Sky's Musical Corner - From Auditions to the Performances

The auditions for CHESS (show for our 30th anniversary) were in January/February. I auditioned together with my mum, we sang I Know Him So Well. We both knew that a main role (only two women) was not going to happen for us, so we wanted to sing the song just once ;).

Nothing happened for a while and then at some point in February we got an email with the conformation. I was a bot disappointed at first, because I didn’t make the pop choir (I haven’t written it down on the audition form, silly me). I’m now part oft he big choir as well as some smaller ones. This is pretty exciting. I also realised that I didn’t have a chance to be in the pop choir, because the sopranos there are clearly stronger than me.

Rehearsals started at the beginning of March with a big kick-off weekend. On the first day there were all the choir people and it was fab so see some familiar faces, as well as some new ones. So the first day we looked at the big choir pieces. ON the Sunday we were a smaller group with some oft he principals and also some smaller choirs.

After that the rehearsals continued to be Wednesdays and Sundays. We didn’t have to be there all the time, because the principals did their scenes. I learned the music pretty fast and was able to sing it by heart at the beginning of May. In mid May we started staging some oft he numbers and we also had to be off book (some weren’t of course). The first song we staged was Story of Chess, we are chess figures in this song and move around on the chess board. This is by far my favourite, I love choreographies like that. In Merano I’m a flower girl ;). In Merchandisers I have to sell things and in all other songs we have our fixed choir positions. In June we also learned some movements fort he other songs and then at the end oft he month we did a run-through both acts. That’s also where we got to spend more time with the principals, which was great. They are all so nice and I think we have a fab group together.

Summer meant a break for us, six weeks of no rehearsals... Of course I still rehearsed at home, I played the music, sang and did the movements. I often also rehearsed with my mum during that break, it’s always so much fun.

Rehearsals started again August 14. And then it got pretty intense with Sunday the whole day and Wednesday evenings. It’s a lot I know, but it makes me happy. The good thing: We started rehearsing at the venue, which is fab for me, only a five minute walk.

Sunday, September 11 we have our first rehearsal with the orchestra, a run through act 1 on Monday and act 2 on Tuesday as tech rehearsals and then two dress rehearsals on Wednesday and Thursday. That’s another story though, that’s the get-in-week and I will talk about that on another post.

Opening night is Friday, September 16, I can’t wait!!!