Monday link

My dad sent me this link. This is by a group called Perpetuum Jazzile, and their website calls them "Slovenia's only jazz choir." They are conducted by Tomaž Kozlevčar, who is also their art director.



They have several videos up on YouTube. They are a lot of fun! And on a presentational note, I love the way they dress the group - they look unified, and professional, but not identical.

Friday cat post!

Your Oomi picture today is a (very short) video. Apparently my brother and sister-in-law are going to teach their cat to play fetch.

New jobs!

So, waaay back in May two very exciting things happened. Initially I didn't blog about them because I was asked not to for a few days by the hiring committees, but now it's been what, almost two months? And I can only explain my lack of blogging by the "it's gotta be great" phenomenon. I'm sure other bloggers are familiar with this - you put off blogging something for a few days, and then you feel that because you procrastinated it has to be a really good entry, and then you put it off for a few more days, and then you feel like now it's got to be a GREAT entry, and it snowballs from there. But, as the president of Cantilena said, I am rather Bizet right now. That's my excuse!

So, this non-great entry is just to celebrate the fact that I am the new director of BOTH:

Cantilena, a women's chorale that meets in Arlington on Monday evenings. I am so excited about this group! They are really sharp - they learned the piece I brought into my audition like nobody's business, and their spring concert was stellar. (That is a pun, for anyone who was there.) I get to keep exploring women's choral repertoire, which has always been one of my interests, and I have my very own chorus! Woohoo! Also, the group as a whole is very interested in new music. Clearly this was meant to be.

and

The Notables, a women's a cappella group that meets in the Lexington/Wellesley area every Wednesday morning and performs at local senior centers and rest homes. (We will have a website up soon here, although nothing is there yet.) The repertoire is fun pop and jazz standards, and they even have very cute choreography, which I will do my best not to mess with, not being a choreographer! I'm very excited that they focus on volunteer performances for seniors, too; I'm happy to have found a group that puts together making great music with reaching out to the community.

So, next year is going to be very exciting for me! I won't deny being a little nervous, but also very happy and excited. I'm also going to try and curb my other activities, particularly theatrical ones, so that my schedule doesn't get so hectic. We'll see how that goes. (All my friends are rolling their eyes right now.)

Michael Jackson

Jay Smooth gives his thoughts on Michael Jackson's passing - this is well, well worth watching even if Michael Jackson was not a big part of your life, as he was not a big part of mine.

Monday link

In honor of Carmen, which is opening this weekend, this week's link is opera-related.

The New York Times has a very interesting article about the difficulties the Met encounters in casting opera stars. They have to be cast years in advance, and of course that leaves a lot of time for things to go wrong.

The New York Times site requires you to log in, so feel free to use the following:
username: letmeinpiggy
password: chinnychin

Weekend Concert Calendar...not

So, Weekend Concert Calendar is going to go on hiatus until September. Almost all the local choruses are on hiatus until the fall, so there's not a lot to report. Go to a Summer Sing, and when September rolls around, I'll start posting concert lists again!

Tuesday link

Instead of a Monday link, have a Tuesday link!

This week we have a bit of news (that is, admittedly, about a month old.) Joseph Jennings has retired as the music director of Chanticleer. He's been there for 26 years. We'll see what happens next!

Happy July 4th!

I've probably posted this before, but it's worth posting again. Happy July 4th, everyone!

Friday cat post!

Dispatch from my brother:

"Oomi likes to play pool. First she was confused as to where the pool balls go when you sink them (the table has the system where they go down tubes and end up in a tray under one end of the table). Then she decided she would just sit on the table and when a ball got near a hole, she would pounce on it and drive it into the hole."

Where did the ball go?

It must be down there...if I can just...reach...it!

Summer Sings!

Well, the summer is not exactly new, but here are the remaining summer sings in the area! Let me know if I missed anything, and I will add it to the list (so, this post may change over the next few weeks; feel free to check back!)

