Typography Note: Sentences in [brackets] represent the narrator's unspoken thoughts.
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Coming of Age in Texas: Chapter 15: Solos and Duets
The spring choral concert was scheduled for a Friday night the middle of April, one week before Good Friday, which was late that year. Mike told Troy to get him two tickets. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said, causing Troy to just beam.
The day of the concert, Mike informed us that he needed to go to the airport to pick up someone. He assured us that he would be back in time for the concert. Another mystery.
Mike arrived at the school auditorium just as we did. "Mom, Dad. I'd like you to meet Maria Bianchi." We were all stunned, not that Mike had brought a date or that he had brought a pretty one, but that she was drop-dead gorgeous, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. The men, even my dad, almost melted to the ground, and the women looked at her with awe. She had raven hair, dark eyes, a beautiful complexion, and a perfect figure in her "little black dress."
Mike introduced all around—except Troy, of course, who was back stage with the rest of the chorus.
"You just flew in today?" asked Dad.
"Yes."
"And where are you from?" asked Mom.
"New York City."
"And what do you do there?"
"I'm a teacher."
"Oh, what do you teach?"
But before she could answer, the ushers urged everyone to take their seats.
Ms. Garcia, the choir director had reserved seats for us in the front row. Maria sat in the aisle seat next to Mike. I sat next to Mike with Mom and Dad on the other side of me and the Andersens and Mrs. Mazure on down the row. When we were seated, Dad leaned over and whispered to Mom, "Looks like somebody's been making all those trips to New York for something more than business."
"Oh, look," said Mrs. Andersen, holding up her program. "Troy has two solos, one right before intermission and one at the end."
The girls in the choir, dressed in knee-length black dresses or skirts, entered from stage right and took their places. The boys, dressed in suits and ties, entered from stage left. Of course, Troy wore his seven-thousand-dollar Dolce and Gabbana suit.
The program consisted of an eclectic mix of popular songs and non-traditional pieces designed to highlight the various strengths within the chorus. There were several that I had never heard of and a couple that I could not even pronounce.
The first part of the program was pretty good. I didn't fall asleep. But, of course, everyone was waiting for Troy's solo.
"This next song features Troy Mazure, who will give us a little introduction."
Troy stepped downstage center. "Strange Feelings,' by Robert Milton Ingram," he said, "is a song about the cognitive dissonance, the inner conflicts, that a person feels when he or she falls in love, perhaps for the first time. Like I Don't Know How to Love Him' from Jesus Christ, Superstar, this song can be a woman singing about her man, a man singing about his woman, or either singing about their love for Jesus. Listen to these lyrics." And he recited one verse:
"Why do the clouds smell like jasmine and fruit on the vine? Why does the rain taste like honey and strawberry wine? Why does the wind whisper poems and sonnets of love? Why do their words float like angels from heaven above? What are these strange and mysterious feelings in me?"
Troy took one step back, took two deep breaths, and let the music take over.
When he finished the final chorus...
"Why is everything strange? Am I going insane? Am I losing my mind? Why can't I just unwind? What are these strange, strange feelings in me?"
...the audience stood, clapped, and cheered for several minutes. His performance was phenomenal.
During the intermission, I expected Mom and Dad to continue the interrogation of the beautiful Miss Maria Bianchi, but she was nowhere to be found. "Oh, she had to go take care of something," Mike said. "She'll be back."
But when we went back in for the second half of the program, she was AWOL. Her seat remained empty for the remainder of the program. [Too bad. She's going to miss Troy's other solo.]
When it came time for his second solo, Troy came forward again, but the choir director stopped him and announced, "I know you are all looking forward to this final number, but I'm pleased to tell you that we have a very special guest here tonight who will introduce the song to you.
"She is a teacher of voice and music theory and composition at the Juilliard School in New York City. Please give a very warm welcome to Miss Maria Bianchi."
We all swapped looks at each other and at Mike, who just smiled like a Cheshire cat.
After the courtesy applause and all the women jerked their husbands back to reality, Maria explained.
"Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's `La Ci Darem La Mano' from the opera Don Giovanni, is considered one of the most beautiful love songs in all of the opera world. It is a duet in which Don Giovanni attempts to seduce the beautiful Zerlina. Troy Mazure has been practicing this duet for weeks with a recording of Zerlina's part."
