Those who enrich my life

Scott got into my car Tuesday morning and asked me what I was doing on Friday night. He had two tickets to the Alfie Boe concert that night and after realizing there might not be very many cool girls who’d be into that kind of thing and want to attend with him and asked me if I’d like to go.

“I’d love to.”

I’d seen the advertisements around campus which said Worldwide Singing Sensation. Wow, this guy must be good. I mean, with a name like Alfie, you’d have to be good.

The week went on and I got more excited. A few people mentioned that this Mr. Boe character was going to be playing the role of Jean Valjean in London’s Les Miserables starting this June. Well gosh, I absolutely love Les Miserables, in fact, that very play in that very place is on my bucket list of things to do in my life.

Tonight finally came. Scott and I ate a delicious dinner at Gater Jacks and then headed to the Snow. The place was packed. We noticed almost more senior citizens than students. Cool. I’m always up for a night with the geriatric society. The BYU-I Sinfonietta took their places on stage with their beautiful instruments and starting warming up. Within minutes the lights dimmed and the show started. I was not prepared for what I heard next.

The first half of the performance was a combination of Napoleonic songs in a variety of languages. When I first heard his voice I think my heart melted a little bit. It was powerful, it was strong, it was perfectly on. I was entranced. This man had incredible stage presence.

In between numbers he was very pleasant, cracking a couple jokes here and there but nothing over the top, tacky or forced. I enjoyed watching and listening to all the sounds of the orchestra, to the perfect stance of the conductor, to the flawlessly starched tuxedos.

The numbers from the second half came from his newest album of show tunes. He performed songs from Willy Wonka, My Fair Lady, and Carousel- all movies I grew up watching, all songs dear to my heart. The last number was of course the most spectacular, Bring Him Home from Les Miserables. It almost brought me to tears. His voice was penetrating. He was truly praying to the God above. I had goose bumps all over that lasted for minutes. I didn’t want it to end. I dreaded the moment when his voice would cease.

Applause erupted from the audience. We were on our feet clapping with all our might. I was grateful to be there. I was grateful for his talent. I was grateful for such a fulfilling experience.

Tonight represented something I’ve felt for a long time. Throughout the last six years that I’ve been a student at this school I’ve been able to attend dozens of school sponsored performances and concerts. I have never been disappointed by a single one. On the contrary, I have walked away feeling uplifted, beyond satisfied, and grateful. Grateful for the incredible talents of others. Grateful that some people have been given such incredible gifts and are willing to share them with others.

Sometimes it amazes me how good people are at things. I’ve always felt like I’ve been ordinary at everything and not extraordinary at anything ….so I’m grateful for people that have excelled at something so much. They have enriched my life.

So here’s to you talented people. Thank you for blessing my life. Thanks to all the performers I’ve seen throughout the years – the Guitars Unplugged bands, Nashville Tribute, David Archuleta, the people who’ve played in Grand Pianos Live, John Schmidt, BYU Men’s Choir, the different operas, Ryan Shupe, all the actors in the various plays I’ve seen, and now Alfie Boe. Three cheers to you my friends.