Thursday Thoughts

With two (2) more rehearsals before concert week, everyone now needs to be in high gear and getting this music in your heads. We all need to have portions of this concert from memory so that at crucial times in the scores, I can be assured that I have your eyes. The time for note learning is over and over the next two rehearsals (before we go to St. Patrick's where the acoustic alone will be the challenge) my emphasis will be on "performing" the repertoire.

"Many Winters" still is a challenge and I ask that everyone spends time with this score before Tuesday. This sounds obvious but really know where you need to look up - ie tempo changes, meter changes, etc. Historically Camerata has not premiered new pieces with its best possible performance but after the choir has sung through the pieces a number of times, the performances/recordings are considerably stronger. Last year's Gjeilo piece was a classic example. I think with much effort we can break this trend for "Many Winters."  This is my goal - that Jeff Enns gets a truly inspired reading of  "Many Winters" when he sits in the audience on November 7th.  The same for Peter Togni's piece "Requiem et Lux."  Think about what this means for each of you.

Please remember: 

- next Tuesday, October 19th we will begin rehearsal at 6:45 pm and will work for 1 3/4 hours until 8:30 pm when Camerata's AGM will take place. The AGM (which is for everyone) will run for 1 hour and we will be gone by 9:30 pm. The Board has been assembling documents and preparing for the AGM and will join us at 8:30 pm.

- the Saturday dress rehearsal (November 6th) will also include a photo shoot taking place throughout the rehearsal.  Concert dress will be required.

- this Saturday, we will rehearse Mozart Requiem at Bethany: 10-12:30 pm.  Please be there as the cancelling of the October 23 rehearsal depends on my assurance that everyone knows what they are doing by the time we finish Saturday's rehearsal.

- please sell our concert tickets. This concert is a great opportunity to put us over the financial top if everyone promotes the concert and makes an effort to sell the tickets.  Thanks to Danielle N. for a great Facebook page - eveyone forward it on to as many of your friends as you can. 

- you have Tuesday, November 16 off.  You will need the rest after the November 7, 11 and 14 concerts.

- only those who absolutely cannot do a concert for Musique St. Bernard on June 26, 2011 were asked to email me. Hearing from no one, I am assuming you all are free to sing the concert. We will discuss it as a choir but please put the date on your calendars.

- congratulations and best wishes to Lynn Erskine as he is ordained to the Christian ministry this Friday evening at Immanuel Baptist Church, Truro.

Thanks for your continued hard work.  See you all on Saturday.