Friday, December 14, 2012

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Blizzard!

I won the jackpot today. Well, not literally. In some fashions it snowed hurt and pain all day long. From before I awoke till I sit here writing this entry. It's been one of those days where I just had to laugh all day to avoid crying, and I almost didn't manage that several times.

So the title of this post is ironic in multiple ways. One is the before mentioned, and the other is what happened at the performance tonight. This weekend I'm performing in the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra's Christmas Pops concerts. But tonight held an ill surprise for me.

Performing on stage brings me so much delight and joy that I had nearly been able to stuff today under the rug for a few hours and revel in the delights of bringing holiday music to the masses. That is, until the very last song. Unbeknownst to the orchestra there was scheduled to be paper snow drifting down during the last number. It started snowing on all of us to which the violinists were a bit turned off since we don't want shreds of paper in our instruments. But apparently, the amount of falling snow wasn't enough because someone in charge of the effects ordered 'more snow'. So instead of light falling snow, it literally dumped a big bucket of snow, on me, AND ONLY ME, I MIGHT ADD. Now yes, everyone got more snow, and other violinists were not so happy, but I had to stop playing entirely and shake all the snow out of my violin, go rummaging around to dig it out of my cleavage, and I still had a huge pile sitting on my lap as well as it covered the floor around me so deep you couldn't see the stage through all the paper snow flakes. To top it all off, I was so surprised when the giant snowball landed on my violin right in front of my nose that I shouted "SHIT" at the top of my lungs. Turns out my voice really carries. I was lucky the children's choir was on the other side of the stage.... But I did provide comic relief for the rest of the first and second violin section, as well as some of the vesper choir, and a few woodwinds, and unfortunately Santa Claus as well....

Not until I had cleaned out my instrument and dug my way out from under the snow mound and nicely chewed out the special effects guys did I wander downstairs to the dressing rooms where, of course, I was the topic of conversion. No one had ever heard anyone shout an obscenity on stage so loud before and it was apparently very amusing. And everyone made sure to remind me that Santa Claus had also heard, so I was, for sure, now moved to the naughty list, if I wasn't there already. In response to this comment I sardonically responded to everyone after a brief pause, "Damn it", which brought riotous laughter each and every time.

Looking forward to tomorrow...said with as much sarcasm as nervous anticipation. Let's just say I won't be looking at the music during the last song. No, I'll be staring at the sky, and any potential giant snow balls that might decide to streamline their way down right onto me.  Won't catch me off guard twice!

So, with all necessary precautions present and accounted for, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW AND REALLY LET IT SNOW!!!

P.S. I'm quite sad I don't have picture to prove the giant mess and severity of my own personal Arkansas Symphony Snow Ball. Though, hopefully I won't have a chance to take a picture again...

2 comments:

  1. While you have deepest and most sincere sympathy, ........ I would have loved to have been there to see it. 8-)

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  2. You most certainly would have laughed. It was quite the spectacle for sure. The next two performances only had a light dusting of snow....but I was watching for it those times!

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