Sam Page
Come meet Sam Page in person on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. and join the rest of the Singers at our first spring concert rehearsal at the SaddleBrooke One Activity Center, 64518 E. Galveston Lane.
Q: Where are you from, Sam?
Born in Los Angeles County in a town with no name, I apparently arrived at home unannounced, with my grandmother holding the “biblical cord,” as she called it, until the doctor arrived.
Q: Do you have any musical training?
At the tender age of 7, I inflicted my talents upon the musical world as a violinist. Though no virtuoso, I played through junior high until the teacher began losing both his hearing and his sanity and instead formed a band. Changing from a squeaky instrument to a squawky instrument, a clarinet, I played to absolutely no acclaim but did raise my grade from a D to a B.
Q: How about voice training?
Our church gave voice lesson scholarships to young members, and being a lucky selectee, I took instruction from our musical director and impresario Vance Hayes. A young girl named Karen Carpenter became one of his most promising students. I hesitate (not really) to mention that fact, lest someone ask what happened to me.
Q: What performances have you done?
Having been in several variety shows and other productions in SaddleBrooke, I even took on a vignette play requiring my acting in five roles and singing a song.
My wife Laurie (whom I met in my junior high clarinet-playing days) is a member of the SilverBelles Dance Group. I go to their performances to help carry stuff, introduce the acts, play my guitar, and sing during costume changes. I also contribute some heavy-footed terpsichore to a dance.
Q: How has your experience on stage changed?
I roamed through early adulthood as a wedding/banquet singer, my remuneration often being only a free meal, which I was usually too nervous to eat. I used to get apprehensive about singing in front of a crowd, but I have come to realize that the audience is with you, wanting you to succeed and likely tolerant of your missteps.
Q: Is your family musical?
I’m known to burst spontaneously into song. When my children were young, they would react by yelling, “Oh, Dad!” and it became known as the “Dad Disease.” Over the years, this proclivity has come to be known as the “Grampa Disease,” which is now rampant in our family.
After moving here in 2005, I joined the SaddleBrooke Singers in 2006 and served as president for five years. We have declined in numbers over time, but not in quality. I know there are many singers out there who would enjoy singing with us as much as we would enjoy having them join us. I encourage them to do so.
Membership is open to SaddleBrooke residents. Please contact Claudia Kistler at 520-306-2113 or [email protected] with questions. Also, learn more at saddlebrookesingers.org.