Every night on tour before going to bed, my roommate Christine and I overthink the next day's schedule. Yes, we overthink. We often joke that we need to overthink so we don't underthink. :-)
The
whole objective of tour are these very concert days, and our aim is to
be as exact and prepared as possible. The performer itinerary is
detailed, but we also have toured enough to add in a few of our own
strategies. Depending on the call time and the distance needed to
travel, we might have a day that starts with breakfast and buses as
early as 6:00am or as late as 10:00am. The trick always is to plan ahead
to beat the rush. Imagine 600 people descending on hotel elevators for
either food or the bus ride not to be missed! Full elevators opening at
your floor with no room is the norm! So we have a plan.
Before
leaving our room we prepare our day bag. Christine and I have learned
to prepare for almost anything. Typically we pack an umbrella, bus
blanket, a jacket, pillow, a book, a snack, our phones and a few other
small helpful items. We've checked the weather, but make no assumptions
about summer or a climate we are not familiar with. Our clothes were
laid out the night before as we wear skirts and try to balance looking
cute with being practical. We've got our nametag on and credentials on a
lanyard about our neck and most importantly, we grab our instrument!
Those of us who have smaller instruments such as our violins keep them
close to us at all times which is fine except when trying to squeeze
into an elevator. :-)
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| Marriott Marquis, NYC |
For
that reason, Christine and I plan to be in the first 1/4 of the group
down the elevators and at the loading of the buses. This requires at
least a 30 minute jump on the actual itinerary requirement but
eliminates stress and waiting time in the end. Our tour manager has
developed a system called load and go, so that buses can get in one at a
time, load up with people, and head off to the destination. Typically
this is done, bus by bus, until all 11 buses are filled and en route. No
one takes role. No one is assigned a bus (except bus captains) and we
are asked to unattach from friend groups and simply load to streamline
the process. The average age in the organization is 45, so if you miss
the buses our leaders say we are grown up enough to figure out our own
way there -no one waits and you will be left! It's happened! Thus we
overthink so we don't underthink. :-)
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| Marriott Marquis breezeway |
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| Barry, tour manager |
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| Typical Bus Day |
Once
on the bus, the bus driver is in full work mode, chatting over CB with
other bus drivers about the route and their GPS destination and the
arrival time is set. The bus drivers drive their assigned bus for the
entire length of the tour and we get to know them pretty well! Each bus
is also assigned a bus captain(s) prior to tour. These are choir or
orchestra members and their spouses and they give us more information as
we begin the bus ride. Over the microphone they remind us of the plans
for the day, call on someone to give a prayer to bless us with safety,
and then begin a 20-30 minute DVD that has been prepared by the
missionary committee. These videos include entertainment thought up and
performed by members of our organization as well as informative "behind
the scenes" interviews that help us understand the many roles and hats
that are brilliantly performed so we can become as efficient and
impactful as possible. I enjoy these interviews with stage crew,
wardrobe, the concertmaster, etc. that we might otherwise never know
about! Some clips are spiritual thoughts or personal stories that are
beautiful to come to know. Some clips are our choir president, tour
manager or choir director giving us the "backstory" about our
performance ahead and how it came to be.
The
DVD ends and everyone settles in for the duration of the trip to our
concert hall. These trips have been anywhere from 15 minutes to 7 hours.
Looking around you will mostly see people resting, chatting, reading,
being busy on their phones and an occasional singing of "happy birthday"
by small groups of choir members over the phone to a loved one back
home.
Arriving
at the concert venue is always exciting. We usually enter through a
back entrance to backstage and are greeted immediately by our stage crew
and the venue's stage crew that have already prepared brightly taped
arrows on the floor to give us direction, signs on doors indicating
changing areas and tables set up for us to set our instruments down. The
stage is already set and we begin with a soundcheck that takes a couple
of hours. When we arrive, the organists are already flexing
their pipe muscles while we assemble ourselves onstage. Our music is on
our stands, the lights are up, individual and group mics are in place
and within about 20 minutes most everyone is assembled and ready to
rehearse. We are so spoiled, it must have taken many hours to prepare
for our arrival.
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| Saratoga Springs, NY outdoor venue, view from balcony |
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| Strathmore, Washington DC first concert of tour soundcheck |
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| Soundcheck at Carnegie Hall, 2nd violins |
A
soundcheck is very important to us for several reasons. Can we hear
each other? What will the sound be like? Is it hot and humid or dry?
Does our sound stop in the air or does it carry? Every venue is
different. We rehearse trouble spots, we rehearse transitions, we
rehearse anything that is a change from the norm, and while we do so,
the sound engineers adjust for all the variances of the space until
everyone can hear across the orchestra and we all feel confident that we
will successfully stay together because the sound is optimal. We trust
the expert ears of our conductors and sound engineers that they are
creating clarity in our sound and making necessary adjustments. My job
is simply to give my best sound while blending with those around me and
following every small nuance the music and our conductors ask. I'm also
usually gauging my energy levels so I can make adjustments in myself
before the concert, whether I need rest or food or both. While it
is tempting to take photos because we are always in gorgeous settings
and halls, we are asked not to bring cameras onstage. However there is a
photographer with us snapping pictures from every angle imaginable and
we will have access to those pictures later.
