Urban Voices farewell

I kept forgetting to share this, but it's really fantastic, so even though it's not quite timely anymore, here it is!

For the past four years I've taught through the Urban Voices program at the Mission Hill School in Roxbury. This was my last year - I'm going to be teaching a Music Appreciation class at Lasell College in addition to my work there with the chorus, and so I won't have time to continue working at Mission Hill. I'm hoping to go back next year just to visit, though, because those kids are pretty great!

As are the teachers. When I e-mailed them in May that I would be leaving at the end of the school year, I got this e-mail, verbatim, from one of them. I think people should communicate like this all the time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOYO6hsbgv4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdOvOzqGqPc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj96QFzOL5Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RAbLMY6BN8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdiN0sW-wVU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snihdG1rE0Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_3-S6sZchc

Centenarian singer

Earlier this summer one of the singers in my chorus at Lasell Village, Erna Rosenberg, passed away at the age of 100 (almost 101!) She had a solo in our April concert - in Cole Porter's "Let's Do It." Her obituary is here.

Now you know - no excuse to stop singing until you're at least 100!

Summer singing opportunity!

A summer singing opportunity, for those of you in the Boston area! This came into my inbox this morning.

PLEASE FORWARD

For the Mercury Orchestra’s upcoming performance of Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé in Sanders Theatre in Cambridge, the Orchestra is looking for experienced classical choral singers to join the new 100-member Mercury Orchestra Chorale, directed by Channing Yu. The Chorale is an all-volunteer, no-pay/no-fee ensemble. Because of the abbreviated rehearsal schedule, the Chorale is best suited for singers who can prepare the score on their own. Rehearsals Aug 5, 12, 15, 17; concert Aug 18.

Auditions for singers will be held on Sunday, July 29, 2012 (afternoon) and Tuesday, July 31, 2012 (evening) in the Chorus Room at Symphony Hall. All auditions are by appointment only. Please schedule an audition using our audition form here:

http://www.mercuryorchestra.org/chorale

Singers who are current active members of selected area choral ensembles may be able to join without an audition; please complete our form to inquire about this possibility.

Friday cat post

If you truly cannot get enough of cute cat videos, then you are in luck - there is a whole festival just for you!  Hat-tip to my mother.

Brahms' Requiem: The Major Third Motive

So I am currently preparing for my lectures tomorrow at Lasell Village, and for the "Ten Greatest Choral Works" class I am working on the Brahms' Requiem, and trying to come up with some things for them to listen for.

And one thing that really annoys me, as one of the procrastinators of the world, is that all kinds of sites have program notes and essays about this piece, and they give you the exact same bit of tiny information.

"A German Requiem is unified compositionally by a three-note motif of a leap of a major third, usually followed by a half-step in the same direction. The first exposed choral entry presents the motif in the soprano voice (F–A–B♭). This motif pervades every movement and much of the thematic material in the piece." (via the Wikipedia article)

Well, that's very nice, but where else is it? Nobody will say. Some of us are preparing at the last minute here! How about throwing us a bone? Where else does this motive show up? Nope, everyone seems to have just cribbed from the Wikipedia article. (Like I wanted to do, except there's not enough info!)

So HERE, for anyone ELSE preparing a lecture last minute on the Brahms' Requiem, are some other places that the motive of a rising major third followed by a rising half-step occurs.

Movement 3, m. 164, if you put the bass and tenor lines together, on the words "I hope"

Movement 3, m. 173, the beginning of the fugue subject (the tenors have it first) on the words "The righteous souls" (actually just "the right--") and of course whenever else the fugue subject comes in

Movement 4, m. 4-5, the first three notes of the soprano melody, on the words "How lovely", and whenever else the melody reoccurs.

Movement 6, m. 208, the first three notes of the fugue subject (the altos have it first) are this motive in reverse (descending half step followed by a descending major third) on the words "Lord, you are worthy." Provides kind of a nice contrast to the corresponding fugue in Movement 3.

