More to me than Softball

Okay, so besides baseball/softball, I do have a few other areas in my life that I like to participate in when I can. One of those is my love of music. Music has always been an integral part of my life. I grew up playing trumpet and singing in school and church. Music is directly responsible for Anita and I meeting, as we were placed on the same Music Ministry Team our first year at Messiah College. And it’s still a large part of my life in my role as co-Music/Worship Director at Immanuel Church.

For a number of years, Anita and I have had the opportunity to sing with the Messiah College Choral Arts Society. The group is under the direction of Linda Tedford, who is also the director of the Susquehanna Chorale, one of the top choirs in the country. Actually, Anita and I also had the opportunity to sing under Linda while students at Messiah, so it’s been a privilege to continue to sit in one of her choirs.

Now, I will admit that I’m not a huge fan of classical music - especially when you have to sing it in Latin or German, which I’m terrible at - but I do enjoy being part of this superb choir. But it’s worth it this year because we have the unique opportunity to sing with the Harrisburg Symphony. We will be joining 3 other choirs (the Susquehanna Chorale, the Messiah College Concert Choir and the Lebanon Valley College Alumni Choir) in this coming weekend’s performances. While this in itself is pretty cool, the best part for me is the chance to sing under the direction of Stuart Malina. While this may interest only those in the Harrisburg area, or those who are extremely passionate about symphonies, what intrigues me the most is that Mr. Malina is a Tony Award winner, having helped compose the orchestration for the Broadway show “Movin’ Out” with Billy Joel (I’m a huge Billy Joel fan!).

So assuming anyone reads this prior to April 5th and 6th of this year, and you’re in the Harrisburg area, do yourself a favor and bring some culture into your life by attending one of the performances of the Harrisburg Symphony this weekend. It promises to be an event you won’t soon forget.