On Friday, March 18, 2022, I debuted Nowhere to Go: In Concert. The evening was magical.
As I sit here now and reflect on that evening, a week ago now, I find myself still reeling and lost in the wonder of replaying it in my mind over and over again.
This concert was a long time coming. Since I was a girl, I always imagined myself performing and putting on shows. I’ve had the great privilege of performing in a wide variety of productions, musicals, talent shows, and concerts since I was a child until now, but Friday night was different.
Not only was this my first full concert as a soloist, it was the first time I presented my own self-written songs for a live audience. This was the best next step I could take as an artist, but as I told a friend, it was a step that would have been very easy to never take.
Many people asked me if I was nervous. The answer is yes. For the weeks leading up to the concert, I oscillated between excitement and fright. And yet, though fear was present, I never doubted that this was something I absolutely wanted to do.
In preparation for the show, I worked with two incredible sopranos: Diane Penning & Mairéad Carlin. My sessions with these two were as much about vocal technique as they were about mindset strategies to overcome the nerves. Both instilled within me a confidence that I had prepared, learned my music, and trained for this. I was ready.
On Friday morning and afternoon, I certainly had some day-of jitters, but they were infused with sheer excitement. And by the time it came for me to walk on stage and start playing those first couple notes, I really settled into moving through the motions of what I had rehearsed one hundred times before, this time with an audience.
Author Madeline L’Engle has a quote that states:
“The writer does want to be published; the painter urgently hopes that someone will see the finished canvas… the composer needs his music to be heard. Art is communication, & if there is no communication, it is as though the work has been stillborn.”
That’s why Friday night was such an important component to the equation for me as an artist, having an audience of listeners, a completion of the work that started nearly two years ago.
For those who came, thank you. Please understand how meaningful it was that you chose to spend your Friday evening listening to my music and the stories behind my songs.
For those who were unable to come, we have booked another date for performing Nowhere to Go: In Concert. More details will follow, but save the date for Friday, May 20!
Love and gratitude,
Shannon xx