Merrily Strolling Through March

The Pine State Pitches pose for a picture before participating in Pop-Up PortFringe.

Hello and happy not-quite spring! We passed a momentous milestone this past week - the last tiny patch of snow finally melted in my backyard! Fred is thrilled he can finally roam freely over the full yard again, but Northerners know this means very little as April often hides one last snowstorm up its sleeve. All that being said, I feel confident I will not need to shovel again until late fall - don’t come for me if I’m wrong!

The Pitches had a fabulous time participating in this year’s Pop-Up PortFringe event, covering Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. For those unfamiliar with the event, participating groups receive a section of the theme story and have to enact it using their own interpretation. We chose to embrace our silly sides, leaning into the fishy fun by re-writing the lyrics to Lorde’s Royals to tell the story. A huge thank you goes to Holly for directing us and writing those lyrics! I am always fascinated by the unique interpretations other groups come up with. From hilarious scripts to sultry songs, each act brought they best work to the table, and the audience was engrossed in the show. I already can’t wait to see what next year’s story will be!

Now that Pop-Up is over, we only have one thing on our minds - our annual concert! The energy at rehearsals is electric as we head into the home stretch. For the past month, we have been completely locked in, spending hours refining our harmonies and sharpening every dance move Holly and Amber have come up with for us. Whether we’re honing in on tricky rhythms or ensuring our blend is perfectly balanced, we’re dedicated to making this our best performance yet. Our sound is tighter than ever, and we can’t wait to show off the progress we’ve made over the past year.

Holly teaches the group choreography for a new song being premiered at the annual concert.

We have an exciting setlist prepared for you this year. I don’t want to give too much away, but we‘re bringing a mix of new tunes we’re debuting as well as bringing back some old favorites. One of my personal favorites, the Summer ‘02 Medley, is back in the lineup, and just wait for the angsty surprises we have for you this year! Our own Music Director, Rachel L., called in the help of her brother, Blake Dahlinger, to make us a special arrangement of Golden from the KPop Demon Hunters movie. My favorite new song this year is a mashup of Dog Days are Over by Florence + The Machine and Geronimo by Sheppard. You know it’s a good song when you can rehearse it non-stop for over a month and still want to listen to it on your daily walking playlist!

The next week will be a blur of excitement and momentum, and our annual concert will be here before we know it. Do you have your tickets yet? I so hope to see your smiling face in the crowd!!