Dear Friends,
Thank you for many inspired moments on Tuesday. The level of the choir's musicianship was significantly improved and many of you had worked on your scores. The result was we were making music even on the new material we were reading for the first time.
Things to remember:
- Saturday morning meet at Dal Arts Centre, Room 409 by 8:50 am to find your place, get settled and meet the clinician and masterclass participants. We begin at 9 am sharp. Wear your new choir t shirts. Those of you who do not yet have them, meet Christina and change in the washroom. We are finished the masterclass by noon.
- Saturday afternoon, if you are free, you are invited to join us for clinics, the SSA masterclasses but most importantly SING OUT! event where participants will gather at 4:30 PM to share choral music with the general public on the lawn of the Spring Garden Road Public Library. Passersby and choral friends will be encouraged to join in with song sheets provided. Please encourage anyone you know to attend this last part of our day! Share in the Culture Days experience and encourage more people to lift their voices together. We want hundreds of people there as we want to show the public and our decisin makers what our art form means to us!
For Tuesday's rehearsal:
Requiem et Lux - Togni
Many Winters - Enns
Kyrie - Nickel
Song for Athene - Tavener
RVW - IV & VI
Soprano auditions for the solo at the end of the RVW movement VI will take place this Tuesday and next from 6:30 to 7pm and during the break. Please email me if you are interested and we will set up a time.
Best wishes to Tristan as he takes on the SNSC on Saturday morning in their rehearsal of Mozart Requiem. I'll see the rest of you at the Dal Arts Centre.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Thursday Thoughts
Good morning everyone,
I think we all can hear the potential in this year's choir sound as there were some really lovely moments on Tuesday. I want to thank those of you who are working so hard to realize the vision of Camerata. It is obvious to me that you are in the majority.
However in order for the choir's potential to be realized to its maximum, it is the responsibility for all singers to arrive prepared on Tuesdays. Last Tuesday, a number of you were struggling. I can only assume that there are three possible senarios: either you did not prepare, you did not prepare well enough, or the music is above you. Any of the three is unacceptable to me and we need to correct it right away. My expectations were made clear last spring, articulated in writing during the summer and verbally at our first rehearsal so this is starting to sound like a broken record.
I have excellent resources with Tristan, Christina and Cynthia who are helping me realize my vision for Camerata. I sincerely thank them all and appreciate their work. I expect there are few choirs in the country who are blessed with such resources. By now you are aware of the direction I am proceeding with all of us on the team working on the unimanity of vowel colour, blend and ultimately good vocal health. However all the resources in the world will not do any good if I am reviewing notes and rhythms week after week.
So lets have a go at it again. For next Tuesday's rehearsal please look at the list below and prepare carefully:
Even When God Is Silent - Horvat
Kyrie - Nickel (the divisi bass line needs work.)
Many Winters - Enns (review up to m 102. Be familiar with the notes from m. 103 - end)
Song for Athene - Tavener ( I'll sort out divisi on Tuesday)
RVW - mvts 4 & 6
Remember: you have until Tuesday, October 12th to memorize your vocal line for "Eternity" as outlined by Christina last Tuesday. I would recommend that you listen to one of the many You Tube recordings to get the piece in your ears.
Recommended recordings for other rep:
Vaughan Williams:
IV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Jl4dqoESs
VI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zfHiloldtg&feature=related
Larry Nickel – Kyrie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZC_lyvq1Tc
John Tavener - Song for Athene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcYcjc0Ylp8
For the ACCC conductor's workshop on the 25th please know the three assigned pieces. In addition, the choir is asked to please wear your new choir t shirts for the morning workshop. For new singers I would ask Christina to bring you a t shirt on Tueaday - we have your sizes as per the form you submitted to me during the summer.
Have a great weekend. Christina, Cynthia and I will be hanging out with my Girls' Choir at our annual "Fall Tune Up" - lots of fun in store for us! See you Tuesday.
I think we all can hear the potential in this year's choir sound as there were some really lovely moments on Tuesday. I want to thank those of you who are working so hard to realize the vision of Camerata. It is obvious to me that you are in the majority.
However in order for the choir's potential to be realized to its maximum, it is the responsibility for all singers to arrive prepared on Tuesdays. Last Tuesday, a number of you were struggling. I can only assume that there are three possible senarios: either you did not prepare, you did not prepare well enough, or the music is above you. Any of the three is unacceptable to me and we need to correct it right away. My expectations were made clear last spring, articulated in writing during the summer and verbally at our first rehearsal so this is starting to sound like a broken record.
I have excellent resources with Tristan, Christina and Cynthia who are helping me realize my vision for Camerata. I sincerely thank them all and appreciate their work. I expect there are few choirs in the country who are blessed with such resources. By now you are aware of the direction I am proceeding with all of us on the team working on the unimanity of vowel colour, blend and ultimately good vocal health. However all the resources in the world will not do any good if I am reviewing notes and rhythms week after week.
So lets have a go at it again. For next Tuesday's rehearsal please look at the list below and prepare carefully:
Even When God Is Silent - Horvat
Kyrie - Nickel (the divisi bass line needs work.)
