Hello,
Thank you for the kind words and the honor of wearing the celebration tiara at last night’s rehearsal. I love our music-making and the grand opportunity to serve WVC as Artistic Director – I’m living the dream!
We have officially covered all of the pitches and rhythms of ALL of our pieces – good for us! Now we can dig deeper and explore all aspects of expressiveness – such fun! And of course, we will polish up any rough spots that need clarity in the coming weeks.
I am looking forward to our retreat on Saturday – it’s going to be a great time of music, friendship, and food. Yay!
Please remember that if you would like to email a solo audition, the deadline is midnight, October 21st. You may submit recordings for every solo opportunity if you choose – please record them on separate voice memos. I look forward to hearing you sing!
Rehearsal Reflection:
Grown Wild mm. 64-98
– pg 11 – every other measure alternates between D Major and Bb Major – a very cool effect. This is harmonically a difficult section and you did a great job navigating the challenge.
– pg 9 – m. 73 begins unison before the harmony at m. 77. I love the strong poetic statement that is supported by the unison singing.
– note the rhythms in mm. 80 and 84 – it looks complicated but the eighth rest just asks us to breathe together on the & of 2.
– throughout this section, breathe as an ensemble on the rests. Otherwise, stagger breathe as needed.
From the Stone Age – mm. 151-205
– we worked through pitches and rhythms
– we reviewed pages 14-18. This section could still use individual attention. We made progress!
The Circle Game – mm. 74-95
– we worked through pitches and rhythms
– mm. 74-81 features the melody in the soprano part. Then the altos catch a moment of melodic glory in m. 82. Let’s make sure the melody is heard above the supporting parts.
– mm. 77 ‘down’ is on beat 3 (there will be a tendency to make this syncopated, ahead of the beat).
Seasons of Love – mm. 58-85
– whenever we have material similar to mm. 58-61, be prepared to split into 2-part divisi, depending on what I hear on the solo auditions. It is possible that mm. 62-77 will feature a soloist on the top staff and then the rest of the ensemble split into 2 parts for the supporting material. This piece is easy enough that I know we can be flexible, even if we stray from our practice tracks.
About Time – review
– in preparation for our retreat, we reviewed pitches and rhythms of this piece. At our retreat, we will spend time with composer, Gwen Hall, to work on expressive elements.
Looking Ahead:
We will work on all of our repertoire at the retreat (as well as other activities!)
Allison M. shared a lovely recording of a performance of Wanting Memories that she sang with another ensemble. It is gorgeous! https://drive.google.com/file/d/11m_FzfhhR29CRWS6lGFOFBEjo2fjnxL8/view
I have not yet detailed our rehearsals post retreat, but be prepared to dig deeper on all of our repertoire as we explore the possibilities of expressiveness and polish. We are in a great position to take our music to the next level! Our retreat progress will inform my future planning and I will be able to be more specific.
Hope everyone has a great rest of your week – see you Saturday morning!
Laura