Hello Everyone,
Great rehearsal last night! I am so pleased and proud that we have 8 of our 12 pieces ready to share next week at the Efland Baha’i Center. We will still have plenty to work on in the coming weeks digging deeper into expression, fine tuning, and polishing but I am so happy that so much of our repertoire is in sharable shape…and it’s just the end of October. So BRAVA to all.
Please be ready to be flexible in all aspects of Monday’s mini-concert. If you have not yet experienced the space, it is very small and we will just be where we can be. We will stay in our parts (not mixed formation) and there will be lots of spill over on either side of the front/center area.
– When you arrive, put your things (jackets, purses…whatever you have besides your music) in the side area, not in the pews where our invited guests will sit. Also, if you want a water bottle, make sure it has a tight fitting lid and that it is not metal (too loud if it gets kicked over) and realize that it probably will get kicked over at some point.
– I have a system in mind for how we will handle our folders for our January performances but for Monday, if you choose to not use your folder for any of the pieces and want to get it out of your hands, it will probably just have to go between your feet…and that makes the stomps a challenge!
– Wear whatever you choose – be comfortable. (Please remember: no perfume/scented lotions but yes to good personal hygiene). Don’t smell good, don’t smell bad…just don’t smell!
Monday’s order:
– Arrive ready to go at 7:30pm and move to performance spaces (listen to Kinley for directions). Shipra, Kinley, and Carly will need to be in the front area to step forward for their solos.
– Very brief warm up (do some singing in the car on the way over if you choose)
– I will determine who will sing the small group part in Girl With the Numbers and if we have time will sing through mm. 107-end).
– Welcome our guests at 7:45 and perform our pieces in this order (we won’t have printed programs so I will give brief introductions):
What Happens When a Woman? (Shipra soloist)Wild EmbersThe Girl With the NumbersHands Upon the PlowRise UpRicher for HerLike a MountainStill I Rise (Kinley and Carly soloists)
After our performance we will stay and rehearse until 9:30pm – no Chamber Choir rehearsal.
I’m sure each of you had different spots that were challenging at rehearsal last night, and I encourage you to review those spots with our practice files this coming week. Please let your section leaders know if you want to focus on any particular challenges at our upcoming sectionals (all altos 11/10 and all sopranos 11/17).
The spots I think could use individual review are:
What Happens When a Woman? mm. 37-46
Wild Embers mm. 17-21, 40-57 (watch for tempo changes)
The Girl With the Numbers mm. 41-56, mm. 83-106
Hands Upon the Plow mm. 98-119
Rise Up mm. 25-27 (sopranos not reaching low enough for the unison Bb), 54-66
Richer for Her (sing through if you have a chance since we did not sing this last night)
Like a Mountain – I will work on being more clear as we transition from m. 38 to m. 39. I know entrances there are tricky.
Still I Rise – over all softer singing when Kinley and Carly are singing…definitely softer mm. 19-33. Then when we get to page 12, mezzo forte and then build to the end. Should not be fortissimo here or we will have nowhere to build. And, we don’t want to cover Kinley’s wonderful improvisation.
Looking Ahead to 11/3 and 11/10.
| Repertoire | 11/3/25 Mini Concert | 11/10/25 (All Alto Sectional |
| *What Happens When a Woman? (SV) (M) | Yes | |
| *Wild Embers (SV) | Yes | |
| *The Girl With the Numbers (SV) | Yes | |
| No Fairy Tale Here | No | review all |
| The Radium Girl | No | review all |
| *Hands Upon the Plow | Yes | |
| *Rise Up | Yes | |
| Malala | No | review all |
| Be Like Jane | No | mm. 113-172 |
| *Richer for Her (SV) | Yes | |
| *Like a Mountain (SV) (M) | Yes | |
| *Still I Rise (SV) (M) | Yes | |
| Water Women (Chamber Choir) | No | mm. 44-56 |
I’m looking forward to all the fun ahead!
Laura