Walk in and sing a masterpiece  Karl Gehrke · ·   1. Listen
Story audio   It's a hot, humid July evening when some 65
instrumentalists and singers enter the sanctuary of the Church
of the Epiphany in Plymouth. String, brass and woodwind players
find their places at the front of the church and begin tuning
up. The altar has been removed to make room for chairs and music
stands. The singers assemble in pews designated for soprano,
alto, tenor and bass and look through their scores.  Tonight
they'll be singing Haydn's oratorio, "The Creation," and for
many it's the first time they've seen the music. But conductor
John Hoffacker isn't expecting a flawless performance.  "It
might get sloppy and there might be mistakes," he says. "But
we'll plow through it and we'll get through it eventually and
everybody knows that. We're going to get to that mountain top
even if we trip and fall on the way up. We'll get there."
Hoffacker stands at the front of the sanctuary and conducts the
singers and instrumentalists from an