Movement 7 obviously reincorporates the material from Movement 1.

This is just after a 10-minute glance through the choral score. Anyone have any other points where this motive occurs? Want to argue that Brahms used an inversion of it somewhere? Leave a comment! Help the future procrastinating music lecturers of the world!

Opportunity for choruses - Lenox Caroling Festival

Hey, folks! It's nearly August, which means it's nearly time for choral directors to be hip-deep in Christmas music. And some of you might be interested in this letter which came across my desk. I don't yet know if I'll be participating in any way - I suspect not, given the timing in December - but it does look like fun, and the prizes are pretty good!

As a fellow choral director in Massachusetts, this letter is to give you some advance notice regarding the 2nd annual Lenox Caroling Festival which will take place on Saturday December 8, 2012.

Following the tremendous success of last year’s Festival, we wanted to give you an early lead on next year’s plans. Please take a moment to look through our materials and contact us if you are interested and have any further questions.

The Caroling Festival is a competition that will take place at outside locations on each of the village’s main streets. The winning groups will be determined by 50% popular vote, and 50% judge’s vote at each location. Voting will be done by distributed ballots that will be filled in by the spectators at each venue, who then turn them in at participating retail locations. Festive dress, while not required, is most appreciated.

The prizes are as follows:
First prize: $2,000
Second prize: $500
Third Prize: $250

Choirs must have a minimum of ten participants, and do not need to bring an entire choir to qualify as long as the minimum is met. Priority times and singing locations will be given on a first come, first served basis, and we would be happy to schedule your choir around any other singing commitments you might have for that day or weekend.

In case of inclement weather the festival will be relocated indoors in one of many historic churches and public buildings. We also have many additional performance opportunities both on December 8th and 9th for visiting choirs. Please contact us for details.

A final showcase performance for all participating choirs will occur at 5:00pm on the day of the Festival, the end of which the winners will be announced.

Please visit: www.lenoxcarolingfestival.org for a video and further details and an application form. Thank you for your interest.

Audition notice!

Calling low altos! Looking for an a cappella singing opportunity?

I have several friends in the group the Random Chants, a great local a cappella group. They are all totally delightful people, so you should consider auditioning!

*****

Random Chants is holding auditions for a new Alto II in the next few weeks. Our Alto 2s take on some pretty low notes, so auditionees need to be able to solidly hit a low D (below middle C) - anything lower is highly prized! Interest in vocal percussion or arranging music is a plus, though not required.

We practice weekly in the greater Boston area. We're hoping to find others like us -- women who... love to sing, enjoy a wide range of songs, and are willing to do some practicing on their own time. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact us at auditions@randomchants.com and we will fill you in on the audition details!

Note: At this time we are only auditioning Alto 2s. If you are interested in other voice parts (Soprano 1 or 2, Alto 1), please contact us and we'll be sure to let you know about future auditions. Go ahead and friend us here on Facebook or if you are not already a part of our mailing list, please sign up ( http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/random_chants/ ) -- either way, you won't miss any audition or upcoming gig announcements.

Thanks!

-Random Chants

Monday link - required reading!

This article from Salon, called "No sympathy for the creative class," should be required reading. It's long, but worth it. In fact, I beg you to read it - it is so descriptive of my own life right now. In some ways, I am protected by the arts-loving city I live in; but even amongst the support, I get a strong sense that art is just "play" from anyone not actually working in the field.

Last week we celebrated what is American - how about this week we think about the direction we want our society to go, and the things about our cultural expectations that we could stand to change?

A few quotes:

"“There’s always this sense that art is just play,” says Peter Plagens, a New York painter and art critic. “Art is what children do and what retired people do. Your mom puts your work up on the refrigerator. Or the way Dwight Eisenhower said, ‘Now that I’ve fought my battles, I can put my easel up outside.’”"

