Collaborative Work/Accompanying

[omar_roy]

Most of the topics on this forum are about solo piano repertoire, but surely at least some of us enjoy being part of a team whether it's accompanying singers or playing chamber music.

I enjoy accompanying singers, provided that they give me the music sufficiently in advance.  Some of them aren't so great about that hahaha.

Anyone else?

[mnmleung]

Yes, I enjoy accompanying singers also.  My wife sings.

I wish I had spent the time learning their parts and also the text in the original languages: I am sure I would get even more out of it ...

PS MY wife and I once had a difference in opinion about a passage we were both learning.  I said that singers could count, and if my counting was wrong, I would do 1 (or was it 2) year of ironing as a bet.

I ended up ironing ...

[richard black]

I accompany for a living. Singers, instrumentalists, choirs, opera rehearsals, recordings, auditions, concerts, chamber ensembles - basically anything but solo. Well, maybe I play one solo concert every two or three years, just to prove to myself I still can. But solo's too lonely for me. I love being part of a team, it's much more fun. Love the repertoire too, and the variety.

[fleetfingers]

I play for my church choir and love it. A few months ago, a select group of singers formed a double quartet for one of the songs in the program. They entertained the idea of gathering around the piano to sing the song during the performance. We practiced that way in the chapel, which has a grand piano and great acoustics. I sat at the piano and played a beautiful, calming song in d minor while a group of superb singers surrounded me with 4-part harmony. It was like I was being serenaded by angels. They ended up standing as a group in front of the piano with a mic for the performance, but those practices were unforgettable.