Hello Everyone,
Thanks for a super fun and productive rehearsal – we accomplished so much! Thanks so much for your attention and positive energy!
Attached is the Chamber Choir divisi assignments. [See third page of linked pdf.] Thanks so much for being well-prepared for the audition and for staying after rehearsal last night so that we could get it accomplished. Thanks especially for being flexible so that we can make the balance work best. I appreciate those who cheerfully offered to sing a part different from what they normally sing. You will note that Shenandoah is equally divided with 3 singers per part, even though there is no divisi in the Alto 1 part. There really isn’t much divisi in the other parts, either. For singers shifting to a lower part, if there are notes out of your range, we can explore modifications that will make it work for you and the ensemble. For “Across the Sea,” I purposely have assigned more singers to the mezzo part since it carries the melody throughout. This piece does have some low Es for the altos – which may be too low for some (but not all!). We may take this in a higher key because the soprano part is also low – we can experiment together and determine what works best for our ensemble.
We Are Home mm. 1-13, 51-72
– we accomplished pitches and rhythms
– we noted at the cadence we move from A-minor to A-Major (first time voices, after that, piano) and then Ab Major at m. 67.
– note the dynamics – we will need to build as each voice part enters – sopranos, please be sensitive to your volume, especially as you join in the ‘we are’ text.
The Harbor and the Sea mm. 20-32, 43-55
– these sections may be solo…but we will be prepared to also have a small group sing this
– we accomplished pitches and rhythms
Mae-e (Forward) mm. 1-22
– we sang a D Major scale with harmonies at the 3rd, and then at the 2nd. Many of the harmonies in this piece use a major 2nd, so we will want to have that sound confidently in our ears so that we are successful with the close harmonies.
– we accomplished pitches and rhythms
– m. 10 A1 text should be O-bo-e-te-i (instead of O-be-e-te-i) – please make that correction
– m. 17 note the staccato – that indicates a lift which is required by the double consonant
– throughout, the W is silent – the W indicates that the word that came before it is the object of the sentence and is not pronounced (thanks, Kinley!)
– m. 17 the text should be massuguna (instead of massunguna) but I will double check that with Ayumi.
– we did not yet start singing on text, but the Rs are always flipped.
– please listen to the pronunciation guide in our practice files.
Entrance mm. 45-57
– we accomplished pitches and rhythms
– we worked on the aleatoric section for the sopranos. If you were absent, you have written in pencil on your card which of the 5 parts you have been assigned, so you can see that next rehearsal.
Crowded Table mm. 25-40, 58-73
– we accomplished pitches and rhythms for these sections, which are the refrain
– swing the 8th note
– note that in mm. 38 and 71, the syllable, ‘er’ is right on beat 1 and is not syncopated, in in contrast to the many times the notes are tied over the bar line.
Over the Rainbow mm. 1-25
– we accomplished pitches and rhythms
– we used solfege and worked on moving our air to support singing the higher notes of the ascending skips. You can pick up a sheet from the supply bin if you were out, and I also sent it in an email right before rehearsal last night.
– we also used solfege to help us recognize and tune the accidentals.
Deep River mm. 28-37
– reviewed pitches, especially the A2 entrance on Ab at m. 29
Looking Ahead to 2/24/25
My Name is Lamiya: Don’t Call Me Refugee mm. 43-88 (review mm. 1-42 as time allows)
Mi Lugar mm. 35-50 (review mm. 1-34 as time allows)
Deep River mm. 19-28 (review mm. 28-37 as time allows)
Walk Together Children mm. 15-29 (review mm. 1-14 as time allows)
Grace Before Sleep mm. 21-34 (review mm. 35-50 as time allows)
We Are mm. 14-44, 73-107 (review mm. 1-13, 51-72 as time allows, and we may not get all the way to m. 107, depending on how fast we move through the material)
Below is the information that composer Michael Bussewitz-Quarm shared with me regarding the names in My Name is Lamiya: Don’t Call Me Refugee
Inspiration for the Names of the Refugees in the Song, “My Name is Lamiya, Don’t Call Me ‘Refugee’”
Guled, Nisho, and Professor White Eyes were residents of Dadaab in the book “City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World’s Largest Refugee Camp” by Ben Rawlence as of the publication of the book in 2016.
Angela, Alejandro, and Miguel were inspired by the young reader’s novel, “The Only Road” by Alexandra Diaz.
Wyclef is inspired by musician Wyclef Jean – Haitian-American, best known as a member of the Fugees, left Haiti during the Duvalier regime and re-settled in New York City.
We will review any of our other pieces as time allows.
I’m looking forward to seeing/hearing you at our next rehearsal – I truly enjoy our music-making!
LJ