The long, frustrating hours of practice were forgotten. Like mountain climbers and scholars, musicians understand that the price of an occasional transcendent moment is often great effort and cooperation. Choir directors can be brutal. Some don't hesitate to chastise and humiliate singers in front of the group. Choir directors I have sung with give much criticism and little praise, except when a performance goes well.
Perfection is really all that counts.
I accept this. Only when every individual has perfectly become part of the group does the connection occur with the music, the audience, and the universe. Unlike the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, North Americans are not easily persuaded to give up their individuality for the greater good. However, no group of singers can experience the pure joy of singing as a choir and touching the universe unless each individual becomes an unconscious part of the whole. This is why I sing in a choir.