SCNO 30th Season underway!

Thanks to all who worked so hard to get everything ready for our first rehearsal last night. It's good to be back singing together! A special welcome to our wonderful group of new singers - we are looking forward to the talent, energy, and ideas you will bring us.

As announced last night, next week's Messiah "chorus-o-the-week" will be Hallelujah. Come prepared to get the markings into your Novello vocal score.

Please prepare the first and last choruses of Sing for the Cure. We need to get pitches and rhythms established and start to assign individual singers to the various divisi parts.

DID YOU KNOW??? With RSS you can subscribe to this blog and receive an email when something new is posted. That way you don't have to keep checking back... Note the USEFUL LINKS on the lower right and the CALENDAR, too. Reserve Saturday, October 2 for our workshop with guest clinician Alissa Rowe.


As we learn the new music in SFTC, let's see if we can add sensitivity to text and dynamics right from the start (most of you read well enough to figure out the pitches and rhythms on the first or second try, so let's set the bar a little higher for a more musical outcome earlier in the rehearsal process). If you listen attentively while other sections are rehearsing, you can make great progress in learning your own part, too!

Here are some Amazon links to commercial recordings of our repertoire. Please note that for some of these pieces you have the option of purchasing a physical CD or a much cheaper digital download.

Sing for the Cure: A Proclamation of Hope

Karl Jenkins The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace

Carol Barnett The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass

Messiah - Boston Baroque

Messiah - Gabrieli Consort (download)

H.M.S. Pinafore (lots of other choices here...)

Great TV: BBC AMERICA - THE CHOIR!

BBC America is broadcasting a wonderful new series (premiered tonight)

The Choir

Link has previews and full description, (Lots of re-broadcasts, if you missed tonight's premiere).

Glee meets the real world. Simply wonderful!

Reference Recordings for T@T

Here are links to recordings of everything we are singing (some aren't the greatest performances, but still may be helpful)
Alice's Theme - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYx4IKR1CXM

Alice in Wonderland - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMaeZD63yNw&feature=PlayList&p=2CA1C63F1B03886E&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=33

The Lobster Quadrille - http://academics.smcvt.edu/nlew/Chorale/MP3/Spring%2008/Lobster.mp3
- and -
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8QsQxHltuA

Father William - http://academics.smcvt.edu/nlew/Chorale/MP3/Spring%2008/Father%20William.mp3

Lullaby of the Duchess - http://academics.smcvt.edu/nlew/Chorale/MP3/Spring%2008/Lullaby.mp3

Jabberwocky - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvMLOo5Ou0I

Die Beredsamkeit - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp5cpEpQ87E&NR=1

Haydn's "Little Organ Mass" -http://s119247422.websitehome.co.uk/midimusic/Haydn/Kleine-Orgelmesse/k-orgel.html

Thanks, Betsy Miller, for collecting these...

Jabberwocky

Here is the video I promised in tonight's rehearsal:



This is a GOOD chorus. Notice the fact that they sing in tune, and with unaminous, sensitive diction. Bravo!

Estonian Choral Singing

Remember last year we had Martins from Latvia (Here is the kind of choral experience he has at home):



This year we have an Estonian visitor. Check this out. I have this DVD. It makes me cry:



I was in the audience in Louisville for this performance (so I am among the thousands singing...). These guys could really sing. This made me cry, too...

Anthem of Peace by Willberg

This was written in 1991 for a Festival of Song in Estonia (as Estonia was achieving independence from the Soviet Union). It combines an Estonian folksong (in English) with the American spiritual We Shall Walk in the Valley of Peace.

This performance, by a South Dakota festival choir is interesting. They have an inter-generational All-State (cool!) and it's a pretty good performance. (We won't be using the brass).



Another performance, by an Ohio All-State. Different acoustic, different approach...

Choral Reflections on Amazing Grace by Roger Ames

Here is a nice performance by Westminster Choir College Schola (enjoy the birdsong at this outdoor performance):



This piece was written in response to 9/11. If we can get the text across, it should sound magnificent in Holy Name.

As usual, lots of additional performances available at YouTube...