Page 29 of The Matchmaker's Melody
The next fewweeks proceeded smoothly for Emma. Whatever hiccough there had been with the choir’s rehearsal space, it seemed to be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, and Elise, the alto, was back with the choir. It seemed a bit unfair for her to sing in the performance on only two rehearsals, but Randall assuaged her concerns.
“She knows the piece, and I know her. Don’t worry about it. Let me handle the musical decisions, okay?”
All Emma could do was roll her eyes and agree. And it seemed that Randall was correct, because Elise managed perfectly well from the moment she was back. Gordon must have known what she had said to Randall. He didn’t exactly chastise her for her interference in choir matters, but he did give her a pointed scowl. She knew that look well. It said, ‘you don’t know everything’.
Fine. Humph.
More to Emma’s satisfaction, the second quartet rehearsal went very well, and her efforts to be friendly with Ash were partly successful, and not unnoticed by Gordon.
Ash was okay to talk to. She and Emma would never be close. They were too different, and not in complementing ways. But after fifteen minutes of asking about Ashleigh’s experiences abroad, Emma had to admit that the other singer really was very interesting, and was willing to speak animatedly, as long as matters didn’t get personal. It opened just a small connection between the two sopranos, and Emma suspected they would remain a bit more friendly with each other, something more than the cool, polite nods from before.
Thanks to the quartet’s efforts, when the professional soloists arrived for the dress rehearsal, the choir was well prepared. They knew exactly what to expect, and managed their entries and transitions perfectly, so the conductor could focus on musical nuance rather than technical details.
There was no formal reception afterwards, but as so often happened, a group of the choir members and their partners decided to go out for a drink at a nice restaurant near the church where they performed. This wasn’t their usual spot close to the arts centre, but one that Emma had been to before and rather liked.
Jean-François announced he would be one of that number, and Emma was happy to join the group. She ended up at a table with Jean-François, Halli, Janet, Carlos, Elise, and Elise’s partner.
Phil and his latest paramour were there as well, at their own table, peering down their noses at everyone else. Emma was relieved that Halli only laughed about it, before turning to Jean-François and asking him something about the best places to get bagels in Montreal.
Now Emma turned her attention back to Elise’s partner. He was the tall man who she’d seen at one rehearsal a few weeks back, and he was quite easy on the eyes, if you didn’t mind his disapproving expression and silent nature.
“He’s just shy,” Janet whispered in Emma’s ear. But really, handsome or not, shy men were just not appealing.
If Mr Tall, Dark, and Silent had said nothing at the restaurant, he made up for it the following week at rehearsal.
Just as they were about to start, Randall called for attention and addressed the choir.
“We’ve got some very exciting news, and I’m going to let Will tell you all about it. For those who don’t know him, this is Will Pemberton, and, well, I’ll leave the rest to him.”
Pemberton. Now that was a name Emma knew. How had she not recognised him? He must avoid the camera as much as she loved it.
Emma sat quietly in her chair as the man began to speak. She saw Gordon out of the corner of her eye, sitting at the piano and nodding. He already knew what was going on, and hadn’t told her. The rat. But she didn’t have long to fume about that because what Will had to say grabbed her attention.
“As some of you know,” he began, Pemberton Holdings is committed to social responsibility. We have an entire division dedicated to finding and helping worthy causes, and we are proud of being part of the solution, as much as possible. We are now setting up a second, additional foundation dedicated to the arts. I am proud to be associated with the Queen City Arts Centre,” he gestured around him, indicating the building where they had their rehearsal space, “and I have been more than impressed with the Eglinton Echoes choir as well. In my talks with Randall, he has told me about your planned tour in the summer, and my foundation and I are interested in funding it.”
He paused to let the round of applause from the choir settle.
“However,” he grinned, “I have a personal connection to this choir.” He looked directly at Elise, who turned pink and gazed back at him with sickly-sweet adoration. “Consequently, this sponsorship is not a decision I can make myself. We have to be completely transparent and above board.
“And so, I have appointed somebody else to make this particular decision. Her name is Catherine Berg. Full disclosure—she is my aunt. But she won’t let that stop her from making her own decisions. She will attend the rehearsal the week before the concert, and will base her recommendations on what she sees and hears then. I have every confidence she’ll love you as much as I do.”
He paused again, and suddenly seemed shy. “Er, that’s all. Thanks for listening.” And he nodded to Randall, stepped away, and the choir began their warm-up exercises.
The chatter at break, of course, was all about the new arts foundation and their possible sponsorship of the summer tour. That would be wonderful news, allowing the Eglinton Echoes to travel both to larger centres across the country, as well as to smaller communities where first-rate live concert music was less common.
Will had taken a chair in the corner while the choir sang, and now he was surrounded by a mob of singers, all eager for more information, while the man himself looked like he wanted to melt into the walls. Elise stood by him, fending off the crowds.
Emma had no time for that, and she went searching for Gordon instead. It was so nice to have a good friend who could handle himself in front of a few people. She found him by the piano, talking to Randall and Taylor, and she was pleased to join in that conversation about the latest hockey game.
Emma was particularly excited about the music for the coming concert. They were doing a varied program with some famous opera choruses, some from Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas, and a selection of folk songs from around the world, all based on the theme of spring and summer. This charming set of songs had been arranged for their choir by a local composer, and featured a particularly lovely passage for soprano solo in one of the songs.
Emma, of course, was to sing that solo.
She had informed Randall of this fact as soon as she learned what the repertoire was. She always took the solos, after all, since she had the best voice in the soprano section. Well, perhaps Ashleigh did have a slightly superior natural instrument, and she had done exceptionally well in the rehearsals for the Mozart mass, but she just didn’t have the confidence and personality to carry off the part in concert.
She explained this to Randall.
For his part, he had stared at her from under furrowed brows, and hadn’t said a word for a good minute.