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| Wang Theater, Boston... Not my photo, stolen off facebook |
At
the conclusion of the soundcheck we are released to put our instruments
away and head to dinner. Security will stay with our instruments.
Dinner is usually served to us nearby so we walk to a large reception
hall where 4-8 buffet lines are prepared as well as tables as far as you
can see! We drop our day bags into seats at tables we might share with
friends or take a chance and make new friends and then go get in line.
It might be a Mexican night and there are usually 8-10 entrees to choose
from and it always tastes amazing and is beautifully set up. These
meals are the perfect time to get to know new people either in line or
at a random table. Many a friend I have made at mealtime!
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| Dinner at Saratoga Springs, NY |
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| Dinner at Strathmore, Maryland |
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| Walking around Strathmore after dinner |
If
there is time to find a place to rest for a few minutes, many people
do. Some take limited walks about the grounds. We all find ways to help
us mentally and physically prepare ourselves for the demands of the
concert ahead. It is also a time to begin changing into our wardrobe
clothes and freshen up how we look. We go get our clothing out of
wardrobe boxes that are like rolling closets and then go change wherever
you can find a 2ft. by 2 ft. space in the assigned backstage dressing
rooms, because it's really crowded and dressing rooms aren't typically
prepared to accommodate a group our size!
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| Final Concert at Wang Theater in Boston |
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| Backstage in instrument case room, Carnegie Hall |
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| Choir friend Starlyn in wardrobe changing area, Boston |
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| Bethel Woods, NY just before the concert, got my braids on |
Changed
and beautified (ha!), we get back to our instruments, and onto the
stage. By this time, the choir members have begun lining up backstage
and down hallways, men on one side and women the other. They find their
specific order in long snaking lines with occasional numbers on
cards being held up by line leaders so there is organization. Some have
bells, some have water bottles, and no one has music. It's fun as an
orchestra member to walk past everyone in line and head directly to the
stage. The stage crew has a busy job making last minute adjustments and
corralling all the performers. While the choir files onto stage, I go to
my seat, put my microphone on my violin and begin to warm-up my
fingers. Most of all I begin to center myself to have the spirit in me.
This is the purpose of tour, to testify and edify those who have come! I
want to give them my very best and allow the spirit to raise my
abilities. I turn to my stand partner Christine, we encourage each other
and then it's time to bring everything we have to the table.
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| Carnegie Hall NYC |
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| Saratoga Springs, NewYork |
Performing
in a concert is pretty surreal. I don't quite feel like I'm having a
human experience and yet I am employing muscles and brain power at full
capacity. There are connections happening everywhere. I connect to my
stand partner, my section, the director, the choir, the audience, and
the spirit. Sometimes it feels like an electricity in the air! We know
this music well and yet it reinvents every time. There develops a
personality to the audience and because I sit so close to the front of
the stage I can often make eye contact with people who have come. One of
my favorite things to do is notice their love grow for the choir as the
concert progresses. Hearts are softened, I see joy and surprise and
delight, and their enthusiastic applause is always a genuine "please
don't stop". I appreciate Mack Wilberg's genius programming abilities
and clearly he is in tune with the Lord's will and design. Audiences
have something to love in every performance! I am very proud of what we
have to offer and often feel we are helped to be more than we are in
some pretty magical moments.
Following
the performance, there isn't much time to linger. It is amazing how
quickly everyone gets backstage, changed back into day clothes, wardrobe
returned and we are out the door to the buses while grabbing bottled
water provided at the exits. We are fully exhausted and yet energized by
the experience, and you hear lots of commentary chatter about how the
concert went and was received as we hustle out and "load and go" onto
the buses. Even while we are exiting the building, stage crew is
already busy breaking down the set. As late as we are likely to get
crawling back into our beds we imagine practically no sleep for others
whose "2nd performance" as stage, lights and sound crew is just
beginning.
The
buses are dark, and I might make a quick phone call to my husband to
let him know how the concert went and to check on the kids back home. I
make sure my roommate is settled onto the bus and that I haven't
forgotten anything in the flurry of making the exit. I might text a
couple of friends in the orchestra/choir about the concert or just to
have a laugh. But before nodding off to sleep in my seat, I
have tomorrow's itinerary out to study and I begin again the
"overthinking" so I won't be "underthinking". I want to be ready for
whatever is asked. :-)
And that's a day in the life of an orchestra member on tour. I love it. Every bit.
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| matching jammies for tour to make my roommate laugh, it worked |
