Speaking of Rufus

Last night was the Rainbow Chorus's tech rehearsal for the concert on Saturday. I get to give a little blurb about why I chose to arrange "Pretty Things". So I will say something like this:

In spring 2008, the Rainbow Chorus was planning a concert about gay composers. Rufus Wainwright is a fabulous Canadian and I thought we should include something from him, but was unaware of any choral arrangements of his songs, so I decided to provide one. That's how "Pretty Things" came to be.

Another interesting thing: if you listen to some of Franz Schubert's songs, it's evident they were an inspiration for "Pretty Things". Schubert was an early 19th Century master of the modern song form, and there is a lot of evidence that he preferred men, too. Wainwright is a big fan of Schubert, and so am I.

This song also gives us an opportunity to commemorate the life of Wainwright's mother, Kate McGarrigle. She was an influential Canadian folk singer. Kate died of cancer on Monday at the age of 63.

I am painfully nervous when I speak in front of a crowd. Fortunately I can give my spiel without notes, because my hands shake visibly. I can hear it in my voice, too, but others don't seem to notice. I spoke about this to Christine, the narrator, who will be interviewing and holding the mic for me. We agreed that I should just focus on her.

"I'll exude warmth," she said.

I didn't have to do this, but was given the opportunity. It's good practice for me, and it adds insight to the music.

It sounds like tickets to the concert are selling out.