Theresa Beck van Heemstra

In 2008, I joined the Christmas Revels (as it was then named) after a 14-year hiatus from choral singing and classical music training. I had played classical violin from age 5 to age 14 and sung in a chorus from age 9 to age 14; I gave it up to pursue bass guitar, theater, writing and making videos. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it until, in 2006, a friend took me to a Christmas Revels show and I got pulled up onstage to participate in the 12 Days of Christmas. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I belonged up there!

All of my adult musical education has been in the care of Robert Lockwood and Betsy Branch. My childhood musical training came back to me, but singing in Revels has given me so many gifts in diversifying my musical tastes, sight reading, choral singing, vocal training– not to mention a few years of fiddle classes with Betsy outside of Revels, as well. I got to know them as directors and am glad to call them both friends now.

I come back to Revels year after year not just to sing but to be in community, and the team of Betsy and Robert led us there. Betsy’s kind and joyful smile and gentle, while still precise, musical notes made us a better chorus. Robert’s problem solving and finding clever tricks to get exactly the sound we were looking for, and his ecstatic smile when we got there, will always stay with me. I’ve been thrilled to be a part of this chorus, in all its iterations, and can’t thank them enough.