Please read the attendance note to all choirs at the bottom of this post. Thank you!
Concert/Treble
Practice instructions – at least 20 minutes per day
We have two rehearsals remaining before our next concert. Please be certain all of the music listed here is thoroughly learned and memorized! Thanks!
Treble:
Heaven – work on solfege, memorize text.
Lady of Liberty – practice and memorize mm. 5-29 and mm. 47-end. At the end, learn the bottom notes (stems down) on the top line of music.
Concert:
For the Beauty of the Earth – Practice counting the end of each phrase. Pay particular attention to the rhythm and ending note for mm. 15-19 (ends on ‘mi’) and mm.33-36 (ends on ‘do’). Practice small crescendos on longer note values. Practice breathing only where there is a rest in the music, nowhere else. Memorize.
Song of Thanksgiving – review and check memory. Wills and Matilde, work with solfege to learn this. This piece is mainly in D Major - D is ‘do’. The middle section is in F – F is ‘do’.
How can I keep from singing – If there isn’t a comma in the text, please do not breathe. Also, work to not breathe in the middle of words (this goes for all or our music). Review memory work.
Hope for Resolution – memorize text for mm. 10-29 and sections A and B. At rehearsal E and F, study how the rhythm of the melody is different from rehearsal A and B. Practice holding the last note of each phrase its full value. Memorize.
Lady of Liberty – review mm. 5-29 and mm. 47-end. Check memory.
Pro Arte/Cavalieri
There are only two remaining rehearsals before our next performance!
***PRIORITY*** Mass for Three Voices: Memorize Kyrie and Gloria. Practice counting the inner rhythms while working on your part. Review pronunciations with the guide.
Winter Solstice, Mvt. II – Pro Arte – Review
Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – Cavalieri - learn
Hope for Resolution – Review second ending, p.11. Continue working on being exact on the various dotted rhythms.
Aus tiefer Not – Cavalieri – work on singing your part in tune.
Verleih uns Frieden – Cavalieri – review pronunciations
Out of the Depths and Grant Peace – Cantare - review
Continue reviewing: God of Still Waiting, Freedom is Coming, The Storm is Passing, Draw the Circle, Lady of Liberty
Attendance details for all choirs from the handbook:
Members are expected to attend all rehearsals, arriving and departing according to the rehearsal schedule for his/her choir. Constant tardiness or early departures are not acceptable.
• Concerts are mandatory. In the rare instance when a student must miss a performance, for reasons other than because of illness, permission must have been granted for the absence well in advance of the performance, as soon as the conflict has arisen and has been determined to be unavoidable.
Mandatory Rehearsals – These are clearly indicated on the detailed schedule and generally are scheduled immediately preceding a concert. If a chorister does not attend a mandatory rehearsal he/she may not be allowed to perform at the concert. Emergency absences should be reported to the Choir Conductor AS WELL AS the Executive Director.
• Two excused rehearsal absences will be allowed per semester. Absences must be preceded by a request in writing or e-mail to the Conductor and Executive Director prior to the date to be missed. Emergency absences should be called into the Choir Director or Executive Director as soon as possible.
• Homework or studying for exams is not an excusable absence. Please plan responsibly for academics.
• On occasion, we receive invitations to perform after the calendar has been set. In such cases, we ask that you notify us of your availability as soon as possible so that a decision to confirm the performance can be made promptly. In this case, prior game and performance commitments to other groups are excused and do not count toward the two excused GRCC absences per semester.
• In the event of snow or ice, any cancellation of choir rehearsal will follow the cancellation announcements of the VCU evening classes.