On Wings Of Song

A church choir member seems set on causing friction!

GINA FRASER was finding life problematic. Since she had joined Kildartie Singers a year ago, her main worry had been that she might not cope with the Singers as well as the church choir, of which she had been a member for many years.

She didn’t have a strong voice, but she was what Rodney would call a “useful” singer. She blended well, and filled out the texture of the sound in a subtle way. The Singers appreciated her contribution, but if she had to give up the loss would be easily absorbed.

The church choir, on the other hand, needed all the singers it could get. It was a much smaller outfit, and every voice counted.

“The thing is,” Gina confessed to Lizzie over the hedge between their gardens, “I feel obliged to the church choir. But I love the Singers, too.”

“You’ve managed so far, haven’t you?” Lizzie asked. “Do you find it too hard on your voice?”

“Now and then. But I do have to watch it. If I get carried away and belt out the hymns on a Sunday, I can be in trouble at Singers’ practice.”

“That’s always a risk. Things will get easier after the concert. There won’t be so many rehearsals, unless Rodney has some devious plan that he hasn’t mentioned yet.” Gina laughed.

“I’m sure I’ll manage, even if he does spring a surprise on us. I’m just getting over-anxious.”

The following Sunday Gina turned up at church for the pre-service practice with tickets for the Kildartie Singers’ spring concert.

Gina didn’t like trying to sell tickets, but she wanted to do her bit so she did her best to make light of it.

“A lovely programme,” she urged. “Something for everyone. Tickets at competitive prices!”

Jessie Mcnaught gave a loud sniff.

“Still got your cold, Jessie?” another choir member asked.

“I am recovered, thank you. But I’m not interested in going to a concert given by people who could sing in our choir if they weren’t so full of themselves. They should be supporting their own church.”

In vain others had tried to persuade Jessie that Kildartie Singers were a quite different organisation, with no obligation to the church. Even the minister had tried to convince her, without success.

“You’re quite wrong about the Singers, Jessie,” Gina said bravely. “They’re a lovely bunch, and they sing all sorts of stuff that wouldn’t suit the church choir at all. Anyway, I do have tickets, if anyone is interested.”

Frank Atkinson, the church organist, looked up from the pile of music he was sifting through, and called across to Gina.

“Did I hear you say ‘concert’? What’s the date? Put me down for two tickets.”

“Right you are, Frank. Thank you! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

Jessie sniffed again, and turned away.

Tickets usually sold well in the gift shop, especially at Christmas. The spring concert wasn’t quite so well supported, but Lizzie seemed to have a good manner with the public, so that people found themselves responding to the invitation to buy.

“That’s another three sold,” she said to Moira, another of the part-time assistants, as the door clanged shut behind a customer who had yet to hear the Kildartie Singers. “I’m glad I remembered to ask the boss’s permission to sell them.”

Moira had, in the past, thought of joining the choir, till Lizzie persuaded her to join a watercolour class instead. Moira could not sing for toffee, and Lizzie had been anxious to spare her the humiliation of an unsuccessful audition.

“Do you have a set number of tickets you have to sell?”

“Well,” Lizzie said, “it costs a lot to run the choir, so yes, we do have to sell as many as we can. But really, it’s just so much more fun to sing to a full hall. And people do seem to enjoy the music. After they’ve come once, they do tend to come back again.”

“So I should get my tickets while they’re still available?” Moira asked dryly.

Lizzie grinned. “Definitely! Better safe than sorry. For all I know, Jessie Mcnaught could come in and buy the lot!”

At that point, their boss Lauren came in carrying several boxes of new gifts. She stopped just inside the door and looked at her two assistants.

“What’s all the laughter about?” she asked.

More next week.