altos sing A a lot

last friday patti & i went to see/sing in the SF conservatory of music's sing it yourself messiah. it was at the big beautiful symphony hall, which seats 3,000, and it was nearly full. thankfully they had tables stacked with scores for you to borrow as you went in. an orchestra and several soloists from the conservatory performed the appropriate parts, and the audience served as the chorus. i hadn't quite realized that it would be an evening of sight-singing, though, and i can't find a note without a little help. luckily patti (a) has actual musical talent and (b) was also singing the alto part. the audience as a whole sounded surprisingly well, though. we sang most but not all of it, and at the end, after thunderous applause, we encored the hallellujah chorus.