If A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words...

Here's three thousand....


Saturday night went so great! The performance went great! I didn't fall off the piano bench or anything! I played, since the music is only in my head, and asked my friend to sing. We performed the song that won, "I Want Someone", with a few slight variations that make it a Christmas song. Susan had a horrible experience with the mic, but I felt good about the whole thing. So...50% ain't bad!

For those that want a few more details, here's how the whole thing went down.

Back in the first week of September my dear friend came over to my house to "play". She had never seen any of the songs I had written. She has a STUNNING voice and I told her to come over some time and we'd have a little sing-along. She said that day how great she thought my songs were and asked why I never entered them in any competitions. I told her I didn't know about any competitions to enter them. She emailed me the next day with the details of the Utah Composers Guild competition. (Her mom had entered it in the past. That's how she knew about it.)

Interestingly, when she sent me the information she said that the cut-off date for entries had ALWAYS been August 31st, but this year - for some unknown reason - it had been extended to about the 13th of September. So I still had time to enter it. I have 5 songs recorded, and they prefer a recording. So I had those songs to choose from. I counseled with my friend, my mom, and my sisters and finally decided to enter the one I wrote about my hubby and "I Want Someone".

Some details about the competition:

• Even though it's the Utah Composers Guild, you don't have to be from Utah to enter. In fact, there were winners from France, Tennessee, Utah, Oregon, and more.
• There are 10 categories. However, if there aren't enough entries in one category to make it a good competition, they will group categories that are the most similar to increase the competition.
• There is one judge. It is someone with a doctorate degree in music.
  
• The entries are completely unanimous. The judge doesn't know anything about the composer of the piece he is considering. Even our names were whited out. So other than the judge's own personal taste, it is an unbiased competition.
• There is prize money!
• Anyone who wins 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or an honorable mention in any category is invited to perform their piece at the Composers Spectacular the end of January.
  
• There are entry fees. So depending on how many pieces you submit, you could win first place and still lose money.
  

Going into the competition I was hoping just to win even an honorable mention. My mom hit the nail on the head when she said that the reason this competition was so important to me was because it was validation. It's one thing for people who know me and love me and love my cookies and whatever else to say that they think the songs I write are good. It's quite another to have someone who has no idea who I am, with a doctorate in music to say that they're good. I've been working consistently on writing songs now since about 2003. I've tried several different avenues and NOTHING has worked out. Winning even an honorable mention would me that I don't entirely stink like tuna.

My friend who told me about the competition and her mother, my mother, my brother & sister, two of my aunts, my friend who sang it and her husband, and of course, my hubby were all there to support me. Not to mention all the good vibes coming my way from everyone else. I really didn't want all those people to have come all that way and walk away completely empty handed.

After the concert was over and it was time to announce the winners, the first thing the Composers Guild President said was, "I was a little disappointed with the judge this year. He said he didn't feel there were many entries even worthy of an honorable mention this year. My heart sank. I thought, "I'm toast!" The way they announced it was completely haphazard too. Rather than saying, "In the ______ category, 1st prize goes to ____________; 2nd prize goes to _______________;" etc. they just named a person and then said what that person won. So it was "John Doe from Oregon won 2nd in the __________ category. Jane Smith from Tennessee won the Grand Prize. Joe Blow from Kokomo won 1st in ____________." LOTS of the winners weren't even there (like the person from France). Winner after winner was being announced and I had NO IDEA where things stood. Were both of the categories I entered absolved into other categories? Has she named a winner - ANY winner - from either of my categories yet? What is my name again, just in case it is called?

All of a sudden she said "Paige Norton..." I couldn't believe it! I had won something! As I stood and put my coat on my chair she continued, "...has won first prize in the Vocal Solo category." I cannot confirm or deny if I peed my pants right there on the spot. I walked to the front to get my award. I had to fight back tears - not JUST because I'm a total boob and I cry even at tv commercials, but out of sheer relief. I don't completely stink like tuna. Everyone hadn't come for nothing. I haven't completely wasted A LOT of time in the last 7 years writing the songs that come to my mind. ENORMOUS RELIEF!!

I was among the last to be called. So shortly thereafter it was all over. Love and I went to dinner with my friend and her hubby. We got home very late! But it sure was a great night!

Thank you, everyone, for your kindness and your good vibes! It means the world to me!!

P.S. I have to have carpal tunnel surgery before the Composers Spectacular, so I can't play at it. I'm considering letting my sister play for me (if I can get the music on paper in time) and singing it myself. My cousin says I didn't get up early my whole life to practice to NOT perform it myself. She is right.