"Our image of the creative class comes from a strange mix of sources, among them faux-populist politics, changing values, technological rewiring, and the media’s relationship to culture – as well as good old-fashioned American anti-intellectualism.

"Creativity is a form of expertise,” something a nation that keeps insisting on its status as a democracy has never been entirely comfortable with."

Go read!

Summer Sings, 2012

Well, it's a little late, but here it finally is - the Summer Sing post for 2012! I'm also noting the ones that have passed, just so you have a sense of what everyone is doing (and perhaps next year even if I am late again, you will remember to look up some of these groups!)

Tuesday, June 12 at 8 pm (passed)
Mozart's Requiem
Conducted by Steven Karidoyanes, hosted by the Masterworks Chorale
At the Noble and Greenough School, Lawrence Auditorium/Wheeler Music Center, 10 Campus Drive, Dedham

Tuesday, June 19 at 8 pm (passed)
Poulenc's Gloria
Conducted by Steven Karidoyanes, hosted by the Masterworks Chorale
At the Noble and Greenough School, Lawrence Auditorium/Wheeler Music Center, 10 Campus Drive, Dedham

Tuesday, June 26 at 8 pm (passed)
Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem
Conducted by Michael V. Turner, hosted by the Masterworks Chorale
At the Noble and Greenough School, Lawrence Auditorium/Wheeler Music Center, 10 Campus Drive, Dedham

Monday, July 9 at 8 pm
Verdi's Requiem
Conducted by Max Hobart, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale
At the Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, Salem

Tuesday, July 10 at 8 pm
Fauré's Requiem
Conducted by Steven Karidoyanes, hosted by the Masterworks Chorale
At the Noble and Greenough School, Lawrence Auditorium/Wheeler Music Center, 10 Campus Drive, Dedham

Monday, July 16 at 7:30 pm
Haydn's Mass in Time of War
Conducted by Danica Buckley, hosted by the Choral Art Society of the South Shore
At the St. Mary of the Nativity Parish Center, Scituate

Monday, July 16 at 8 pm
Brahms' Requiem
Conducted by William Sano, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale
At the Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, Salem

Tuesday, July 17 at 8 pm
Brahms' Requiem
Conducted by Steven Karidoyanes, hosted by the Masterworks Chorale
At the Noble and Greenough School, Lawrence Auditorium/Wheeler Music Center, 10 Campus Drive, Dedham

Monday, July 23 at 8 pm
Mendelssohn's Elijah (Part I)
Conducted by Priscilla French, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale
At the Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, Salem

Tuesday, July 24 at 8 pm
Orff's Carmina Burana
Conducted by Jaime Kirsch, hosted by the Masterworks Chorale
At the Noble and Greenough School, Lawrence Auditorium/Wheeler Music Center, 10 Campus Drive, Dedham

Monday, July 30 at 7 pm
Brahms' Requiem
Hosted by the Newburyport Choral Society
At the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 7 Harris St., Newburyport

Monday, July 30 at 8 pm
Mozart's Requiem
Conducted by David Callahan, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale
At the Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, Salem

Tuesday, July 31 at 8 pm
Bach's Magnificat
Conducted by Anne Watson Born, hosted by the Masterworks Chorale
At the Noble and Greenough School, Lawrence Auditorium/Wheeler Music Center, 10 Campus Drive, Dedham

Friday, August 3 at 6 pm
Potluck and Summer Sing, including works by Esther Scliar, Jack Gottlieb, and Ken Langer, as well as Hassler, Lauridsen and Palestrina
Conducted by Ellen Oak, hosted by the Three Rivers Chorus
14 Lincoln St., Maynard

Monday, August 6 at 8 pm
Orff's Carmina Burana
Conducted by Jeffrey Brody, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale
At the Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, Salem

Tuesday, August 7 at 8 pm
Mendelssohn's Elijah (abridged)
Conducted by Katherine FitzGibbon, hosted by the Masterworks Chorale
At the Noble and Greenough School, Lawrence Auditorium/Wheeler Music Center, 10 Campus Drive, Dedham

