So I've joined the Stockton Chorale, the community choir here in town. As much to get out of the house and away from this blasted computer as to do some musicking, the choir seemed like a good choice on both accounts and it has been so far. The "audition" was last Monday (requiring only about three minutes once it was clear that I could match pitch and sight-read basic things) and rehearsals have begun for a small concert with the Stockton Symphony in mid-October. I've been placed in the bass section, which is new for me since I sang tenor in the various choirs at UC Riverside back in the early and mid-90s, and have always thought of myself as a tenor. Age, I suppose, has had a different opinion. Bass is fun though. At the moment we're working on Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, Op. 80 and a couple of other short twentieth-century works. The Beethoven is a lively and simple piece (with a melody startlingly reminiscent of the one he used in the Ninth Symphony), but the German text is throwing many people: it's basically a stream of strange and random syllables at this point. Overall the choir is pretty good, especially when it comes to sight reading and I'm glad we're not reduced to waiting around while the accompanist plunks out each part one-by-one. The average age is around 65, with many participants having been a member for most of the Chorale's 5-plus decades. I don't mind though, and hope to meet some interesting people regardless of our age difference.