Kant said that, "music is the quickening art." About a year ago, I was introduced to an older gentleman who has become a very dear friend of mine. We met at a Christmas Eve party and hit it off immediately. We talked endlessly about a variety of subjects (music, oil lobbying, the great city of Atlanta, etc.) Near the end of our conversation, Gary shared with me about his experience with Parkinson's. I would have never known had he not mentioned it. I realized very quickly I was in the presence of someone who radiated joy, strength and contentment - someone who was not defined by any physical limitations. I was thrilled that Gary communicated his interest in participating with the Choral Artisans for our 2018 Christmas session and performances. What a gift to see Gary up there (along with his fellow choristers) singing Christmas carols with skill and passion! His contribution to our choral community has been invaluable in so many ways. There's no way I could ever fully understand what it means to live with Parkinson's on a daily basis. I'll never know the challenges or unpredictability he may face on a given day. Amidst it all, Gary enhances the life-stories of others through the way he has opened up about his own life-story. I asked him if he would be willing to share how choral singing has played a beneficial role in this particular season of his life? He graciously agreed and so I'd like to share some of our conversation with you over the next couple of weeks. (The picture below is from this year's Christmas Eve party - signifying the one year anniversary of our gifted friendship).
Introduce yourself and share with us your background and story.
I am Gary Boring. I am 70 years old, and I have a wife, Karyl, to whom I have been married for 48 years. We have 3 children, Kristen, Michael and Sarah. We have 7 grandchildren, 5 of whom live here in Indy and 2 who live in California.
I have always loved music, and my eyes were opened to classical music when my elementary music teacher, Sara Reid, came home from the IU School of music to teach. One day she brought a turntable and a vinyl record to school in order to play Aida for us. I was hooked from the beginning, as the dramatic and powerful music filled the room.
I took voice lessons during my 4 years of high school, and after auditioning, was selected to sing in the Purdue Varsity Glee Club. We had a camp the week before school started, and we had memorized 30 or so songs.
After Purdue I went to Law School at Valparaiso, and in my 3rd year we performed “Trial by Jury” by Gilbert and Sullivan.
I had several years when I didn’t sing at all, and I am finding I really missed it. It is a balm to my soul when I am troubled. Karyl is glad to hear me sing. One of my specialties is putting funny words with music that isn’t. I don’t usually do that unless I really know my audience.