Dale Warland & the 2014 Minnesota Beethoven Festival Chorale

photo from www.dalewarland.com 

It's after midnight and I have to record the hardest piece of choral music I've ever attempted in just under ten hours. I'm sitting here, wide awake at my computer, absolutely wired, thinking about all of the mind-blowing musical experiences I have had the past few days and all the exciting things yet to come. I have studied this man and his legacy for years, but to actually get the opportunity to sing for him and absorb his magic has been humbling and inspiring. And because I'm in the choir, here's an Inside Information Alert: Maestro Warland was so pleased with how the choir was performing that he released us an hour early during Tuesday's final rehearsal. That has never ever happened. For an über-perfectionist like Dale Warland to be so pleased to allow his choir to go one hour early means he must be feeling pretty good about the concerts coming up this weekend in Winona. As I understand it, Sunday's concert is basically sold out and tickets for Saturday's concert are selling quickly.