Many Winters - Enns (review up to m 102. Be familiar with the notes from m. 103 - end)
Song for Athene - Tavener ( I'll sort out divisi on Tuesday)
RVW - mvts 4 & 6
Remember: you have until Tuesday, October 12th to memorize your vocal line for "Eternity" as outlined by Christina last Tuesday. I would recommend that you listen to one of the many You Tube recordings to get the piece in your ears.
Recommended recordings for other rep:
Vaughan Williams:
IV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Jl4dqoESs
VI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zfHiloldtg&feature=related
Larry Nickel – Kyrie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZC_lyvq1Tc
John Tavener - Song for Athene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcYcjc0Ylp8
For the ACCC conductor's workshop on the 25th please know the three assigned pieces. In addition, the choir is asked to please wear your new choir t shirts for the morning workshop. For new singers I would ask Christina to bring you a t shirt on Tueaday - we have your sizes as per the form you submitted to me during the summer.
Have a great weekend. Christina, Cynthia and I will be hanging out with my Girls' Choir at our annual "Fall Tune Up" - lots of fun in store for us! See you Tuesday.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Comments
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Final Program Order
As an update to the program order that was in your music packages on Tuesday, here is the final, correct order of repertoire for the November 7th concert. There will be some brief spoken portions added to this but they will not be formal readings as in other concerts. More on this will follow.
If you find the type face below to be small, just click on the program and it will open in a new window in a larger format.
If you find the type face below to be small, just click on the program and it will open in a new window in a larger format.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Rehearsal notes & other stuff
Dear Friends,
We're off to a great start. You were reading fast and furiously last night and we broke the back of a good many notes!
Here is some things you need to note:
Info for ACCC Workshop on Saturday, September 25:
Time: 9-am - noon
Place: Room 409 (upstairs), Dal Arts Centre
Rep list: (Pls learn/review on your own)
In Remembrance - Daley (either as separate copy or p. 21 in Requiem)
Even When God Is Silent - Horvat
Cantate Domino - Pitoni
Concert date correction:
On the program order given out last night, the date at the top for the November concert was incorrect. Please correct it to read Sunday, November 7th - 7:30 pm
IPA info:
Many thanks to Christina for beginning this process. Please make sure you have the IPA sheet always in your folder for quick reference. Begin to memorize the 5 vowels and their IPA symbols and your own "sounds like" examples. Begin using the symbpls to mark your scores.
Welcome:
I would once again like to welcome the new and returning singers to the choir and hope that you find a musical home in Camerata: Ann Bradley, Danielle Kain, Jill Wright, Stephanie Blanchard, Dave Jellicoe and Jeff Hennessy. Please introduce yourselves to these folks and welcome them personally.
For next Tuesday please prepare:
In Remembrance - Daley (quick 5 minute read through)
Even When God Is Silent - Horvat (review)
Kyrie - Nickel
Many Winters - Enns (review of m. 1 - 96)
RVW - Mvts IV & VI
Eternity - Bojesen (don't worry about divisi as it will be explained on Tuesday)
Please remember that we are at Bethany United on Saturday: 10 am - 12:30 pm to read through one of the great choral masterpieces of all time - Mozart Requiem. We will welcome our Youth Mentoring Program singers to this rehearsal and they will be with us for the rehearsals and performances of this concert. Please seek them out and make them feel welcome. Chances are they will feel a little lost!
Again thanks for your fine work last night. It is going to be a great year!
We're off to a great start. You were reading fast and furiously last night and we broke the back of a good many notes!
Here is some things you need to note:
Info for ACCC Workshop on Saturday, September 25:
Time: 9-am - noon
Place: Room 409 (upstairs), Dal Arts Centre
Rep list: (Pls learn/review on your own)
In Remembrance - Daley (either as separate copy or p. 21 in Requiem)
Even When God Is Silent - Horvat
Cantate Domino - Pitoni
Concert date correction:
On the program order given out last night, the date at the top for the November concert was incorrect. Please correct it to read Sunday, November 7th - 7:30 pm
IPA info:
Many thanks to Christina for beginning this process. Please make sure you have the IPA sheet always in your folder for quick reference. Begin to memorize the 5 vowels and their IPA symbols and your own "sounds like" examples. Begin using the symbpls to mark your scores.
Welcome:
I would once again like to welcome the new and returning singers to the choir and hope that you find a musical home in Camerata: Ann Bradley, Danielle Kain, Jill Wright, Stephanie Blanchard, Dave Jellicoe and Jeff Hennessy. Please introduce yourselves to these folks and welcome them personally.
For next Tuesday please prepare:
In Remembrance - Daley (quick 5 minute read through)
Even When God Is Silent - Horvat (review)
Kyrie - Nickel
Many Winters - Enns (review of m. 1 - 96)
RVW - Mvts IV & VI
Eternity - Bojesen (don't worry about divisi as it will be explained on Tuesday)
Please remember that we are at Bethany United on Saturday: 10 am - 12:30 pm to read through one of the great choral masterpieces of all time - Mozart Requiem. We will welcome our Youth Mentoring Program singers to this rehearsal and they will be with us for the rehearsals and performances of this concert. Please seek them out and make them feel welcome. Chances are they will feel a little lost!
Again thanks for your fine work last night. It is going to be a great year!
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