My voice teacher recommended the Chorale when I told her I wanted to find a place where I could sing and harmonize with others. After retiring from a 42-year legal career in Dallas, it was a perfect fit — though I'll admit I came in with quite a bit of trepidation. Other than voice lessons, I have no formal music education.
In high school, I sang in the Greenhill choir, then took about 20 years off from choral singing. After college, my high school buddy Jerry and I formed our little acoustic harmony band, Forest Lane (named for the street we cruised so much back in high school). Since then, we've played in virtually every wine bar, cool bar, bookstore, dump, coffee shop, restaurant, retirement home, and outdoor market in Dallas that would have us.
In 1994, on a lark, I auditioned for the Texas Gilbert & Sullivan Company's production of Pirates of Penzance. The audition was the most horrifying experience of my life — but afterward, to my shock, they handed me my music. We did 13 shows at the Lakewood Theatre and what is now the Granville Arts Center. Unbelievably, Dr. Wes Moore — our beloved Melanie's husband — was the Pirate King! A truly amazing experience.
Then I took another 20 years off from choral work until I retired... and here I am!
My life has always been geared around sports. I played tennis and soccer in both high school and college, then went straight to law school, locked myself in a room for three years, and landed a great job at a large downtown Dallas law firm.
After about four years, I decided the big-firm culture wasn't for me. Suzanne and I were building a family, and I wanted a life outside of work. So, at the ripe old age of 29, I left the firm with my legal assistant to start my own practice as a sole practitioner. Fast forward 30 years — I built the firm to 18 attorneys and 48 employees. In 2014, I sold the firm to a national law firm and stayed on to run its Dallas office until 2022, at which point I was ready for what would come next.
Then the Chorale came into my life. So, choral music — here I come again!
(I'm still trying to get over the fact that I can't charge by the hour for my words of wisdom — that's a joke!)
My advice for new and prospective members is easy:
“If I can do this, anyone can!”
"Only love is real, everything else illusion." — Carole King