Monday, August 13 at 7:30 pm

Vivaldi's Gloria

Conducted by Danica Buckley, hosted by the Choral Art Society of the South Shore

At the St. Mary of the Nativity Parish Center, Scituate

Monday, August 13 at 7:30 pm
Bach's Jesu Meine Freude
Conducted by Betsy Burleigh, hosted by Chorus pro Musica
At Old South Church, 645 Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston

Monday, August 13 at 8 pm
Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (4th movement)
Conducted by Dirk Hillyer, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale
At the Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, Salem

Monday, August 20 at 7:30 pm
Brahms' Requiem
Conducted by Betsy Burleigh, hosted by Chorus pro Musica
At Old South Church, 645 Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston

Monday, August 20 at 8 pm
Handel's Messiah (Part 1)
Conducted by John Koza, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale
At the Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, Salem

Monday, August 27 at 7:30 pm
Mozart's Requiem
Conducted by Betsy Burleigh, hosted by Chorus pro Musica
At Old South Church, 645 Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston

Monday, August 27 at 8 pm
Fauré's Requiem, Rutter's Requiem
Conducted by Paul Madore, hosted by the Paul Madore Chorale
At the Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, Salem

Got any more Summer Sings to share? Leave 'em in the comments!

Monday links

This article about going through orchestral auditions for a percussionist spot with the BSO is fascinating. Also kind of depressing.

Are you familiar with Matt who dances around the world? He has another video out, and it's the best yet! This post by Ethan Zuckerman gives some good context for Matt's latest video.

Monday link

This "Letter to Emily" about the importance of paying musicians fairly for their recordings is well worth reading. A sample:

Many in your generation are willing to pay a little extra to buy “fair trade” coffee that insures the workers that harvested the coffee were paid fairly.  Many in your generation will pay a little more to buy clothing and shoes from manufacturers that  certify they don’t use  sweatshops.  Many in your generation pressured Apple to examine working conditions at Foxconn in China.  Your generation is largely responsible for the recent cultural changes that has given more equality to same sex couples.  On nearly every count your generation is much more ethical and fair than my generation.   Except for one thing.  Artist rights.

Weekend Concert Calendar, 6/21/12

Sorry folks, no Weekend Concert Calendar this weekend either. Moving really intensely narrows your priorities and focus!

However, I'm about to head to this concert, and if you happen to check your blog aggregator in the next half hour, maybe you will too!

Central Conservatory of Music Chorus from Beijing, 8 pm, Sanders Theatre, Cambridge - and it's FREE!

Monday link

I just LOVE this Tumblr: So You're A Church Musician.

I don't agree with all the opinions expressed therein (for example, I'm all about new music!) but I do find all of it very funny! That opinion may be connected to the fact that it's not safe for work. :)

Also, honestly, if you are not a church musician, I can't vouch for whether you would find this remotely amusing. But if you have a church job, do check it out!

Weekend Concert Calendar, 6/8/12

You may have noticed that even by my low blogging standards, I'm not blogging much. That's because I'm in the process of moving house. I moved out of my old place a week ago; I'll be moving into my new place in a week; and I'm staying with very generous friends in the meantime. I'm also finishing up the church year; finishing up the school year for the elementary school I teach at; and starting my summer lecture series at Lasell Village. This year's topics: The Ten Greatest Choral Works (like last year) and The Works of Gilbert and Sullivan (new!) So things are rather topsy-turvy, but I am hopeful that by the end of June I will be unpacked and have all my ducks lined up.

In the meantime, let's see what we have going on!

