A Youth Choir Overwhelmed Me?!

Excellence revealed itself to me via music twice this week.  One I'll chronicle today - the next tomorrow.

Last Sunday, I saw the Madeleine School's St. Cecilia's Day concert as a guest of Chris H. from Jerry Seiner.  That a school choir required tickets, advanced reservations and an invite - at 8pm on a Sunday night in this city - was, at first blush, a ludicrous concept.  But then I saw and heard Ryan.  Fresh off a performance in Vatican City a week prior, Ryan and the other boys and girls traditionally clad in choir gowns of blue and black took your breath away. 

(I've understated this - let me try again.) 

Seven days earlier, Ryan and his peers fulfilled a once-in-a-lifetime dream by becoming the FIRST non-VATICAN choir to perform at 10:30am PAPAL MASS at St. Peter's Cathedral in 35 years.  They sang in full view and acknowlegement of THE Pope Benedict XVI - American kids from Salt Lake, of all places.  Now, these kids were jet-lagged but home and filling Salt Lake's magnificent, yet humble in comparison with the religion's spiritual and physical capitol, Catholic cathedral with heaven-inspired music majesty. 

The vestibules were packed to standing-room behind the pews.  These "kids" performed a mere portion of the packed itinerary of song from their adventures in Milan, Venice, Rome and Vatican City: Bach, Rachmaninoff, Palestrina, Brahms and contemporaries like Russell Woolen and James McMillan, just to name a few.  Now the towers of Cathderal of the Madeleine reverberated with utter sonic joy that even a music layman couldn't help but be consumed within.

And Ryan, in two solos, this County Fair-winning, talent-show stunning teenager rocked and swayed and his voice leaped and his body intoned and he showed he clearly has talent.  I know nothing about music, but in the same way that some paintings, fine wines and writing require no explanation, I, along with the 1,000+ in attendance, was riveted by him.  I got the sense that this young man was not just a future member of N' Sync or the Freddy Adu of classical song.  Ryan, slight of height but full-cheeked of soft Japanese and maybe Hispanic flesh, showed he has an innate intangible gift.  His eyes darted from his black songbook to the director.  I saw concentration, anticipation and utter joy in them.  He scarcely acknowleged the crowd until a standing ovation greeted him when prompted to step forward for a post-concert bow.  Then, I think, I saw a 14-year-old, stealing a glance at Mom and Dad with a twinkle that suggested he thought he'd done alright.

My wife knows Ryan's Mom (from running marathons, naturally - no underacheivers allowed in this column!) so I had been tipped off to expect something extraordinary.  But nothing prepared me for how his entire body burst forth in harmony and melodious beauty.  One kid in a hundred was clearly, is clearly, in a very special musical universe.  I googled him (of course!) when we got home that night and read about his awards, performances, invitations and laurels.  He has been invited to join the Morman Tabernacle Choir next month for a holiday concert featuring this region's most acclaimed professional performers.  He has now performed for the Pope, our Governor, our Mayor.

I never imagined this Sunday night show would leave me struggling for days to put it in writing.  I thought I'd write that St. Cecilia is the patron saint of choir music and Catholics celebrate her on November 22nd each year.  I thought I'd comment on the irony of my first live chorale performance in Utah being a Catholic choir, not THE Tabernacle Choir (one of these days; they are on my list).  I thought I'd note how this elementary and middle school has such a unique and antiquated focus on singing as part of its daily curriculum.

But no, this performance was about a boy taking his elders to a spiritual place and challenging us to look inside ourselves and seek the gift we have to enrich the lives of those around us.  The real beauty in the evening, lay in the fact that from the looks of him, Ryan has no idea.  He just sings because he loves it more than almost anything in this world.  What a blessing.