It has become a tradition for a member of POHC to do a post-concert write-up. It started when our Sign-up Coordinator began emailing her summaries to the other members in order to entice newer members to sign-up to sing at community concerts held early in the season. It didn't take long for Concert Write-ups to become greatly anticipated amongst our members, so we share them here in hopes that you'll join us at a future concert.

There was a heat wave outside on Thursday, June 21, but it was blissfully cool on the third floor of the recently renovated St. Agnes library on Manhattan's Upper West Side. We warmed up and performed in the same space. A man and woman arrived when we did and sat in the audience during the warmups. The man did all the exercises with us while moving his hands like a conductor. The only part of the routine that seemed to stump him was our tongue-twister of an exercise "the-tip-of-the-tongue-the-teeth-the-lips." And when we sang Quizás as part of the warmups, the woman sang with us, contributing an extra (and extra loud) "quizás” during the rests at the beginning.

Five minutes before showtime, the house was still almost empty, but, miraculously, at 6PM people trooped in all at once and more than half the seats were filled. (Now that I think about it, it maybe that the librarian-in-charge was holding the people outside until she thought we were ready.)

This was different from most of our community concerts in that it was open to the general public, whereas we often perform for small groups at shelters or hospitals where the audience members are residents or patients. At St. Agnes Library, some of our audience were friends and family of choir members. Two of our audience members were current choir members who, for various reasons, sat out this performance. Also, there was former soprano Lily, beaming from her seat and joining us on stage at the end for our theme song Let There Be Peace on Earth.

There is nothing to report about this concert that was out of the ordinary. That is a good thing. It is ordinary for audiences to thoroughly enjoy our concerts, to be attentive to the introductions, to participate in the sing-along, and to applaud enthusiastically after each song.

We certainly brought out a lot of smiles, and when we mingled with the audience afterward, we received positive comments including "Joyful," "I love the harmonies and the arrangements," and "Come back!"

-POHC Alto