Friday:

• Arlington-Belmont Chorale, "Annual Pops Concert," 7:45 pm, Arlington

Saturday:

• Boston Children's Chorus (with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra), Benefit to support the BLO's free summer series, 6:30 pm, Cambridge
• Blue Heron, "Song of Songs/Songs of Love", 8:00 pm, Cambridge

Sunday:

• Coro-Dante, Opera choruses from Idomeneo, Il Trovatore, Il Nuovo Mosè and Don Pasquale, 5:30 pm, Dante Alighieri Society, Cambridge
• Koleinu, "10th Anniversary Concert: Sound the Great Shofar and other Jewish choral favorites," 7:30 pm, Brookline
• Chorale Française de Boston, Choral works of Camille Saint-Saëns, Gabriel Fauré, and other composers, 7:30 pm, Cambridge

And on Tuesday, the Masterworks Chorale's Summer Sings begin!

Did I miss anything? Leave it in the comments!

Sing in the summer!

My annual Summer Sings post will be coming soon, but in the meantime, if you are looking for summer singing opportunities, consider joining the Harvard Summer Chorus! Here's some more information.

You are invited to participate in Harvard's Summer Chorus, an annual tradition now in its sixth decade. This year, we will perform includes Dvorak's Stabat Mater, opus 58. Rehearsals take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 7p-9:45p from June 26-August 2 (6 weeks) at Sanders Theatre/Memorial Hall in Cambridge. The concert on Friday August 3 features a professional orchestra and soloists. The choir consists of community members from Boston-area choruses, graduate students and undergraduates, and visiting high school students studying at Harvard's Summer School Program. 

For more information, see our website: http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~summerchorus/  

and find us on Facebook.

If you're interested in participating, please contact our manager through the link above!

Weekend Concert Calendar, 5/31/12

I am in the process of MOVING, so this post is going to be an open thread instead.

Know of a choral concert this weekend? Singing in one yourself? Leave some info!

Rachmaninoff for everyone!

Do you direct a women's chorus? Do you want to support good editions of music written for women? If so, contribute to this project my dear friend (and conductor extraordinaire) Amelia Nagoski is doing. She is producing an edition of Rachmaninoff's "Six Choruses for Women's Voices" with the Russian in IPA. (Hallelujah.) Right now that is not available anywhere, you have to struggle through the Russian yourself, or else use a very clunky transliteration. But Amelia's version will have beautiful clear lovely IPA for you to sing.

You can support her project, and secure a copy of the music when it comes out, by going to her Kickstarter! Kickstarter projects always have a very limited timeframe, so do it today!

Weekend Concert Calendar, 5/17/12

Oh yeah, it's May. Too many concerts to count!

Friday:

• Christ Church Adult Choir, Haydn's Creation, 7:30 pm, Cambridge
• Lorelei Ensemble, "AMass: Revolution, Resistance, and Progress," 8 pm, South Hamilton
• Lexington Pops Chorus, "A Night at the Opera!", 8 pm, Lexington
• New World Chorale, "The Beauty of Brahms," 8 pm, Newton

Saturday:

• New World Chorale, "The Beauty of Brahms," 3 pm, Newton
• Assabet Valley Mastersingers, "Music of the Theater," 7:30 pm, Clinton
• Wakefield Choral Society, "Spring Choral Concert," 7:30 pm, Wakefield
• Coro Allegro, "Rachmaninoff: A Mystical Journey into the Russian Soul," 8 pm, Boston
• Musica Sacra, "To Sleep, Perchance to Dream," 8 pm, Cambridge
• Mystic Chorale, "Sacred Rhythms," 8 pm, Boston
• Lorelei Ensemble, "AMass: Revolution, Resistance, and Progress," 8 pm, Brookline
• The Master Singers of Lexington, "The Natural World" - features the premiere of Temple of Natureby Patricia Van Ness, as well as works including Dvorak's In Nature, Hindemith's Six Chanson, and Schubert's Gott in der Natur. 8 pm, Lexington
• Cappella Clausura, "Outside the Walls," 8 pm, Cambridge 
• Convivium Musicum, "The Prince of Music, Orlandus Lassus," 8 pm, Cambridge 
• Lexington Pops Chorus, "A Night at the Opera!", 8 pm, Lexington
• Metropolitan Chorale of Brookline, "A Latin American Journey," 8 pm, West Roxbury

