This is George - Skip asked me to write something to answer the question, "So, what's it like to perform a piece you've written for the Pope?"
Singing at an event such as this involves a lot of last-minute changes and challenges. The most horrifying moment for me was realizing that I'd left my music at home! Fortunately, I'd brought a spare folder and some extra music.
We were supposed to do two sets of 20 minutes of music before the event. We got through one set, but around 6 o'clock, we were told that the Pope would be arriving in 5-10 minutes. Yikes!
Sure enough, I soon saw the motorcade appear on the TV monitor. A couple of minutes later, Benedict XVI walked through the door.
We were on the second floor balcony, overlooking the event on the main floor of the Rotunda. The sound system wasn't quite loud enough for me to hear everything the Pope the saying. I remember watching as the media and staff took turns standing on the balcony to take pictures and video. It felt like things were moving right along.
When it came time for us to sing, our balcony area was cleared for us and we got into place.
Bishop Sklba, the emcee, introduced our singing of the Prayer of St. Francis by pointing out that I was the composer, and an employee of the Center. (Some co-workers later told me that they wanted to shout and applaud right then!)
And so we began.
The guys performed the music beautifully. I felt very focused on the music, not at all distracted. Amazingly, I wasn't even nervous. I felt very confident, given the amount of rehearsal we'd done.
I heard applause soon after the last chord ended. I looked down from our perch on the balcony, and there was the Pope, applauding. I glanced over at Msgr. Georg, his secretary, and back again. I made a slight bow in gratitude. The Pope was looking up at me, appearing to squint a bit because of the spotlight near us - and still applauding.
I later talked to a priest and a cardinal who are familiar with the Pope's mannerisms, and they were unequivocal: he enjoyed the music.
This event was about far more than the Cheese Lords getting to sing a piece I wrote for the Pope. It was about people of different faiths coming together in a genuine spirit of respect and dialogue. I'm deeply grateful if I can be said to have contributed to that spirit, however briefly.
But of course, the one-in-a-lifetime moment for me was the Pope looking up at me and applauding.
Truly something I'll remember for the rest of my life.
-George