Tuesday, July 7, at 8 pm
Bach's Magnificat
Conducted by Katherine FitzGibbon, hosted by The Masterworks Chorale

Monday, July 13, at 8 pm
Handel's Messiah (selections)
Conducted by William Sano, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale

Tuesday, July 14 at 8 pm
Faure's Requiem
Conducted by Steven Karidoyanes, hosted by The Masterworks Chorale

Monday, July 20, at 8 pm
Verdi's Manzoni Requiem
Conducted by Dirk Hillyer, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale

Tuesday, July 21, at 8 pm
Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass
Conducted by Amy Lieberman, hosted by The Masterworks Chorale

Monday, July 27, at 8 pm
Mozart's Requiem
Conducted by Robert Russell, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale

Tuesday, July 28, at 8 pm
Vivaldi's Gloria
Conducted by Jane Ring Frank, hosted by The Masterworks Chorale

Monday, August 3, at 7:30 pm
Mozart's Requiem
Conducted by Betsy Burleigh, hosted by Chorus pro Musica

Monday, August 3, at 8 pm
Brahms' Requiem
Conducted by David Callahan, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale

Tuesday, August 4, at 8 pm
Mendelssohn's Elijah
Conducted by Anne Watson Born, hosted by The Masterworks Chorale

Monday, August 10, at 7:30 pm
Durufle's Requiem
Conducted by Betsy Burleigh, hosted by Chorus pro Musica

Monday, August 10, at 8 pm
Faure's Requiem
Conducted by Max Hobart, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale

Monday, August 17, at 7:30 pm
Poulenc's Gloria
Conducted by Betsy Burleigh, hosted by Chorus pro Musica

Monday, August 17, at 8 pm
Orff's Carmina Burana
Conducted by Jeffrey Brody, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale

Monday, August 24, at 7:30 pm
Haydn's Creation (abridged)
Conducted by Betsy Burleigh, hosted by Chorus pro Musica

Monday, August 24, at 8 pm
Mendelssohn's Elijah (choral selections)
Conducted by Valerie Taylor, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale

Monday, August 31, at 8 pm
Rutter's Requiem and Vivaldi's Gloria
Conducted by Paul Madore, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale

Weekend Concert Calendar, 7/2/09...sorta

So, it's summer. This means there is not a ton of choral music going on in Boston, since most of the choruses disband for the summer. There are some neat concert series, but they are mostly for chamber music of various sorts. And you can always go out to Tanglewood - here's their vocal schedule.

And on top of that, it's July 4th weekend! So I got nuthin'. If you are brave, go out to the Esplanade, listen to the concert, and watch the fireworks. If you believe discretion is the better part of valor, then enjoy your personal celebrations. Either way, I hope your weekend features good food and good company!

Zefiro concerts!

So, that last entry where I mentioned that I was not always very good about publishing my concerts? Yes, well...

Last night (oops), tonight (oops) and tomorrow night (maybe you can come!) Zefiro is performing three concerts as part of the SoHIP (Society for Historically Informed Performance) summer concert series in the greater Boston area. Last night we were in Weston; tonight we sang in Andover; and tomorrow we will be performing at Lindsey Chapel in Emmanuel Church right in downtown Boston.

This is the same programme we performed in the spring, but we've swapped out a few pieces and added a few new ones, and I have to say, it is a great programme, and it flows beautifully. I hope you can come!

I will be leaving Zefiro at the end of the summer; this past year was overwhelmingly busy, and I've had a few new projects enter my life, so something had to go, and it was the group that rehearses in another state. We have one concert in August at Taylor House, but other than that, this will be my last concert with these guys! It's rather sad; they're a fun group of people, and singing Renaissance music with top-notch singers is so enjoyable. So this is one of your last chances to hear me sing with them!

Carmen!

So, I am not always good about publishing my current projects. One of my goals is to improve my own publicity. So this week, you will get a few personal updates.

My current big project is that I am Assistant Music Director for the Boston Opera Collaborative's production of Carmen. What does the title mean, you ask? It means that I am the cover for the conductor (if he gets sick or abducted by aliens, then I conduct the show.) I also help him out with whatever he needs, and cover rehearsals when he can't be there. Mostly, however, I need to be ready to conduct anything at any time, just in case.

This is very exciting, and a huge learning experience. I think this is the first time that I have ever had to learn the score of a show from scratch with the goal of being able to conduct it. I've conducted Gilbert & Sullivan before, but I grew up on those shows, so they're already completely integrated into my blood. And for Otello, I only had to learn the chorus parts. This is a bigger nut to crack, so I'm learning a lot about how I learn, and what exactly I need to know in order to conduct and what I don't. (Sample hint: You don't actually have to be able to sing all the French up to tempo in order to conduct it.) However, despite not having to sing any French, I am using the show as an excuse to learn French diction, so I'm also taking weekly French diction lessons during the run of the show.

