Christina Fields has a retirement plan. She wants to be a lounge singer.
“I’d love to have a second career as a singer. My dream would be to do an evening show with a jazzy vibe and songs like ‘But Not for Me,’ written by (George and Ira) Gershwin and recorded by Ella Fitzgerald,” said Fields, who has been a U-M employee for 17 years and is currently an administrative assistant in volunteer services at Michigan Medicine.
With retirement still years away, however, Fields satisfies her yen for singing with weekly choir practices and semi-annual choral concerts.
Last year, Fields performed with BeckRidge Chorale, a group based in Plymouth. This year, she has joined the Tecumseh Pops, a group closer to home. Her first concert with them will be May 10 at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts.
“I’m looking forward to singing with the Tecumseh Pops because I’ll be able to perform in my natural range again. BeckRidge Chorale was temporarily short on altos, so I filled in, but I’m naturally a second soprano,” she said.
Fields’ earliest memories of singing were family sing-alongs with her grandfather playing the organ. She came from a musical family, full of singers and musicians, and she and her siblings were encouraged to play instruments. Fields took violin lessons and played around on the family’s piano.
She recalls competing with a classmate for leading roles in high school musical productions.
“There was always this rivalry between me and Catherine Cutler, who was a year or two older. People would talk about which of us would score the solos,” Fields said, laughing.
That positive recognition — and friendly feud with Cutler — helped Fields see herself as a singer with talent.
She even briefly toyed with being a professional singer in her 20s, joining a band called Magic Bullet Theory in St. Petersburg, Florida, that played alternative rock and covers of 1990s songs from bands like The Cranberries, Dave Matthews Band and Smashing Pumpkins. Although she continued to work a day job to pay the bills, Fields sang with Magic Bullet Theory for more than a year.
“Shortly after I decided to leave the band, they opened for Better Than Ezra (the indie rock band best known for their hit song ‘Good’). So, I do regret that timing a little,” she said.
Fields also recorded some original music, a singing/rap mashup she co-wrote with a former boyfriend. But that project ended when the relationship did.
“I probably could have made a living as a singer — doing backup singing or commercials,” Fields said. “But I think I lacked the motivation to become a rock star. I’d been raised to value the security of having a regular paycheck and health insurance. I didn’t have the temperament to be a starving artist.
“In your early 20s, you also think you have all the time in the world, so I do sometimes regret not giving singing a go. As I move toward retirement, I see life opening up. It might be the perfect time to start performing and singing regularly again.”
To prepare for her next act as a lounge singer, Fields has been using a voice coach.
“Singing lessons have helped me remember when to breathe, how to hold my throat — all the mechanics, really,”she said. “In addition to the lessons, I also hold my own little rock concert in my car daily, driving to and from work.”
Among her favorite musicians to sing along with: Tori Amos, Brody Dalle and Michael James Ness of Social Distortion, a punk rock band.
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Her music taste is pretty eclectic and includes post-punk revival, blues-based punk, rock ’n’ roll, Britpop, and alternative rock.
“I would say my musical taste has widened with age. In my early 20s, I listened to a lot of alternative and punk rock, like Nirvana or Rancid. I have always liked punk and funk, preferring The Rolling Stones to, say, The Beatles,” she said.
“But I can’t listen to that super-fast pace and pounding drums anymore. That’s why I prefer a band like Social Distortion, which plays punk rock but with a bluesy, country influence.”
Fields said singing has also been life-affirming for her, sometimes moving her to tears.
She was recently rehearsing the song “Once Upon Another Time” for an audition and found she couldn’t get through it without crying.
“Every time I started to sing, I’d tear up. And I was like, ‘I have to be able to get through this,’” she said. “Then I realized the lyrics could have been written about my brother’s passing. I think I was subconsciously having a hard time because of that. Acknowledging it helped.
“Usually, though, when I say music moves me, it’s more that it makes me feel good. In the choir when I hear people around me harmonizing, I feel it in my chest, like I’m immersed in the music. I love that.”
And the bead goes on
Singing isn’t Fields’ only creative pursuit. She also dabbles in beading and jewelry making.
“I used to work in dialysis and was introduced to creating jewelry by a patient. I bought one of her pieces, and it inspired me to try to make something of my own,” she said.
Everything Fields creates — necklaces, bracelets, earrings — is one of a kind. Her newest pet project is a series of what she calls “critters.” Made from reused, donated or broken jewelry, these upcycles animals (often arachnids) can be tabletop art or made into a pin or a pendant.
“I am a thrifter and garage sale hunter, and I believe in sustainability and re-purposing instead of always buying brand-new stuff. My critters are my way of expressing that.”
