She can’t recall if he actually popped the question, let alone if he went down on one knee.
Natasha Neufeld’s memory is etched, instead, with the eternal memory of her now husband, Jonathan Quick, randomly bursting into If Ever I Would Leave You — of Camelot, the musical, fame — in their home.
Whether it was Quick’s powerful rendition or the subsequent production from his pocket of a stunning ring that melted her heart into marriage, Neufeld can’t, or won’t, say.
Suffice to say, the couple — both immersed, professionally and personally, in the world of music — went on to tie the knot and now boast a lively two-year-old son, Michael, who has a pair of lungs to match his dad’s singing prowess.
And next week, on Valentine’s Day no less, the couple are being drawn together once more for a special concert, with Neufeld’s Richmond Singers choir making a concert date with Quick’s Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir.
“I remember wondering if (Jonathan) was feeling sick, as he was acting strange,” said Neufeld, Richmond Singers’ artistic director, of the night she got engaged.
“He threw on this CD of him singing as a teen in this rock band and then it cut into If Ever I Would Leave You from Camelot and he started singing along to it.
“We had talked before about what the ring might be like and how we would break the news to our families, but this wasn’t expected.”
At next week’s concert, called My Funny Valentine, at Richmond’s Bethany Baptist Church, the Welsh Men’s Choir will bring back memories of the proposal by singing the famous Camelot song,
And Neufeld and Quick will also perform a duet on the night to mark the special occasion.
It’s not the first time the two choirs have gotten together, having teamed up two years ago, when the couple’s son was just one-month-old.
Before that, their musical collaboration stretches back to before Quick’s Camelot proposal — in 2005 Neufeld asked her future husband to sing in a recital with the Singers and the year before he recorded and produced a CD for her choir.
The Friday, Feb. 14 concert starts at 7:30 p.m. with tickets costing $27 (adults), $24 (seniors), $10 (students, with I.D.) and children under 12 are free.
For tickets, call 604-878-1190, go to vwmc.ca or buy them at the door on the night.
