"Tunes in my head" from John and Linda Armstrong

Dear Dr. ABC and Drake Chamber Choir,

I'm sorry we didn't get to say a proper "good-bye" in the Detroit airport - we had the chance to hop an earlier flight home to Syracuse to help shorten that long last day! The good news is I will be in Des Moines for almost a week soon, so I may get to say "hello/good-bye" once again!

In the meantime, please accept my congratulations on your England Tour: Your singing was not only beautiful, you got continually better, right up to the last note of the last piece on the last day! You may realize this is not always the case when traveling from concert to concert for days on end - many choirs get "stale" along the way - that never happened for you. Of course, credit is due your fearless leader for sticking to rehearsals and setting such high standards for continual improvement, yet I also detected a special synergy taking place - you grew as individuals and you improved as a choir. You became chamber SINGERS - your faces and your voices drew the listener into the magic within your line of each piece. Within is the key term here, you revealed an intrinsic drive to connect with audience members as well as the desire to please your conductor.

The proof for me is still in my head. My ears have always been my strength, but my memory has never been as strong. This time, however, I have whole sections of your performances playing inside this silver-topped skull, over and over - pleasurably! The intonation, the phrasing, the clarity and precision - what joy to hear such art again and again! I have conducted many of the works you sang, yet never recalled them so well before, so I thank you for bringing them to life with such warm tone and sincere expression. What stands out in your singing is LINE - the linear flow of your delivery is rare and exceptional - you grab the ears and never let go!

I loved the techno-Victoria too!

Also, thanks for being such warm and accepting people. Linda and I felt right at home with you, and we never felt any barriers in age or background pop up. Linda has listened to me brag about Drake choirs and that "heartland" feel. Now she freely admits that - for once - I WAS RIGHT! Thanks, too, for allowing me to work with you a bit. I felt at home, as you were quiet, attentive and focussed - not always the case with singers in rehearsals anywhere, let alone "on the road" in a foreign land.

Best wishes on a fulfilling and rewarding second semester at Drake.

John and Linda Armstrong