Singer Spotlight: Gay Hettinger

For our final edition, we reached out to one of our long-time members of the soprano 2 section. Having prompted our conversation with a few of the usual talking points, this “interview” turned much more into “story time hour.”  We probably could have published a small book with all the territory we covered during our time together…and that was only scratching the surface, I’m sure. This lady exemplifies what can happen when you simply, “say YES!” and are open to trying new things.   

It seems that the older you get the more often you are asking the question, “Where has all that time gone?”  Having been singing with the SVC for 40 years, I must ask, “HOW in the world did that ever happen?”

My singing “career” began at the age of two when I was awakened by an electrician rewiring my nap room. When the new lightbulb came on, I broke into my rendition of “You Are My Sunshine!”  I have a feeling the applause from that electrician sparked my musical interests!

Having had a graduate from Susquehanna University as a music teacher in high school, my older sister went to SU for her music studies. Two years later, I followed her to obtain a teaching degree there with a double major in Mathematics and English, a minor in Dramatics, and one of the first certifications in the teaching of Reading on the secondary level in PA!

Before retiring in 1999, I received my master’s degree in speech and theater. For 36.2 years I enjoyed teaching all these subjects in college and secondary schools in three states.

Music has always been my hobby and deepest love. I lose myself in my music and spend hours at my piano.

I was in 5th grade when my mother teased the wife of our RR Master to teach piano lessons to my older sister and me. My three years of piano lessons began by practicing on a piece of foldout paper that looked like a piano keyboard. We practiced on the dining room table, until my mom got on the school board and convinced the school’s head teacher to allow us to practice on the school piano during recess.

More about mom…but first, just so you know, we got our musical talent from Dad!  When I was still a toddler, he even took tap dancing lessons!! (I loved that and followed in those tapping footsteps in grade school!)  He had me teach him how to play my trumpet and treated us on payday each week with a new piece of sheet music. He also had a beautiful tenor voice and wasn’t afraid to use it!  Mom? (I’m shaking my head) Not a singer!  We teased her a lot about it; but she took it in stride. She always reminded us with…” You girls never faulted my singing when you were babies!  You always fell asleep to my lullabies!”  Our comeback, of course…” We fell asleep in self-defense!”  What I wouldn’t give to hear those lullabies today!

Mom located and bought our first piano for $5!  It was an old crusty roller piano, sans the roller!  She took it apart and refinished it. It looked like a million dollars!  My grandfather built us a new, matching piano bench. We had a one of a kind. It was gorgeous!

Excuse me for getting off topic; I’m back again!  One of my teaching friends at Shikellamy offered to finish typing my thesis for me so that I could audition for SVC. I shall ever be indebted to you for that, Susan! (Thank you again!)  It has brought me 40 years… (where did that time go?) …of unbelievable joy!  I can’t say that I have a favorite concert because each is unique unto itself!

Thirty years ago, I was recruited by a neighbor because church had just started handbells and they wanted to play for Christmas but lacked enough players!  I played the piano; therefore, I must know how to play handbells! (Huh? What?) SURE! I’ll be glad to help you!  If it says “music”, count me in!

So, with bells added in, that began a love for handbells and lots of handbell ringing on cruise ships and in England, as well as 30 years of directing vocal choirs, handbell choirs, and Easter/Christmas cantatas within three Sunbury churches. (I’d be remiss not to include the sewing of enough costumes to outfit the entire town of Bethlehem and surrounding royalty!)

There was so much that happened to me with my music and dramatics that I just “fell into”, like becoming my high school and class soloist just because the girl who had won the Miss Jenny Lind singing contest for the P. T. Barnum festival, who was from my high school, had suddenly got ill!  I didn’t audition for that contest, but I was selected from my school to fill in for her with duties she wasn’t able to perform. How in the world did THAT happen!?! I was asked to guest lecture in stage makeup for a summer drama class at Fairfield University in CT and subsequently was asked to stay and take over the class for the summer and direct their production!

Please pardon my having taken you down into that rabbit hole with me. But I do hope you enjoyed the little trip and found it entertaining!  I’ve absolutely loved my life, and I’ve decided to live forever because there’s still so much to see and do!

I thank the SVC for having exacerbated my love for music as well as having made me an agent for advancing music in the Susquehanna Valley!  My life has been so much the better for having had SVC in it!

And with that colorful tale, we say goodbye and thank you for following this monthly online publication for the past two years. It has a been a joy getting to know all of our guests a little better and we have been honored to share a glimpse into their musical journeys. 

Take care!