Parsing Handel's Messiah at 12 years old
At the National Cathedral, the boys' choir prepares to sing Handel's Messiah, spending 15-20 hours in rehearsal, in between football practices, schoolwork and all the other busy-ness of adolescents.
Christmas Means Music For Boys Choir
From NPR online
For the boy choristers of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Christmas is not about angling for video games or iPods, but parsing each note in Handel's Messiah, performing before thousands of people — and wondering when their voices will change.During Christmas season, the 18 boys — ages 8 to 13 — who comprise the National Cathedral Boy Choristers clock upward of 15 to 20 hours of practice and performances a week.
At 12 years old, soloist Nick Bairatchnyi is one of the old hands. A lanky seventh-grader with long brown hair and no discernible part, he wears a tie — but his shirt is untucked — and running shoes with his laces untied. Nick says he began singing to his mother's iPod years ago, but was a bit surprised when he was selected to join the choir when he was 8.
