And the story continues...
Carra was amazed. She had figured the "famous singer" would be someone they'd never heard of, at least, if not someone just downright horrible. And now she was being offered the opportunity to meet and, more than that, sing with, her favorite singer! I just hope I don't act like some star struck teenybopper if I get the chance to talk to him! she thought nervously. She tried to focus on what her teacher was saying, knowing she'd have trouble with that as long as Josh Groban was in the room!
"The first half of the concert will be you – everything we've worked on this semester, full choir, solos, ensembles, as well as some new pieces we're still trying to decide on. The second half will be Josh, and some of you will be singing with him. Our chamber choir will be singing backup for 'You Raise Me Up,' and later we will be picking one of you to sing the duet 'The Prayer.'
Alicia and Carra looked at each other excitedly. When Carra had gotten Josh's CDs, she had played them until Alicia said she was half sick of it, so both of them knew the two songs well. Alicia leaned over to Carra and whispered, "If any of our teachers have anything to say about it, you'll be singing 'The Prayer' with Josh!"
"No, no, I'm sure they'll pick someone else," Carra whispered back with a shake of her head.
With that, rehearsal began for the day. Morning voice lessons, piano lessons, and private studio time had been cancelled for all music majors, so they could have some extra rehearsal time. The school boasted three choirs and small groups of students formed ensembles of various sizes, and they sang music of all genres and languages. Throughout the morning, the groups and soloists filtered on and off the stage, as the faculty and Josh sat in the audience listening closely. At first, Josh took only a passing interest in the individual students themselves, until a group of five women came up to practice the song they were preparing. On the end stood a girl with curly brown hair who looked a little older than most of the others. She caught his attention at first because she was the only member of the ensemble not looking at the music she held as they sang. As she sang, he watched her face and was amazed at the range of emotion she showed. She had the prettiest smile. He caught himself, and with a little mental shake, tried to concentrate his attention somewhere else. I did not come all the way to Kentucky to find a girl! he said sternly to himself. Try as he might, though, his eyes kept wandering back to her, even when she left the stage. He couldn't help himself; he wanted to know more about her. Rob, sitting next to him, would likely at least be able to tell him her name. But I can't be too obvious, he thought, wondering how he could find out her name without raising any eyebrows. Just then, Rob turned to him and said, "I can introduce you to most of the people here. Anyone caught your attention?" He grinned wickedly; there were several students dressed very … eclectically.
Josh silently blessed Rob for giving him the opening he needed. But he couldn't ask about her right away. He looked around. He asked about the group onstage at that moment, barely paying attention when Rob recited their names. He pointed out a couple of students sitting near them and then, as casually as he could, said, "What about those two girls up there at the front? Do you know them?"
Rob turned to look. "Oh, sure! The one with the long hair is Alicia Thierry, and the other is Carra James. They graduated with me; they're both 23, graduate students getting their master's in music education. Carra's the golden child of the department – everyone's favorite. I don't know how she managed that, but I was always jealous! Actually, I dated her for a little while our sophomore year, now that I think of it." He paused at the look Josh gave him, eyebrows raised. "We're friends now! Don't look at me like that. If I could make a suggestion, you should get Carra to sing 'The Prayer' with you. She has a beautiful voice, really. You guys would sound great together!"
"I don't know that I actually get to do the choosing. I just assumed the teachers here would pick whomever they thought would do the best job."
"Well, if that's the case, then you'll definitely be singing with Carra. She's a great girl, you should get to know her," Rob said, nudging Josh with his elbow and giving a suggestive grin.
"That's not why I'm here, man," said Josh with a shake of his head.
"No, maybe not … but why shouldn't you make new friends wherever you go?" asked Rob innocently, determining to play dumb.
Josh didn't feel like thinking of a comeback for that one, so he turned and gazed at Carra's profile from her perch on a piano bench.