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For singer Shirley Andress, preparing for a major concert means casual rehearsals in jeans, hours of practice and banishing her sniffling spouse to the other side of the house.
The final rehearsal for the concert channeled the feeling of an old-school New York nightclub as Shirley Andress took the stage. A candlelit room, chandeliers twinkling overhead, a singer’s dulcet tones filling the room.
But in lieu of a swanky dress fit for a midcentury nightclub, Andress wore sneakers, glasses, jeans and a hoodie for the final rehearsal, a concession to comfort in a stressful lead-up to the big show.
“I’d rather wear a sweatshirt tonight, because I know tomorrow I’ve got to be in the heels and the tight dress,” she said.
Dressing casually at “dress” rehearsal is just one part of Andress’ process ahead of a major concert like this one. She’s both the guest artistic director and the lead vocalist of “For Once in My Life,” a celebration of the 1960s pop vocalist Vikki Carr.
Andress’ preparation for a concert usually takes four to six months, she said, to really “set a concert in my body and in my voice.” But timing ahead of the Carr show was unusually tight after the Shedd’s 20th anniversary Christmas show and the winter Oregon Festival of American Music in January.
This sprint of a month spent preparing saw Andress ping-ponging between the concert’s different needs. There’s the script for the evening, telling the story of Carr’s life, career and live album recorded in the Persian Room of the Plaza Hotel. There are elements of stage lighting and design mimicking the Persian Room to approve. (The chandeliers? Projections on the backwall. The candles? Electronic and remote-controlled).
Most importantly, there’s the actual singing, a program of 18 songs she’s had to learn in a matter of weeks.
“I have been cramming since February 1,” she said. “It’s been a heavy lift this time.”
Vocal exercises, tea and an exiled husband
The performance itself is a stretch for Andress to match Carr’s belting voice, which is naturally in a lower key than Andress’ typical range. One of the songs, “Carnival,” is sung in Spanish, which Andress does not speak; she memorized that one first.
“I just listened really closely to her, and looking at the lyrics, I was able to figure it out,” she said. “Hopefully.”
Work outside of the concert hall doesn’t account for the blaring volume of the on-stage instruments, Andress said, which can make it hard to recall each of the specific, minute performance choices when live music is blasting in your ear.
A series of eight different vocal exercises each day warms up her voice. On performance days, she stays silent for the first half of the day, and then slowly begins to warm up her voice. (Her day job in real estate allows her to work in silence in the mornings when she has to be on vocal rest.)
Protecting her voice also means running a humidifier at night, using a steamer to moisturize her vocal cords. She asked ChatGPT exactly what her approach should be for the rehearsals ahead of the concert; the AI chatbot recommended tea with honey, and to not sing too hard.
Spicy foods are always to be avoided ahead of a concert. Her reward after the final show ends on Sunday afternoon, will be a marionberry margarita from Sunriver Brewing Co. and nachos.
Andress has also religiously avoided getting sick, especially as a seasonal cold has been flying around Eugene. Her husband, Perry Tendick, was struck with a sniffle recently. He was swiftly banished to the other side of the house and ordered to wear a face mask.
Though in exile, Tendick was tasked with picking up the tea — Yogi Throat Comfort — on Friday. He’s used to supporting Andress ahead of a concert by now; they’ve been together since they were teenagers.
“As we go through those weeks leading up to it, it’s more about me encouraging her,” he said. “I know that she gets worked up. I try to just remind her, ‘Honey, you’ve done this a million times.’”
But despite whatever preparation she fits in, she knows she’ll be scared to death waiting in the wings for the concert to begin.
“Everybody says, ‘Oh, you’re never nervous. Are you nervous?’” she said. “I always get nervous.”
How to see ‘For Once in My Life’
The second performance of “For Once in My Life: A Tribute to the Heart, Soul and Style of Vikki Carr” will be Sunday, March 1 at 3 p.m. in the Jaqua Concert Hall of the Shedd Institute, 868 High St., Eugene.
Tickets start at $11.75, and are available online or by calling the ticket office at 541-434-7000.
Andress will be performing the show again as part of the Oregon Festival of American Music this summer, on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
