Tag Archives: Performance

Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge – Nixon Library

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Our chorale group and the orchestra had a musical performance at the Nixon Library at Yorba Linda, California. From the entrance of the main building to the Ballroom, there were flags lined up against both sides of the walls. I couldn’t help but had a sense of reverence as I walked through the hall to enter the Ballroom. Before our performance began, I stepped outside to the garden. There were walkways on each side of the fountain, and the shrubs were pleasantly well maintained. The outdoor hallway along the main building is decorated with large pots of date palms next to each of the ceiling to floor windows of the building. I enjoyed such a refreshing sight before our performance.

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Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge – February 24, 2017

Daily Prompt: Tremble

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When I was in my late teenage, the pastor of the church discovered my singing voice. Once a month, he asked me to sing solo during the communion service. After it went on for a couple years, when the churches had combined meetings, I was the featured soloist. I remember the first few times of singing in front of large audience, I was frightened to death. My body had uncontrollable violent trembling. My knees were shaking, hitting each other. My upper and lower teeth were vibrating. My shoulders to the fists were shivering. My heart was throbbing. I tried to tighten all of my muscles to hold still.

When it was to my turn to get on the podium, I looked at the audience. I tried to find familiar faces. When I saw some, I smiled, and then my trembling stopped. I nodded to the pianist to signal him to start. Once I started singing, the trembling stopped. I had the song memorized, so I sang through the whole song with expression and with smile on my face.

The same kind of fear of large audience happened a few more time. As I continued to sing, the confidence was increased. I frequently sang solo in church combined meetings, weddings, and college annual concerts. I joined the Hong Kong Oratorical Society for years until I came to the USA. We had two performances and one TV broadcast each year. We also traveled to Southeast Asia countries for performances. Those were my memorable years.

Daily Prompt: Tremble

Second Nature

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My childhood Friend Shirley is an excellent piano player. In my younger years, I did a lot of solo singing. She was my accompanist. She was also a piano teacher. I asked why she didn’t pursue piano performance. Her answer was that, she started learning piano when she was eleven years old. She had to be conscious of what she was playing. Some of her friends started piano lessons as soon as their fingers were mature enough to touch the keys. Eventually they could play without thinking. The music flows automatically from their subconscious minds to their fingers. The music becomes automatism or second nature to the young musicians. Their minds, emotions, and fingers movements become one.

Daily Prompt: Automatic