CONCERT IN AFFOLTERN AM ALBIS
My first choir performance in Switzerland, ever!
This past Saturday was my first choir performance in years.
The last time I did this was in Hong Kong over 10 years ago!
It was back-to-back shows this weekend, so I decided to stay overnight in ZĂźrich to save myself some time and money.
I brought my entire makeup case thinking that I could share my eye shadow palette and whatnot with other people. I also wore half of my choir outfit, because I learned that wearing it for the entire day can feel quite gross. (Sweat, stink, etc.) I ended up bringing a hefty Ikea bag filled with my choir things, and a backpack with my overnight things.
My huge Ikea bag that felt increasingly heavier as the day wore on.
We were to meet at 10:30 inside kulturkeller lamarotte, a cultural center that also hosted us for the day. It's a basement tavern with a small stage, so it was quite packed as we were around 50 people. Spirits were high as it was still early in the day. We rehearsed until lunch break, where our hosts fed us hearty Swiss fare.
A bowl of vegetable soup with lactose-free cream, sliced bread, and gruyère. I thought I would need a second portion, but this was quite filling!
And then we hit the post-lunch energy dip.
I had my third coffee for the day but it wasn't enough. We had been rehearsing for hours already, both standing and sitting. Choir is a full-body activity. Since we were really close to Migros, I thought I could just pick up snacks wheneverâbut I underestimated my reluctance to do things when the weather is shit, and it had been raining all day.
Around 15:00, we walked over to the church to rehearse on the actual stage. Not only was I starting to get hungry again, but I also felt like I needed sugar to re-energize me. My body was aching from standing for so long.
Being so tired physically and mentally hit me with decision paralysis. We took a longer break, and I fretted over whether I had enough time to run out and grab a snack. When this happens, I tend to wait it out because then my body makes the decision. (I think it's a stupid thing I do because I waste so much time and mental energy.) So, I eventually ran out and bought a small pasta salad and a large package of chocolate wafers. By the time I got back, the choir was already on stage again. Normally I'd feel embarrassed but I didn't regret my decision.*
*We have an Awareness Team in the choir (which I really appreciate!), and they always encourage us to stop and take a break if things feel too overwhelming. I constantly see people do that, but somehow, I struggle to do that for myself when I need it.
Our lovely sound team setting up before the show.
Really loved staring up at the ceiling.
The last 2 hours were a blur. We were rehearsing how to handle our notes and walk on/off stage. I had missed that part since I was doing my little shopping run, but I was too tired to care and trusted that I'd figure it out during the performance.
Instead, I worried about dinner. There was a Chinese restaurant nearby and I really wanted some fried rice, but the timing stressed me out. Plus, I figured it would probably be best not to eat too much before the performance, so I ate my tiny bowl of pasta salad, half the package of chocolate wafers, and had another coffee. We were to meet at the church fully dressed at 18:45. I had a 10 minute break after eating, and once other people started getting ready, I followed suit.
Discreetly snapped this photo to show my friends. I decided to wear space buns for our "billion trillion stars" themed program.
Nobody took any interest in my makeup kit, except for remarking how cute my box was. I learned that people who wore makeup brought their own, and since I didn't have any sparkly stuff or glitter, nobody asked to borrow anything. So I made a note to myself that next time, I didn't need to bring the entire box, which would make it a lot easier to commute as I absolutely detest carrying stuff.
Show time
It's been a while since I had to perform on stage so I forgot what that felt like. I wasn't nervous at all until 30 minutes before we had to go onâand then ALL the panic set in. I took some deep breaths to calm me down. I worried that I'd have another panic attack or something, but thankfully, it was just pre-show nerves.
We walked to the church together and gathered in the backroom. Everyone was a little on edge, but it was mostly out of excitement. And like magic, as soon as my foot hit the stage floor, all my anxiety and nervousness disappeared in an instant.
Affoltern am Albis is a Swiss town in the canton of ZĂźrich with a population of around 12,900 people.
The crowd was 50% elderly folk. I smiled to myself because I could see the confused looks of a few grandparents. We performed to a sold-out crowd of 180 people, most of which were friends and family of the choir members. The performance was going perfectly, until our first encore. (Yes, we received two!) We messed up on the last song, but I thought it was very professional of us to improvise together and still end the piece harmonized and in key.â
â I think we ended in the wrong key, but at least we were in tune with each other. That's the important part!
And if being American has taught me anything, it's to just smile and sell it, even when you've fucked up.
Usually, this type of outlook would be what we call "toxic positivity," but I think it's an asset when it comes to performing. We even received a second encore, so we sang one of my favorite pieces from the set, Cur chi vain.âĄ
⥠I'll do a wrap-up post of this program when it's done and share our full set list.
After the performance, half the choir stayed behind to chat with their loved ones, while the rest of us ran back to lamarotte to pack up and leave. I was staying with K, who happens to be the choir's president, so she asked me some general questions about being in the choir, but it was also nice to get to know her and her friends, whom we shared the commute back to ZĂźrich with.
Had to take this pic for proof of snow! In March?!
I don't have any photos from the actual performance, but we will have a polished recording from the first two performances, so I'll be sure to share those when they're available, because I think we sound really amazing! I'm really proud to be in this choir, and I'll write about day 2 in another post because I'm tagging these posts by their locations.
If you're curious, I wrote about my choir experience here.