There have been a lot of jokes for a lot of years about the Redeemer Concert Choir being a cult. Most of the time it is all in good fun. But sometimes when it comes from a volleyball player, a senate member or someone who isn't involved in anything the jest is accompanied by some stinging.
I know that as a choir we don't do much to dissuade the joke. Especially when we show up to the same place repeatedly dressed the same. All the same I really don't think we are a cult, or at least not any more than the varsity volleyball teams.
At fifty-plus members we are one of the larger groups in the school. We are also one of the few if not the only that has (essentially) the same large group meeting multiple times a week for the whole year. We have a strict year-long commitment. Until this year, we had more choir rehearsal time then we had time in any class. In addition to the amount of time we spend in group rehearsals we also have to spend time rehearsing on our own and with small groups.
Now this whole money thing and the choir. It is true that we cost a lot of money. BUT, we also bring in a lot of money and we are at the beck and call of the front office. When was the last time there were a thousand seats sold to watch the Men's basketball team or they asked Women's volleyball team to open up the annual business partnership night (with less than one day's notice)?
Many complaints seem to come about tour. Why should the school spend so much money so you guys can hop on a charter bus and get to travel the east coast and the U.S and WHAT you're going to B.C next year...? Here is the dilly, we don't choose where we go, neither does Dr. T. The Admissions department does. There is a direct co-relation to where we go and to where they are trying to target as admissions goals. When we tour we have an admissions rep with us who speaks at all of the concerts. Yes the tours are fun and as a group we reap many blessings but these tours are hard work. We put countless hours of preparation into the music. We stay in often bizarre billets (not nice hotels...old ladies' houses), we don't get a lot of sleep, frequently we do multiple concerts in multiple venues in one day, we are a bus with the same people for a week or so, we don't eat a swanky restaurants and visit some very unexciting places (such as Lansing, MI or Whitby, ON, or Trenton, ON or Edmunston, NB).
Now there is this whole thing about how we only hang out with people that are in the choir. If you want to ask Jen, Amy, Adrienne, Ashely, Mira, Simon, Alaina, Dylon, Erin, Sarah, Amy....etc if I hang out with them or not they might say that I'm busy but that I still love them even though they aren't in the choir. I think the deal with choir people hanging out is that we are a large group who spends a lot of time together in rehearsal where talking and frolicking are frowned upon and sometimes we need to get all of that talking and fellowshipy type stuff out. Also as a group we share a lot of the same interests so many of us would naturally be friends anyway. There is also the factor of so many of us being in the choir for so many years together.
So next time you are going to joke about the choir being a cult you may want to rethink your jest and audition to become part of a group of friends who love each other and love worshiping the Lord through some of the beautiful music that has been created for us.
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