For those unfamiliar with Greek mythology, Hercules was the son of the Greek god, Zeus.  In preserved mythology, Hercules was to perform twelve labors to please the Greek gods before joining their ranks as a legendary god himself.

However...Verbal legend passed down by the Greek people has Hercules performing thirteen, not twelve, labors.  It is this, Hercules thirteenth task which we now explore, for it is where our interest lies: His conquest and eventual rout of the Amazon women.

While battling the Amazon women, Hercules was serenaded by the Adelines.  Ancestsors of the Amazon's, the Adeline sect had taken a more disciplined, yet lyrical path.  As the epic battle drew to an end, the Amazons in flight, so impressed was Hercules by the heaven-like harmony of the Adelines that he agreed to spare their lives.

In the spirit of Greek mythology, Hercules put the Adelines through a metamorphosis, and they became a part of nature -- the beautiful cactus.  Imprisoned within each cactus lives the soul of a harmonious woman beloved by the gods of song.  The white pulp symbolizes her purity of voice; the armor of thorns placed there to protect the Adeline from those who would question or scoff her love and adoration for pure a cappella four-part harmony.

The parallel of music bringing comfort and joy to life and the cactus sustaining those seeking life-giving moisture in the desert cannot be overstated, and was not lost on the ancient Greeks.

In keeping with the time-honored tradition of Greek mythology, the Note-Ably North Texas Chorus presents each of its members with a cactus upon successfully completing audition into its chorus, a rite of passage - her own metamorphosis into the Note-Ably North Texas Chorus!