wonderful opportunity to perform with Michael McLain in the Forgotten Carols.  I had waited for 3 years to get this chance to sing in the choir.  It was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to do it again next year if they come back to Seattle.

We had three rehearsals in Bothell over a 3 week period and then one before the show.  The show is produced by Deseret Book and Tyler Castleton.  He was there and we got to work with him and meet him.    His name is on just about every other piece of music I've ever sung over the years.  His arrangements are amazing!  It was so cool to meet this person who is so talented and has done so much for LDS music.

I also had a vignette part.  It was a little scary as I didn't know what I was supposed to do on stage until a couple hours before the show.  My part was to be a "person who was cold and in a serious hurry".  I had to walk around the stage a few times and then give Uncle John (Michaell) some money as he was playing his flute.  I was really scared I was going to slip and fall as the stage was a little slippery and so were my shoes!  Luckily, I didn't fall and embarrass myself.  You see, back in 1991, I had the main part in a musical at the college I was attending.  Well, a week into the rehearsals, I ended up having to have an emergency tonsillectomy and so I was unable to sing.  I had to take a chorus/dancing part and it was a serious disappointment but at least I still got to do the show.  Then, on opening night, I was dancing on stage during one of the acts and fell during one of the dance moves and broke my foot.  There were 500 or so people in the audience!  What luck huh!  I don't think I was meant to be in that musical!  Luckily when I fell, I was towards the back and just slid off the stage behind the curtain.  When the number was over, I was able to get backstage and get a look at it.  I left for the ER and sure enough, sprained and broken and casted for 2 months!  Soo.......when someone says, "Break a Leg" I say, noooooo, don't say that to me....or I just might!

Micheal McLain in the "green room" before the show, expressing his love and gratitude for us and the gifts he is able to share.

Michael was so warm and gracious.  When we were in the green room, he came back before the show and spoke with us.  When we were rehearsing earlier, he came and taught us a song he had written and asked us to learn it right then and sing it that night!  No pressure or anything!!  It was so fun to meet him and hang out with him. I've always loved his music and to have this opportunity was a dream come true!!  He is truly a blessed, brilliant, inspired man. I sat 3 feet away from him during most of the show.  It was so amazing to me how he plays the piano and sings, never missing a note, beat, or line.  All that kept running thru my mind was how brilliant and special he is.  There is no one else like him.  What it must be like to have that talent and the ability to share it with the world.  

Here I am with Christian Molnard and Kathy Gappmayer from Lake Wilderness along with Grant Erickson from Eunmclaw Second.  When I found out that we needed another alto, I asked Kathy to join us and she was able to do so.  When we got the first rehearsal, we discovered that Christian and Grant were involved too and didn't even know it.  We had a wonderful time together and are working on some things to sing together at our home ward before Kathy moves to Utah next month!