Psssst……. Hey, world. C'mere. I have a secret to share with you. No, it isn't a major medical breakthrough (although it does have magical healing powers). It has nothing to do with the war in Iraq, or global warming, or crooks in high places. This secret is a person, a voice, a soul as lovely as any you're likely to encounter. My secret's name is Deirdre Shannon, and she won't be a secret much longer.
I went to Charleston, West Virginia, on the weekend of March 10-11, 2007, and I was overwhelmed. Not by Charleston (sorry, Charlie West) - but by the company I kept while I was there. I had the distinct honor of meeting and hanging out with Joe and his lovely family, and sweet Lynne, and (of course) my buds, Jenny and Brian. Deirdre, naturally, was the star attraction. We were all there to see her perform in concert with the Celtic Tenors and the West Virginia Symphony at the Clay Center. Jenny had arranged a little private "meet and greet" for us, before the concert Saturday evening. Deirdre promised us fifteen minutes, which wound up lasting almost half an hour. She breezed into the room wearing a sweet, ear-to-ear smile, and my heart just melted. She chatted with us, laughed with us, took photos with us, and generally just charmed us out of our socks. I was completely stunned when she exclaimed that she was delighted to finally get a chance to meet me! I think I mumbled something about how that was supposed to be MY line! We had each brought her little gifts, to thank her for going out of her way for us. She took the time to open them all and exclaim excitedly over each one. As an added bonus, the Tenors themselves (Matthew Gilsenan, James Nelson and Daryl Simpson) and pianist/producer David Munro all joined the fun and lent their charm and good humor to the gathering. After twenty-five minutes or so, when someone finally convinced Deirdre that she had to get busy preparing for the show, she turned at the door and graced us with one more bright smile. Putting on a serious and haughty little face, she announced, coquettishly, "You'll have to excuse me. I have to go take care of - stuff. GIRL stuff!" And, with a toss of her lovely head and a flip of her hair - whoosh - she was gone. I could easily have gone home after the meet-and-greet. After that joyous event, the concert itself was almost anticlimactic. Or so I thought.
In a word, the concert was wonderful. The WV Symphony Orchestra is really excellent and, let me tell you, those tenors are terrific! Their song selection is eclectic, to say the least; they sing everything from traditional to operatic to classic rock, and they do it all very, very well. And their rapport and interaction with the audience is wonderful. They can have you in stitches with laughter one minute and bring tears to your eyes the next. And David, the Scot, sits smiling at his piano and keeps everyone on their toes by throwing in occasional hilarious, unrehearsed one-liners. And then they introduced their "special guest" - Deirdre - and she walked on stage. Correction - she glided on stage. The lady doesn't walk; she glides, as though supported by a cushion of air. The audience was instantly captivated by her ethereal beauty, her grace, and her megawatt smile. But the best was yet to come. Make no mistake about it; this young lady has pipes! And style; oh, what style. She can sing anything. She could sing the phone directory and make it sound good. Her voice has a soaring clarity, and it fills your heart as easily as it fills the auditorium. I won't go into detail about the specific selections, because I don't want to spoil the surprise for you. But I will say this much; when she and Matthew (her brother, incidentally) teamed on Time to Say Goodbye, my spine tingled and the hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention. Regrettably, the show had to end some time (after several well-deserved standing ovations). All the performers went to the lobby and generously took time to chat, sign autographs, and pose for photos. I had one more opportunity to speak briefly with Deirdre, have my picture taken with her, and tell her how much I'd enjoyed meeting and hearing her. As Lynne and I walked out of the theater, I told her I might need someone to tie a string around my ankle and hang onto it, to keep me from floating away. I have a theory about the Creation. Whether it started with God, or the little gods, or a simple accident of Nature, there was no thunderous crash or "big bang." In the beginning, there were words, and the words came with a tune. Everything in our experience was made, the great void was filled, the world and the stars and our dreams and the animals and the trees and the oceans and the laughing children - all began with a song. And the voice singing that song sounded like Deirdre.
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