like lemmings off the cliff

Today was the finals of a competition that I and two other resident artists recently competed in.

Or WAS it?

The preliminaries were last week, we all made it, and all assumed that the finals would be this following weekend. We had filled out request forms to be released from rehearsal WEEKS...no, months ago--when the competition deadline was--around December.

So we all left rehearsal today, took our quick showers, did our hair (well not the counter-tenor!), got our dresses, put the makeup on, made sure the music was in the right order, and got in the car to the competition.

We get to the venue, and the snacks, water, and sign-in ladies weren't there.
So we wonder--hmm, is it in this building? Yes.
And then I say---is it even this weekend?

Or are we all assuming that the finals were one week after the preliminaries?!!

YEP. That's what it turns out.
The finals are NEXT Saturday (ha), and it won't be a scheduling problem because we'll be in run-throughs by that time and rehearsal is only until 2:30. (My time to sing is 4:12).

I am usually SO on top of dates, times, being early, knowing everything. But this time, when there were three of us, I let the planning slide and left it up to the two singers who had times before me to figure out departure time, who was driving, etc---
too bad not one of us realized that the finals weren't even this weekend!

SO.
NEXT weekend I'll be dressing up, already warm from the run-through, and going to this thing to get it over with and maybe win a few bucks at the same time.

I've written about competitions before, but now that I'm doing a few BIG ones (still waiting to hear about finals, quarter finals, semi-finals, and other things from a few others too)...I remain convinced that there are some singers who are "competition winners", there is some rep. that's "competition winning rep", and there are also different types of competitions--
the ones run by little ole' guild ladies, and the ones run by famous opera singer teachers, and the ones run by an assembly of judges who are directors and teachers..
and each one has its own qualities- good and bad, with odds stacked for or against you, and pure luck AND talent having not much or everything to do with who wins.

So I just show up, sing pretty, and basta.
If they want to award me some dollars at the end, great. Euros- even better!