April showers bring not only May flowers — or more showers, as the case has been this spring — but they also bring beautiful music. Actually, more music than I can keep up with. But until I have a cultural clone to help me with the wealth of performances I wish I could attend at any given time, I will just have to pick and choose (and heave a heavy sigh for all the events I miss out on. Heavy sigh.) To back up a few weeks, on May 11 a choir friend gifted me with a ticket to attend Sacred Music in a Sacred Space. They presented Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs in the gorgeous sanctuary of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola. It was an arduous journey from Brooklyn to the Upper East Side, but the reward was some of the most beautiful, articulate singing I have heard in a long time. These are professionals, and as an amateur community chorus member, I was taking mental note of their techniques the entire time — when I was not blissed out by the soaring music! Of particular note was Aaron Copland’s rarely performed In the Beginning, with the rich voice of mezzo-soprano, Helen Karloski, as the soloist.

Just yesterday, I attended the Brooklyn Community Chorus’s Spring Concert for the Art on the Corner series at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Bay Ridge. This was a smaller version of the chorus (so they could actually fit in the space!) They are always terrific, and you can catch them again — the entire chorus this time — on June 4 at 7pm All Saints Episcopal Church in Park Slope at 7th Avenue and 7th Street. In fact, you can make a weekend of great local choral music that first Saturday and Sunday in June because my chorus, the Park Slope Singers, will be performing at the same church in Bay Ridge at 3pm on June 4, and again at 3pm in Park Slope at Church of St. Saviour (8th Avenue & 6th Street). There are so many great community choruses in Brooklyn, and we appreciate your supporting us by attending our concerts. Check out all of our area choruses at Vocal Area Network, and if you are itching to sing, come join one of our choirs and make some beautiful music with your community!