At that point, she surprised the audience by walking over to Troy and saying something to him that we could not hear, even from the front row. Then she stepped just to the side of downstage center and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, with Mr. Mazure's generous permission, I will sing the role of Zerlina while he sings the role of Don Giovanni."
Troy seemed a bit stunned himself, but being the consummate professional, he took a breath and began to sing to the recorded music. When Maria came in with Zerlina's first line, the entire audience was instantly captivated. Her voice was every bit as gorgeous as her face.
After another prolonged standing ovation, peppered with shouts of bravo' and encore,' the choir director gestured to Maria to again take center stage. "Thank you so much, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you, Troy, for allowing me the honor of singing with you. You have an amazing talent," which drew more resounding applause from the audience with our families leading the charge.
"Earlier this evening," she added, "Troy referenced the song `I Don't Know How to Love Him' from the musical Jesus Christ, Superstar. It was written for Mary Magdalene to sing about her love for Jesus, but, as Troy said, with just a little tweaking of pronouns, it can be sung by either a woman or a man. So, again with your permission, Mr. Mazure, I would like to sing this song with you."
Troy smiled such a big smile that I thought his teeth would fall out. Once the music began, Maria let Troy sing the first few lines solo before joining him, and at certain points, she again stepped back and let him take the lead.
When he sang...
"I never thought I'd come to this What's it all about? Yet, if he said he loved me I'd be lost. I'd be frightened I couldn't cope, just couldn't cope I'd turn my head, I'd back away I wouldn't want to know He scares me so I want him so I love him so"
I thought he was speaking directly to me. I felt strange, confused, lost, scared, and overwhelmed. Was I losing my mind? Why couldn't I just unwind? I thought I was falling in love for the first time.
Of course, the audience demanded another encore, so after Troy quieted the audience, he said, "I know that Ms. Bianchi did not come here tonight to perform because she did not want to take away from the choir's night, but I can assure you, Ms. Bianchi, that we would all be very disappointed if you did not share another song with us," and the members of the choir proved his point by pleading with her to sing.
"Very well," she said. Then she chatted with Troy for more than a minute. We all assumed that they were trying to figure out which song to sing, and she surprised us again when she turned and approached Ms. Garcia and the choir. Troy cracked everyone up at that point when he shrugged his shoulders in mock frustration. After consulting with the choir for a minute, Maria came back downstage and stood with Troy. We all expected them to sing an opera duet, but imagine our surprise when the two of them, backed up by the choir, broke into "You're the One that I Want" from Grease.
Everyone in the audience laughed and then started clapping and singing along, which Maria strongly encouraged. She even led members of the choir down from the stage, and into the audience, where they danced and pulled members of the audience from their seats to dance with them. Maria even thanked one dance partner with a little peck on the cheek. I suspect that man did not wash his face for a week.
Toward the end of the song, Maria and Troy led the choir back on stage, and when the song ended, they turned and opened their arms to the choir, giving them the lion's share of the credit. Maria even directed the students to take a bow and led the applause for them. Talk about a class act. Mike had really picked a winner in this one.
As we waited in front of the auditorium for Troy and Maria after the concert, Troy's mother was besieged by parents and students alike who wanted to congratulate her on Troy's impressive performance. A few people who knew Mike well told him they were glad to see him again and asked him about Maria. I guess they figured that no one else in our town could catch the eye of such a beautiful woman.
We all gathered at the Andersen's house to sing the praises of Troy and Maria. I thought it was remarkable that this professional opera singer would defer to a high school student, but I must say that he had earned the courtesy. "She is indeed a remarkable person," concurred Mike, squeezing her hand as he spoke. She just looked at Mike and smiled, and we all knew that there was indeed something remarkable going on between them.
"How long will you be in town?" Dad asked Maria, who replied that she had to leave early in the morning for an appointment in Austin before flying back to New York on Sunday. Mrs. Andersen asked where she was staying that night, and she replied, "I believe Mike has made some arrangements." [Yeah, I bet he has.]
Mom thanked Maria for coming and said she hoped to see her again and assured her that she was welcome to our home any time.
As we all said good night and went our separate ways, I felt the pain of parting. I so much wanted to take Troy home with me, but I knew that his mother would want family time that evening. And I knew that my time with Troy would come.