New Balance

No, the shoes don't really have anything to do with this post, so please feel free to ignore them if you think it is misleading. I just wanted to talk about new members joining the Pink Singers, and some of the choir's own growing pains. Like Luke Skywalker, we are always striving to create balance, if not in the Force, then at least in voice parts. When I first joined the choir there were about five tenors and 15 basses, but as time has progressed the numbers have evened out. In fact, now the voice section which I believe has been limiting us is the sopranos. As anyone who has ever sung in a choir knows, balance is important in creating a blended sound which is why we try to keep the numbers in all sections: soprano, contralto, tenor and bass exactly the same.

The second factor which affects our numbers is that the choir aims to keep our total numbers to around 80 or so people (of course this is subject to change, but not on a whim). For me, I like this number as it means that I can get to know all the Pinkies. Singing in a choir is a very social experience, and keeping the numbers at this level gives me a breadth of friends while preventing the choir from breaking up into cliques. This works for the choir too, because a cohesive choir sings better, and we share a real sense of community. From a practical perspective as well, 80 means that we can find decent rehearsal venues. Any larger and it is impossible, not to mention smelly, to rehearse in any space smaller than a football stadium.

The combination of these two things does mean that the demand for places often exceeds supply, and we have some amazing performers auditioning for the choir. It makes me value my place in the Pinkies, because I'm not sure that if I had to go through the ordeal again I'd get in. I certainly don't take my place for granted, but I also do think that people who join the choir don't just bring their voice, they bring their own skills and contributions to our family in different ways. The trouble is that the selection process is by no means perfect, but we are constantly trying to refine it. In this process you are never going to please everyone, and the objective is to be both as fair as possible, while keeping it as friendly and comfortable for would-be newbies. It is a serious dilemma for which I don't think there is an easy solution.