Making Up For Lost Time

I regret joining the AC Chorale only in my junior year.

My first two years of high school were centered on making sure to pass all my subjects and not take summer classes. Transportation was also a minor problem, especially since I was living down south then. I mustered the courage to audition after seeing them win the Ateneo Songfest and stage a kick-ass concert during sophomore year. Two of my closest friends in high school were part of it since freshman year, and three of us in the barkada auditioned two years after (two of us eventually got in).

Audition day was funny as I was a bundle of nerves: no one in campus had heard me sing then. I still remember some batch mates (then Chorale members) who had this skeptical look on their faces when I stood in front to sing. And I still remember their shocked expressions when I finished my audition piece. The rest is history, and most of them still remember my audition until now.

For two years, I had fun singing and trouble balancing my academics (Math and Science to be exact) so that I would be allowed to join the Songfest San Lo group (we merged with Assumption Antipolo’s glee club then) and the concert. Most current members would cringe at vocalization drills and on-the-spot song checks to see if they already knew the assigned piece. During my time (yes, it has been that long since I graduated from high school), we dreaded probation due to low grades. Learning songs were not much of a hassle. I did not really know how to read notes (and I still have some difficulty with this), but once I heard the first note of any Chorale song, I knew my part and breezed through it.

I credit my Chorale residency for making me work for better grades in the last two years of high school to be able to get into the college I wanted to be in. It taught me discipline, resiliency, team spirit and camaraderie. It strengthened bonds with friends who are presently still around. It made me braver to share my gift of song with others. In a nutshell, Chorale made me a more selfless person.

Unfortunately, being a Chorale girl took a back seat during college. I had only visited them once, during a morning time practice for Tina’s wedding. I was not even able to see Tina (our moderator slash Master DJ) say “I do” to her now husband of ten years. I got so immersed in college life that I momentarily forgot Chorale. I would hear news about the group and Tina, but that was it.

Eight years after graduating from high school, I started visiting Chorale again. Tina was the only familiar face then, and the girls were so much younger. I came back partly because Lara was directing their concert and she needed moral support. Others who I was in the group with during high school were also around. Eventually, I was helping the girls out, and I loved every minute of it.

Two days ago, a few of us gathered in San Lo for the 20th Anniversary meeting (a first of many, I reckon). I was happy and felt that I was my old self again. It felt strange and nostalgic at once to sing our old pieces, considering that it has been thirteen years since I last had regular Saturday practice. And I am amazed that we still sound good.

It was never too late to come home, after all. I am glad I did. And I will continue to do so.