October 6, 2026, Music Notes

by | Oct 6, 2026 | AD Music Notes

Hello,

Thanks for a lovely rehearsal last night – we got a lot of notes and rhythms learned – good for us! I had a ton of fun – hope you did, too!
Wishing happy birthdays to our October birthday singers!
We are on schedule to have all notes and rhythms introduced (and hopefully learned) by our retreat. That reflects dedicated work and great progress!

El Sistema NC
There was not enough ensemble interest in participating in the El Sistema NC concert in December, but thank you for considering it.
Durham Community Sings
We have another upcoming opportunity this spring. WVC has been invited to participate as a featured ensemble in the 4th annual Durham Community Sings which will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church in Durham on Saturday, June 5, 2027 (10am-3pm). WVC sang as a featured ensemble the first year, then the past two years individuals attended but WVC did not sing as an ensemble. The way the event works is that several hundred choral singers from the area gather for the day to sing together. You do not have to learn music ahead of time – we all learn it together that day. In the morning we rehearse each piece and then take a lunch break. After lunch, featured ensembles sing one piece each and then the program concludes with the pieces that were rehearsed in the morning. It’s very enjoyable to hear ensembles from the area and then sing all together. There is no cost (you can choose whether or not to make a donation to help cover the cost of the music) and you can bring your own lunch (or order a lunch which would be an expense). I need to let Rodney Wynkoop know by Oct. 15 if we have interest in being a featured ensemble and then follow up with a firm commitment by March 1. We would sing a piece from our repertoire this season so would not learn new music for this program. I will pass around a sign up sheet next week for you to indicate YES, NO, or MAYBE. If we don’t participate as a featured ensemble, individuals can still register to attend if they choose.
Solo Auditions
Our repertoire has several solo opportunities. If you would like to be considered for a solo, please record a voice memo and email it to me. I recommend that you play the practice track in the background loud enough for you to hear it and record yourself singing. I need to be able to hear you over the practice track. You may audition for one or all of the solos – please send a separate voice memo for each solo if you are recording more than one. 
 
The audition deadline is midnight, Wednesday, October 21st. 
 
Solos:
  • What the Heart Cannot Forget: 1st solo mm. 34-43, 2nd solo mm. 39-43 (actually a duet with the first soloist). These solos are marked Alto and Soprano but any voices can audition for either or both. 
  • From the Stone Age: mm. 75-111
  • The Circle Game: mm. 6-21 (1st verse) and  mm. 89-93 (pause your voice memo recording and restart it for the ending)
  • Try to Remember: there are optional solo sections but we will sing these in unison as a chorus
  • Seasons of Love: mm. 33-44, 62-77 (optional improvisation mm. 49-61)
Once I hear solo auditions, I will make a decision about where we will have a soloist sing and where we will have the chorus sing).
I mentioned an astounding podcast I listened to last week and highly recommend it to you. It is extraordinary how this person thinks about and experiences music.  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?i=1000792836664
Rehearsal Reflection
Seasons of Love mm. 33-48
– we worked on pitches and rhythms
Gia l’ore sen volano mm. 35-60
– we worked on pitches and rhythms
– there was a question about the text. The text in my score is correct but just to confirm, this is the correct text:

Già l’ore sen volano.
Già viene il tuo bene.
Fra dolci catene
Quell’alma vivrà.

– sopranos, note the A#s mm. 30-31
– sopranos, note the G-naturals in mm. 47, 51
– sopranos fix the error in m. 40. The 8th notes should be As not Bs.
– altos in m. 30 you get your entrance pitch from the sopranos
– altos note the A#s mm. 33-34
– altos note the D# m. 39 and think (and sing) the descending half steps high
– altos in m. 40 sing the D# high, leading to the E in m. 41
– altos, mm. 45 and 49 your octave skip up to the A matches the A the sopranos are sustaining
– sopranos note that your part crosses the altos in mm. 47 and 51
– note the unison cadence in mm. 34 and 55

Now I Become Myself – mm. 55-73
– we worked on pitches and rhythms
– note the time signature changes throughout this section. The quarter note stays constant.
– note the breath marks in the score and then add breaths in mm. 58, 63, 65, 66
– stagger breathe through the ending

About Time – mm. 41-70
– we worked on pitches and rhythms
– everyone sang all parts so that we experienced a connected melodic line
– lifts in mm. 43, 48
– note the ‘echoes’ mm. 47-48 are pianissimo
– we will take lots of rubato in mm. 51-54
– m. 51 has an 8th note pickup (previous measures have had quarter note pickups)
– m. 60 lift after ‘mother’

What the Heart Cannot Forget mm. 58-74
– we worked on pitches and rhythms
– mm. 58-61 S1L sing with the A1s, S2L sing with the A2s

Controlled Burn – mm. 137-185
– we worked on pitches and rhythms
– m. 160 there is a typo ‘you’ should be ‘you’ll’

Turn Around – mm. 62-105
– we worked on pitches and rhythms
– note the key change mm. 70-74
– mm. 91-92 provide a harmonic surprise when the altos sing C#!

Try to Remember – mm. 45-91
– we worked through pitches and rhythms
– mezzos and altos note the descending half steps and think (and sing) the descending half steps high so that you “don’t descend into the depths of H3LL” (who said that?!?!)

Wanting Memories – Ysaye Barnwell reminisces and speaks about her inspiration for composing Wanting Memories in this lovely clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvLE4P93X-k&list=RDTvLE4P93X-k&start_radio=1

Looking Ahead to 10/12/26

We will work through these measures and as we have time review any of the other pieces. Plan to work on all repertoire at our retreat. 🙂

Repertoire 10/12/26
Gia l’ore sen volano
Now I Become Myself
Grown Wild 64-98
About Time
There Was a Time 50-67
What the Heart Cannot Forget
From the Stone Age 151-205
Controlled Burn
Turn Around
The Circle Game 74-95
Try to Remember
Seasons of Love 49-85
Time (Chamber Choir) 41-59 (if we have time)
Wanting Memories (Chamber Choir) 48-90 (priority)

Hope you have a great rest of your week. If you were out sick, I’m sending well wishes!

Laura