The Moment I Knew I Was Gonna Try Out For The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

The moment didn't happen in the Summer of 2011. But the commencement of the events leading up to the moment did...

Europe. In fact, I do believe it was Switzerland. I had signed up to be an adult tag-along on the Utah Ambassadors of Music (UAM) two-week tour across that wonderful continent. My younger brother was one of the high-schooler musicians. Mr. Steenblik was one of the several different choir directors, and I remember clearly that one of the songs he had the kids sing was "Nelly Bly."

My friend Katie and I were sitting one morning in the hotel dining room with Miss J (I think it was her) and Mr. Steenblik. Miss J asked Mr. Steenblik about his touring with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The Choir had just got done with its 2011 summer tour. He talked about his experiences at the breakfast table. And, as in the Inception movie, he indirectly was telling me, "Don't think about elephants." But I started to think about elephants.

I came home from UAM tour and returned to my full-time job. My friend and coworker Alan kept verbally encouraging me, on a pretty regular basis, "When are you going to try out for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!?"

My cousin-in-law Casey also often urged me, in those days, to audition for the Choir...

I kept mostly shrugging off their wishes for me...

For months...

Until...

Exactly five years ago, this very weekend.

It was a Saturday night. My friends Sara, Michael, Brian, and I were all on a double-date with each other. We were on our way to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's 2012 Pioneer Day concert, which featured Welsh classical crossover guest artist Katherine Jenkins. I was excited to hear her because she often came onto my Pandora station at work and I loved it every time that happened.

Although my friends weren't per se strange people, it was a very strange double-date. On what double-date are you in a green female sedan named Esmeralda, with your "date" being the driver and you're in the passenger seat (sounds normal so far, right? just you wait);

...and the other girl is in the back seat with her "date" (still normal...but hold on);

...Sara and Michael were each other's previously-arranged official dates. Brian and I were the other pair;

...Michael and I, though we were not sitting next to each other in the car, spoke somewhat exclusively one with another in the car, goofily diagonally within the vehicle -- I awkwardly kept myself twisted to the left so I could see him and converse with him easier... aaaand I taught him the legit Gibberish language (it's a real thing, people; I didn't make it up)...

...I didn't feel bad about doing this because Sara and Brian were doing exactly the same thing, and they already liked each other anyway, so I have no clue why we four "paired ourselves off" in the way we did... #KidsAreWeird

...I mean, like, why would Brian and Sara sit next to each other at the concert? They weren't each other's dates;

...and why would I even sit next to the guy I had been talking and walking with all evening so far in the city streets of Salt Lake? Next to the guy who asked me later that night, after the show, if he could buy my JCW's food for me? He wasn't my date. Nope. There sat, at the concert, Michael and Sara, and Brian and me. Apparently we were pretty adamant about our seating arrangements.

And now, the MOMENT:

There was Katherine, up on the stage, shining like a diamond. She, being Welsh, already knew that the Choir had deep Welsh roots. So she turned around to face the Choir and asked whoever was Welsh to raise their hands.

Then she turned back to the audience and asked us to do the same. "Raise your hand if you are Welsh!" I gawked for a second. Why was I gawking? Weirdo Alison. But, in actuality, the real reason for the gawking was probably because it was signifying that the MOMENT was happening!!!

I raised my hand, far more eagerly than I would've ever thought I would. Then I put my hand back down. Then Katherine and the Choir began singing the Welsh national anthem. I was kinda sorta overcome. Overcome with an idea.

Maybe it had to be Brian I was sitting next to anyway. Maybe he was the only one in the whole wide world who could've as effectively delivered three simple words that literally changed my life forever:

I suddenly turned to him and asked, "Should I try out for MoTab?" And he replied...

"I support that."

And then there was no stopping me. Within two weeks' time from that instant, I had my application, demo CD, and bishop's recommendation all turned in. The rest is history.