Helena Adamski (28), Alt 2, member of the BOC since 2024
Helena, welcome to the BOC. Where does your interest in music and singing come from?
Helena: My interest in music started with singing. It would take a lot of effort for me to learn an instrument. On the other hand, the threshold for starting to sing is relatively low. If you count the school choir, I sang in three choirs before the BOC, during a semester abroad in Italy and in a church choir in Bochum. There, for example, we sang the mass by Marianna von Martines. I like the learning effect when you work on music. You understand a piece differently when you listen to it 50 times and have the patience to engage with it.
Of all the choirs in Berlin, what brought you to the BOC?
Helena: I researched choirs in my neighbourhood that perform classical and sacred music and also give large concerts. During rehearsals, I particularly liked Thomas Hennig’s manner. I was impressed that he never seemed impatient or stressed. I find him likeable and funny, and I like the fact that he doesn’t have an authority problem. I also like the general atmosphere in the choir, I was immediately welcomed in a friendly way. When I joined the choir, we were rehearsing the Missa Solemnis and I was almost in doubt as to whether I could do it. We practised the most difficult part, “Et vitam venturi”, over and over again for several rehearsals. Nobody can sight-read it straight away, especially not all of us together. It was a bit confusing in my first rehearsals to find my way to this very special passage straight away. But I’m not easily demotivated.
Looking back, what do you remember most fondly?
Helena: The breakthrough moments. You continue to develop a piece and at some point you get an overall idea of it. At the rehearsal weekend, for example, I heard the Benedictus of the Missa for the first time and was surprised. Since then, I’ve understood the piece better. Apart from that, the dress rehearsal was my first time ever in the Philharmonie. I was amazed by the space, the acoustics and the fact that Thomas was so far away from us. I was almost more excited than at the concert. Fortunately, the auditorium doesn’t seem that big from the stage. During the concert, my body started to move with all the concentration and effort. I was holding the sheet music in my right hand, my left hand was turning the pages, and in between I realised that it was forming a fist and was literally pushing in rhythm with the music. I found that interesting to observe in myself.
How important is this social aspect of choral singing to you compared to the music?
Helena: The social aspect is very important. I like being in contact with people from different generations and find it pleasant that there are people of almost all ages in the BOC. I enjoy going to the pub together every now and then after rehearsals. It’s a nice change from my everyday life of studying and sport. As far as the musical aspect is concerned, I enjoy being challenged by the complexity of the music. Sacred and classical music from different eras harbours many treasures.
