That ain’t “conversational” snow.
If you know us, or have sung with us, you know that VCS – like the neighborhood we live and work in – is incredibly diverse. People from all over the place, who do all kinds of fun things for work. This post is from Joel Cline (pictured right), who in addition to being a bass and frequent soloist, also happens to be a meteorologist.
As in, we call Joel to make decisions about show night when the Capital Weather Gang is not as clear as we’d like them to be about things like rain, and snow, and storms. Yes CWG, we love ya, but sometimes we love Joel more.
More than anyone else we know, Joel gets how music, weather, and science go together. He gets why science education is worth supporting and exactly how natural disasters works, and he gets why we are going to sing about the weather on March 16, 2013.
Science may be the single most important part of the understanding of the universe and all things as we know them. Therefore it is imperative to have a great understanding of these things. It seems that from an early age we all are curious about science, be it things that grow, animals, basic physics, chemistry, math or the weather. It is the very core of our existence.
Music is at the core of the human spirit and also cannot be denied. It is a part of all of us, and if done correctly it makes us feel things to our core, love, pain, happiness, sadness, a total feeling of anything you want – it is our emotions, whether the music is with words or not. It is as powerful as the soul allows.
There are few things in life that are great equalizers for every living thing on earth. Certainly chemistry, math, and the other sciences affect everything, but a lot of people can ignore these and live a somewhat normal life. However the weather affects us all. Rich, poor, no matter what religion, what we speak, think and feel, the weather affects us all – every single day of our lives. The plants and animals may change in different places in the world but we all deal with weather and need it to work in our favor to survive. Forecasting the weather is a science but also an art just like music. It can and should touch the soul.
I recall growing up on a farm how important and fun the weather was, and then going into the house on the weekends and my mom would be listening to the Metropolitan Opera or one of her countless classical albums. It was normal to work the earth most of the day in the summer, feel great about what you had done, and have a thunderstorm come up. To go inside seemed like punishment but the great music made it wonderful. The classical works of Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and other greats while the thunderstorms were going were magical moments.
The complete strength of a thunderstorm and the peacefulness of the music together were a combination, which made all weather not only a necessity, but also a passion, one we hope to share with all of you on March 16, 2013. I know when we sing these songs there will be an extra moment of passion in my voice to try to let others know these feelings deep inside me. A concert to be able to share both the power of meteorology and the passion of music is perfect – just as I hope the concert is for all of you.
Tickets for Music of the Storms are now available online.