The conductor raised his hands as we stood silent and still. The lights of the stage created a veil between the musicians and the audience. Yet, despite this seeming separation, the connection was palpable as the strings began. The choir joined the orchestra as we, over a hundred singers and musicians, leaned into the notes and words of Verdi's Requiem, creating beauty together.
A mass for the dead, the musical work ironically felt so full of life, seemingly portraying an all-encompassing experience; angelic sweetness and calm, pain and resignation at times, opposed in other movements by beating drums and soaring trumpets as passionate operatic entrances flourished. Like life brings us an emotional spectrum, so too, did this music. All brought chills to my spine, and I am sure may others, as the music filled every corner of the theater.
To be on stage, creating this experience, and being seen and received by hundreds of others, was a gift all its own. To move and be moved, all through the musical expression and co-creation of artists, musicians, and singers, was and is bliss indeed.