“I’m still getting over the gala. That is, the amount of energy we put into the show, how much fun I had, and the hours and hours of sleep I missed preparing for it. YPC galas are never easy feats. I try to think about performing in front of 1,000 audience members and how so many hours of rehearsal on the weekend is really, genuinely worth it.
Everything really came together backstage and onstage at the Gala – we made every entrance and exit. More importantly, we sounded great! Bridge Over Troubled Water was my favorite. Pretty much anything with soul is my favorite thing to sing. The concert hall looked unbelievable with the house lights turned off and hundreds of tiny lights flickering in the dark during Imagine.
And Crosstown M42 was so much fun. I love watching Robert Kapilow speak. He has so much energy and passion. I’m so lucky to be able to work with talented composers and perform pieces by people like Mr. Kapilow; it makes me really proud to be a member of YPC. His speech about the chorus was especially generous; I feel like I’m a part of something important and great.
It didn’t occur to me that this was my last Gala in YPC ever; I was too in-the-moment. However, I’m jealous of the Prelude and Intermezzo choristers who get to do ten more of them. YPC may have taken up the majority of my extracurricular life for the past decade (yes, it’s been a decade since I joined), but it’s shows like the Gala that remind me that YPC has given me some of the most incredible experiences and opportunities I will ever have.”
– Jared, Young Men’s Chorus