Another way in which the show is a learning experience is the fact that I've never worked with this caliber of singers before. The whole cast is extremely professional. It's interesting to figure out when to follow, and when to lead. Luckily, the music director, Michael Sakir, is very good, so watching him and how he works is very helpful. He's also very considerate about letting me conduct in rehearsals so I see how all the tempo changes work.

Staging started Saturday, and it's really fun to watch the director work. He demonstrates everything, and watching him move as different characters is fascinating. I would love to see him acting in something, as well as directing.

The show goes up in mid-July. Performances are July 17-19 and 24-26, with Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30 and Sunday performances at 3 pm. They will be in the Bulger Performing Arts Center at Boston College High School, 150 Morrissey Blvd, Boston. This show has great music, and great performers, and great directors, and there's a small chance I'll be crashing some cymbals together, so please come!

Monday link

Last week I mentioned Stile Antico; this week several people, including my mother and some of my church choir members, e-mailed me a link to a story on NPR about them. So, for your listening enjoyment, here it is!

(It rather bugs me, I must say, that the NPR blurb-writer harped on the lack of a conductor so much. Renaissance music really, really doesn't need a conductor if the singers are at a professional level. Ever tried singing Renaissance music w/o a conductor? It's REALLY EASY. And the things that separate a spectacular group from a good one are not things that can be helped by a conductor. Peter Phillips just needs to sit the heck down. Stile Antico is impressive for a number of reasons, but the lack of a conductor isn't one of them.)

Auditions!

Audition notice - straight from my inbox to you!

"The Spectrum Singers are auditioning experienced choral singers in all voice parts on July 13. Spectrum is a select group of singers that performs music from the pre-Renaissance through to the present, and in a broad range of musical styles. Music Director John W. Ehrlich asks that auditionees prepare a German or French lied or aria. For more information about Spectrum or to schedule an audition, go to www.spectrumsingers.org, send an e-mail to info@spectrumsingers.org, or leave a message on the chorus telephone 617-492-8902."

Friday cat post!

This is a flashback picture, from when Oomi was smaller than she is now. The point of this picture, of course, is the wagging tail.

Weekend Concert Calendar, 6/25/09...kinda

Well, now that BEMF is over, there is not a lot going on besides summer sings, which I will truly get my act together and post about soon, really.

The only other thing I have is that the Christ's College Choir of Cambridge University is touring the area early next week. They will be at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 4 Ocean Street, Beverly, MA at 7:30 pm on Monday, and at First Parish Church in Wakefield, 1 Church St., Wakefield, MA at 7:30 pm on Tuesday.

Got anything else? Leave it in the comments!

Masterworks Summer Sings!

This is just a quick hit to let you know that Summer Sings have started up already! At some point I will try to do a complete list of sings in the area, but for now, have the Masterworks schedule. (They are very nice about sending me info, and I am very disorganized about getting it up here, so sadly the first sing has already passed us by, but the second is tonight!)

They are Tuesday evenings at 8 pm, at the Noble and Greenough School, Lawrence Auditorium, Wheeler Music Center, 10 Campus Drive, Dedham. Admission is $10/$9 sen./$5 stu. Scores are available to borrow.

6/23 - Mozart Requiem
6/30 - Brahms Requiem
7/7 - Bach Magnificat
7/14 - Faure Requiem
7/21 - Haydn Lord Nelson Mass
7/28 - Vivaldi Gloria
8/4 - Mendelssohn Elijah (abridged)

Monday link

I didn't see this group, Stile Antico, at BEMF, but they have a very intriguing article in the Globe, as well as a fairly good review. Did anyone else see this concert? Is anyone familiar with this group? I'm thinking I might have to pick up a CD.

No Weekend Concert Calendar for 6/18/09

No weekend concert calendar this week folks, sorry! I am off to a WEDDING tomorrow (of this spectacular individual and her equally spectacular but website-less fiance) and I have rather a lot to do before then, including the Boston Opera Collaborative's concert La Belle Epoque concert tonight. Enjoy the rain!