Sunday:

• Choral Art Society of the South Shore, Haydn's Mass in Time of War and Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem, 3 pm, Scituate
• Voices of MetroWest Chorus, "The Beat Goes On," 3 pm, Natick
• Mystic Chorale, "Sacred Rhythms," 3:30 pm, Boston 
• Cappella Clausura, "Outside the Walls," 4 pm, Jamaica Plain
• SingPositive, "SingPositive Spring Concert," 4 pm, Jamaica Plain
• Convivium Musicum, "The Prince of Music, Orlandus Lassus," 7 pm, Brookline 

And on Tuesday, check out the Greater Boston Intergenerational Chorus in Watertown at 7 pm. They'll be presenting their spring concert at the First Parish Church of Watertown.

Did I miss something? Want to advertise your own concert? Leave it in the comments!

Weekend Concert Calendar, 5/10/12

Wow, check out that Saturday night. Whew!

Friday:

• Masterworks Chorale, Honegger's King David, 8 pm, Cambridge
• Arlington-Belmont Chamber Chorus, "Spring Chamber Music Concert: Choral Settings of William Shakespeare," 8 pm, Arlington

Saturday:

• The deVaronistas, music of Bach, Weill and more, 4 pm, Cambridge
• Braintree Choral Society, music of Bernstein and Haydn, 7 pm, Braintree
• Sharing a New Song, "Sounds of Spring," 7:30 pm, Arlington
• Treble Chorus of New England, "Songs of Peace and Hope," 7:30 pm, Methuen
• Exsultemus, "O Rosa Bella: Music of Johannes Ciconia," 8:00 pm, Cambridge
• Cappella Clausura, "Outside the Walls," 8 pm, Newton
• Concord Chorus, Brahms' Requiem, 8 pm, Arlington
• Convivium Musicum, "Orlandissimo: Prince of Music," 8 pm, Worcester
• Cantata Singers, "In Thoughts, Our Dreams," 8 pm, Boston
• Newton Choral Society, "The Splendor of Bach," 8 pm, West Roxbury
• Cambridge Community Chorus, music of Corigliano and Schubert, 8 pm, Cambridge

Sunday:

• Exsultemus, "O Rosa Bella: Music of Johannes Ciconia," 3:00 pm, Boston
• MIT Chamber Chorus and Boston Korean Chorus, "Hope and Harmony - A Benefit Concert," 4 pm, 4:30 pm
• Sharing a New Song, "Sounds of Spring," 7:30 pm, Arlington

Did I miss anything? Leave it in the comments!

Weekend Concert Calendar, 5/3/12

Oh, man. It is one of the busiest choral weekends of the season, and I completely forgot about this yesterday - it's a busy weekend for me too! Rather than the usual, you are just going to get my picks for this weekend - one for each day.

On Friday, go see The Boston Cecilia and their program "Bright Lights on the Horizon." It's at 8 pm at First Church Cambridge, and among other awesome pieces it will feature a premiere of a new work by Scott Wheeler, inspired by Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes and called "Love Songs for Chorus and Piano Four Hands." This is maestro Teeters' last concert with Cecilia before he retires; not to be missed!

I have been hearing some great things about the rehearsals for the Back Bay Chorale's performance of Haydn's The Seasons, so on Saturday, go check that out! They will be at Sanders Theater in Cambridge at 8 pm, and this is going to be a wonderful rendition of that thrilling oratorio.

And on Sunday, there is NO other place to be than at First Parish Arlington, hearing Cantilena sing a program about "Making a Mess!" under my direction! We are going to sing about all kinds of messes, including shipwrecks, heartbreak, Armageddon, environmental disasters - you name it. It is a very fun program, and you won't want to miss it!