What makes a master?

Last Monday I had the pleasure of working with Sandi Patty. For those of you who are not familiar with her, Ms Patty has won 5 Grammy Awards and 39 Dove Awards (awards given to Christian recording projects). She is a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. She presented her Christmas concert, backed by Orchestra Kentucky, to a sell-out crowd. It was a learning experience for me. What impressed me most was her ability to connect with the audience and the skillful way she programmed the concert.

Most entertainers I have worked with either ignore the audience or talk without any real purpose other than to fill time. Ms. Patty had obviously planned when she would talk and what she would say. There were times when her songs came back to back without little break in between. Of course, she welcomed the audience, but otherwise her speaking had a more meaningful purpose. Usually, she spoke to "set up" the song she was about to sing. She perfectly set the stage with a story to make the song more meaningful. In fact, there were times when I started the orchestra to serve as underscoring for her introduction. Most impressive was the fact that her talks, although prepared, did not come across a rehearsed in any way.

Most conductors will tell you that it is not easy to come up with an order for pieces on a program. There must be a flow in terms of tempo, mood, style, etc. Ms. Patty is an expert at this. She started the concert with a bang, singing Angels We Have Heard on High. (Believe it or not, I attended a concert recently where the group started with a slow, laid back, composition. That's sort of like coming on stage and whispering, "We're here. Does anybody notice?") Patty received a standing ovation at the end of the first half for her performance of I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. It was because of the masterful arrangement, but also because she had properly prepared the audience with her introduction. She told the story of how Longfellow wrote the words after hearing of his son's death in the Civil War. There was not a dry eye in the house.

For the second half, she actually received a standing ovation a few songs from the end of the concert with her performance of Jesus, O What a Wonderful Child. At first I didn't understand why she chose such an audience pleaser at that point in the program. However, after bringing the audience to a near "frenzy", she brought them back down with a more reflective song, entitled Someday. This prepared the audience for her impressive version of O Holy Night. Most entertainers would have ended there. She instead sang one of the best performances of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas that I have ever heard. And it wasn't with the full orchestra. It was just the piano. It was the perfect ending to a masterful performance.

And, did I say that she can sing? Wow!