A Musical Christmas

Usually our violin teacher (who is the leader of the viola section of the Auckland Symphony) invites us to join the Auckland Symphony Orchestra for their annual Christmas concert at the Town Hall to fill in for a few of their regular players since they go away on holiday during that time. This year was no different! I ended up joining the viola section while Hamish and Aonghas joined the second violins.

We had to attend a couple of their rehearsals to run through the pieces, before having a final dress rehearsal at the Town Hall the night before and then..the concert! The programme was more-or-less the same as every other year. I think this year is the tenth year the concert has been running. I'm sure we've played in at least three or four of them and the programme has changed very little!

What was cool about playing in the orchestra this time was I got to catch up with my old intermediate school friend Mischa, who plays the cello in the orchestra. The last time we played together in the orchestra I think we knew each other but we hadn't talked to each other in years since intermediate school! We've been in touch in the past year thanks to Facebook though, so this time we were able to talk to each other at orchestra rehearsal! It was also cool how the conductor Gary Daverne came over and welcomed us back during the break.

The dress rehearsal was quite fun and short because Gary wanted to get home. We were sent to the dressing room to unpack out instruments and get ready, but hadn't realised that most of the orchestra were in the Green Room, which meant we got the dressing room to ourselves!

The night of the concert coincided with our final carolling practice at church, but they'd be OK without us! It was a wet night and we arrived later than usual since our mum came home late. When we got to the Town Hall, the underground carpark was almost full! Fortunately we found this carpark which was a little tight but anything was better than nothing. Once we parked though, we realised there were a whole lot of other free carparks on the other side!

We got to the dressing rooms to prepare which were a lot more crowded than the night before. The word around was that 80 of the choir were all on a bus stuck in traffic on the motorway, with ten minutes till the concert was due to start! Fortunately they made it, even if the concert had to be delayed slightly.

The concert was pretty fun. My mum made me wear a t-shirt underneath the orchestra uniform since I had to return the uniform after the concert, and she thought I'd get cold. I never knew it would be unbearably hot on stage though! After the first piece I didn't know how I'd last to the end of the concert!

I had accidentally taken this other viola player's seat in the second row at one of the rehearsals since he came late, and thought I was meant to sit there right up till the concert. It was only till the dress rehearsal that I found out! I asked the man (who was sitting right at the back in front of the percussion) if he wanted to switch seats, but he said the handsome people should be seen (haha yeah right!), and so I got to sit in the second row which is the closest I've been to the front!

After the concert we took a walk down Queen Street in the dark and the rain before picking our dad up from work and having Wendy's on the way home!

The very next day after teaching music classes for the last time this year, we went to church to prepare for carolling at Waitakere Hospital. This year mainly people from our youth group would be carolling this year. The other fellowship have been busy preparing a play/video skit for the church's Christmas Eve concert.

Because it was Cleo's birthday, I had this plan that in the middle of our carolling practice we'd suddenly break into Happy Birthday and surprise her! After talking around, we were about to practise the first carol when Aonghas and I started playing Happy Birthday and we all joined in. I think you could say she was surprised!

The carolling went well. We didn't go to as many wards as the previous year, such as the children's ward, but we did go to a few. Most of the lounges we performed in were empty though. There was one lounge where a Chinese man was watching Chinese TV, and upon our arrival he got up and left! When we told him he should stay and enjoy our carols, he said he was fine! I think he came back once we left!

After singing in one corridor there was a request for us to sing in one of the wards! As we were singing, there was one patient who started shouting and raising her hands. At first I thought she was joining in but I think she was trying to call for someone. After we had finished singing and this European lady came into the ward, this funny conversation ensued:

Crazy patient: "The white lady, I recognise you from somewhere. Where do I know you from?"

Lady: "I'm coming to see her" (another patient in the ward)

Crazy patient: "Where do I know you from?"

Crazy patient: "Do you know who I know? I know Jesus"

Lady: "Well I know a lot more than that!"

The following Saturday we were meant to go carolling outside the local Chinese fruit shop and Tofu Shop after a meeting about the upcoming Summer programme at church next month, but because the weather wasn't too great, it was called off. We still got pizza for lunch and some of us ended up staying at church just talking for a while. We were so kind that we ended up staying and helping out Claire (this girl from our youth group who gets paid for cleaning the church) clean the church!

Some people who thought they'd be able to get out of carolling were then lucky to hear that we were going to do carolling the very next day in the afternoon after church! Because it was the last Sunday school class of the year, some of the classes got to go to Burger Fuel while our class had a little interesting discussion.

There was also a new girl to our church. Usually new people are really shy, but not this girl! She actually talked quite a bit! Jireh and I were going to get our groove out, but that was till we discovered she was only 11! Backing off, backing off backing off...

Carolling outside the fruit shop and the Tofu Shop wasn't actually that bad or shameful! We had people come by and take photos and videos with their cellphone!

It was quite fun and hopefully we spread a little Christmas cheer!