Icy Ground, Warm Bed

I managed the solo. And in so doing lost my voice for three days after. It wasn't looking good beforehand. I couldn't make it through a single line without coughing my guts up, but I guess the adrenalin of the occasion took over and I made it through the entire thing without a croak!

Curse of the Three Kings

The last time I was in a choir I was about the same age as this kid... but much cuter. I had platinum blonde hair separated in a centre-parting. And I was singing the treble and soprano lines. I used to sing at weddings for big money. £1.50 a pop!
I recently joined the staff choir. They do a one-off Christmas carol concert each year, but they take it pretty seriously. Practice twice a week for a couple hours at a time. We've been practicing now for about 6 weeks. The concert is next Monday. They decided I was a tenor - because they needed a tenor. The choir is only small, about 12 people in all. There are 6 sopranos, 4 altos, 2 tenors and 3 basses.
As a tenor I have had to re-learn every single song we're performing, as each tenor line is completely different from the treble and melody lines I was used to singing all those years ago.
I was also volunteered to do a solo... The Three Kings.



Never one to turn down a challenge I listened to it 100 times on repeat and decided to give it my best shot; trying to capture the vacant divine fear of this guy at Kings College Cambridge. I felt it was going pretty well. We'd only practiced it as a group twice. So I was looking forward to spending some time on it last Wednesday at the final practice before the concert. Only my throat was giving me problems and in the end I was barely able to sing at all, nevermind going full guns on a solo.
Throughout Thursday I slowly lost my voice completely before going home and collapsing on the couch with aches, shivers and pains running through me.
Friday I stayed at home curled up on the couch all day falling in and out of sleep, shivering and sweating by myself.
Apparently, exactly the same thing happened to the guy who sang The Three Kings last year. He managed to sing at the concert but the choirmaster had complained it was too manly (presumably due to some croaks).

I've got two days to recover. Two days and a bottle of brandy.

Any excuse

"Is that real?"




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