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November 28, 2012
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December 3, 2012
Les Amis de la Chanson doesn’t have enough time for perfunctory practice.
Two weeks before the community choir’s annual December performance, it appeared that the pressure to perfect the set list was starting to mount.
Les Amis was halted several times mid-song with the simple, sharp command: “Stop.” Leslie VanOsdale, conducting, frustratingly rehashed the proper cadence, which the choir members absorbed and mimicked.
“It’s going to sound real good when you get it,” VanOsdale said, noting her displeasure before guiding the group to its next song.
Coaching in any realm often seems unpleasant to outside observers, though it’s clear VanOsdale has a rapport with her team. She does mix in dry humor (of the we-can’t-restart-a-song-amid-a-concert variety) to break up what could seem like constant criticism.
As VanOsdale readied the group for its annual December concert, one thing stood out: She commands enough respect to be the unquestioned arbiter of the choir’s progress, it’s quest for greatness.
For a quarter of a century, this band of community singers has practiced and performed for local audiences, and VanOsdale has been a constant. She and her fellow members get together for two hours on 52 Sundays a year (unless, of course, holidays tamper with the schedule).
The commitment expected of its members is clear: Attend practice, because you’ll need to know how to sing in five different languages in sync with 34 others.
The following week, the halting was much less frequent. Although some timing issues still had to be hashed out, the primary concern was volume control, as it is necessary to be heard in the deepest reaches of the cathedral.
As evidenced by the earnest practices, this isn’t the average community choir.
“I say that we’re the best-kept secret in the Tri-parish area, because there are very few things that are free in life that are worth experiencing, and this is one of them,” says First Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Vanessa Whipple, a member for 13 years. “We handle some very difficult music … We’ve had concerts where we’ve sung in French, Latin, English, Spanish and Russian.”
One time, just for kicks, Les Amis de la Chanson took its show to New York City’s Carnegie Hall. The group had twice performed Bradley Ellingboe’s Requiem, and the award-winning composer personally invited the group in 2010 to partake in a third public rendition with about 200 other vocalists under his direction.
“The acoustics in here are really beautiful, really beautiful,” Whipple says. “The acoustics in Carnegie Hall, of course, are exquisite. … When we sang the first notes and could hear it reverberate in the auditorium and when it comes back to you, for me, that was the first time I understood the meaning of the voice as an instrument.”
Les Amis’ annual winter concert, free to the public, begins at 7 p.m., Dec. 2 at St. Frances de la Sales Cathedral.
VonOsdale, a Les Amis founding member, is sharp. As in, she gets to the point, and as in, the speed of her wit is quick. What needs to be said is said, and nothing else warrants more than a fleeting thought.
While conducting rehearsal, her disposition appears at once determined and excited as her wide eyes peer at the singers over the top of her half-framed reading glasses when they’re not – and they’re usually not – looking at the sheet music.
She acknowledges that strong practice sessions set the group’s talented foundation. After all, she quips, it’s what got them to Carnegie Hall.
“Primarily, I have to be sure that every one is enjoying it, or they wouldn’t come back, and they come back week after week,” VonOsdale says. “My goal is also for us all to be exposed to different kinds of music, different composers, different periods, different styles.”
Les Amis’ leader obtained a degree is music performance from the College Conservatory of Music at Cincinnati. A pianist and an organist, she has directed music at the Cathedral of St. Francis for 25 years, leading choir, parish and diocesan activities.
Her adult pupils revere her talent.
“We’re so blessed to have such a talented director; she’s fearless, that’s what makes it work,” Whipple says.
The conductor says she doesn’t have plans to step away from the lectern, adding that she’ll go on “as long as I can stand at the podium.”
“We really think of ourselves as a community choir,” says VonOsdale. The ecumenical group does not restrict membership and does not even audition aspiring amateurs. “You just have to want to sing.”
Enlistees come from different religion sects and age sets, spanning four decades. Ten of the roughly 35 singers are charter members, with many having come and gone. The choir’s vocal composition is never planned, and VonOsdale doesn’t recruit. “Somehow, it really takes care of itself,” she says.
The group got its start singing for mass at Holy Rosary Church. After VonOsdale left the church, the group began gathering at her home. Now and for the past several years, the large group has performed a Lenten and Winter concert each year.
Various reasons have drawn specific members to the group. For 32-year-old Amanda Mustin, Les Amis was an extension of her high school and college singing career. Geoffrey Kimball, of New Orleans, was introduced to the group via Whipple, who joined after sending her youngest child to high school.
“This is something I do just for myself,” Whipple says. “It’s sacrosanct for me.”
Although some relationships are closer than others – for instance, Whipple sheltered two members, including Kimball, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina – legitimate bonds are fostered during the Thursday sessions.
“The audience is wonderful,” Whipple says, “but it’s really about coming together and becoming good friends in song. People with very different majors and backgrounds come together. We love it, and we’re very serious about it.”
From modest beginnings to a dream-satisfying peak, Les Amis defied some expectations by merely sticking together for this milestone.
“We can’t explain it ourselves,” VonOsdale says. “It’s just that it’s a group of people who love to get together for the pleasure of singing. No one is paid. No one is under any obligation. It’s just people who enjoy doing it, and they’ve done it for the pleasure and the fun for 25 years.”
Vanessa Whipple (pictured at top, fourth from right) and Les Amis de la chanson rehearse as directed by Leslie VonOsdale at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales for the group’s annual winter concert. Les Amis, which performed at Carnegie Hall two years ago, is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Leslie VonOsdale directs the 35-member choir Les Amis de la Chanson.
Sheri Watkins is engrossed in song during Les Amis’ rehearsal.
Les Amis’ deeper voices boom in the cathedral.
