Have you noticed the music in the air? The sounds of the Sarasota Orchestra, Opera, Music Festival, La Musica, Gloria Musicae, Key Chorale and the Artist Series seem to be echoing in my ears or, to quote Shakespeare and Vaughan Williams, “Here we will sit and let the sounds of music, Creep in our ears.”
Oh, all right. The music creeping in my ears is all in my head right now. I hope.

You see, I hate warming up (my voice) in front of anyone. Vocalizing in public is a little like trying on a bathing suit when you’re 20 pounds overweight and tanless, and the sales lady insists on seeing what you look like. It’s the final result I want others to hear, not how I got there. So when I’m alone in my car, I hum, sing scales, staccato arpeggios and legato octave leaps until I come to a stop light and there’s someone in the next lane. Then I whistle a happy tune.

Why am I doing this? I’m practicing for my audition with Gloria Musicae. Yes, auditions are coming up at the end of August and I’d like to be able to rejoin the group and carry my own, um, weight. GM always re-auditions all past, present and, of course, future singers. Terrible things can happen to the voice as we age and, since the voice isn’t one of those instruments you can look at, tune or trade in for a better model, an extra pair of ears is always important. I want those ears to hear me at my best, not at my 6 a.m. croakiness.

So, if you hear the sound of music creeping in your ears as you drive around Sarasota, you may be overhearing a singer who thinks she’s alone in her own little acoustical world, lubricating her vocal cords and preparing for an audition. She’s just having one of her little spells. Drive on, secure in the knowledge that this strange affliction isn’t catching.

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