The position formally centered on rehearsal and performance. The broader challenge was coordinating several human systems at once:

• Young performers needed confidence and clear expectations. Everyone was given a task — a solo, or a duet if that felt less daunting — so no one stood on the sidelines.
• Experienced musicians thrive on creative room and challenge, so I kept finding new things to ask of them.
• Chemistry grows from trust. I ran icebreakers to break down the wall between strangers, and the barrier between choir and musicians.
• The congregation needed one cohesive experience. We found a stride, put our own mark on each rendition, and it stayed with them.

I adapted direction to different levels of preparation and confidence. Quieter performers were given room to develop without requiring everyone to grow in the same way. Nevertheless, the quieter performers did some of the most growing. 

As the group became more comfortable, students sang more decisively, offered more ideas, and became less dependent on permission before participating. 

Live performance required immediate responses to missed entrances, shifting dynamics, uncertain performers, and unexpected musical choices. 

The best correction was often one that informed a new decision. Leadership meant reinventing confidence and continuity while the solution happened.

When Jeremiah Lussier was asked what remained after I left, he pointed to the atmosphere created inside the ensemble.