On Saturday September 15th, a weather-perfect end-of-summer day, Main Line Singers participated in “PorchFest.” This fun annual, musical, outdoor-event held in Wayne, PA invites instrumentalists and singers to perform from the porches of Wayne homes while people stroll by or sit on the grass listening to the music.
Dressed in combinations of khaki, white and blue, all forty of us squeezed together on a stone porch. It curved around the back of a house facing a large, open grass area. Holding our music folders, we watched Ted, our director, who conducted the group from the grass below. Our pianist provided musical accompaniment from a keyboard placed to the left of the porch on the ground. Selections of our Broadway Show repertoire included a medley of “My Fair Lady” songs and individual selections from the musicals “Rent” and “Music Man.” The chorus, as well as the audience, enjoyed the solo and group performances of our ensemble members who entertained us with a variety of jovial and emotional musical contributions.
Families with children, people sitting on folding chairs and others stopping by were an attentive audience. Encouraging audience participation, Ted challenged the audience to name the Broadway Show origin of each song. After the performance, we were invited to a delicious lunch on the porch, consisting of hoagie sandwiches and refreshing beverages. Afterwards some of us hung around to mingle with people from the audience, friends, family and other chorus members.