Moving to IL, and goodbye to Lasell

It would seem that I am quite overdue for an update on this blog, but it's really been a rather eventful month.

All this year I spent applying to DMA programs in choral conducting. Earlier in April I found out that I have been accepted to the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and I will be moving there in August to study with Dr. Andrew Megill, who was just appointed Director of Choral Activities there in March. Needless to say, I am very happy about this; working with Dr. Megill ten years ago while doing my Masters at Westminster was wonderful, and I am looking forward to three more years of learning, especially at such a huge and terrific school.

Last night was my first set of good-bye's. The Lasell College Chorus, which I have directed since the fall of 2009, did a program of music from video games (plus two songs from Wicked.) They sounded great, and I was particularly pleased with their rendition of my arrangement of "Still Alive" from Portal (which I intend to post here on the blog when I get permission to make the sheet music available.) And then at the end of the concert they totally surprised me by getting up and singing "Seize the Day" from Newsies, which is one of my favorite Broadway pieces, and a song we had sung several times in years past. I was blown away that they had found the time to get together and rehearse during the busiest week of the semester. And they sounded really good, too! It was a very satisfying and emotional evening. I'm so proud of my kids! (I refer to anyone in any of my choruses under the age of 25 as "my kids.")

Next up is my final concert with Cantilena this coming Sunday, May 4 at 4 pm. Stay tuned for more info about that!

Job openings

Job openings with H&H for conductors in Boston. You're welcome!

Samson Recommends...Buxtehude!

Hey, it's been a while since we did a Friday cat post!

Samson had some dental surgery last month, but I am happy to say he appears to be doing well. And he would like to recommend some music to you! Have you heard The Sixteen's recording of Buxtehude's Membra Jesu Nostri? It's quite excellent, and Samson recommends you give it a listen!

P.S. I had to mess around with the photo layout quite a lot - let me know how it looks in your browser?

Opportunistic Tuesdays

Mark your calendars - Harvard is going to be hosting a symposium "exploring the neurological, therapeutic, and social benefits of community singing."

On Friday, April 11, the group Joyful Noise will be joining the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum for a concert under the direction of Alice Parker. The concert will be at 8 pm in Sanders Theatre, and tickets are available through the Harvard Box Office.

On Saturday, there will be an all-day symposium where musicians, researchers, and disability advocates will explore the intersections of music and disability, neuroscience, wellness, and community. Renowned conductor, composer, and educator, Alice Parker, and Joyful Noise, a chorus of adults with significant physical and/or neurological disabilities, will lead symposium attendees in song.

For more information, and for the symposium schedule, check out the Harvard website, or the Facebook event.

Alice Parker is not to be missed - if you are free, you should definitely try to get to one or both of these events!

Opportunistic Tuesdays

I'll just leave this here, in case anyone is interested!

The Boston Landmarks Orchestra is thrilled to announce the return of its One City Choir this summer! The choir will be featured on Opening Night of the orchestra's 2014 season of concerts at the DCR's Hatch Shell on July 16. The featured choral work will be Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. 

 The One City Choir, launched in the summer of 2012, is a large symphonic choir comprising committed and passionate singers from all of Boston’s 20 neighborhoods and many surrounding communities. The choir takes its name from the words of Boston civic leader Hubie Jones, who has advocated that “Boston can be one city through art and culture.” All singers in the Boston area who have experience singing in choirs are invited to join the One City Choir. 

The choir will be joined by the Back Bay Chorale. Scott Allen Jarrett, music director of the Back Bay Chorale, will prepare the choir, and Landmarks Orchestra Music Director Christopher Wilkins will conduct the performance. Members of the One City Choir will perform some movements of Carmina Burana, and the Back Bay Chorale will perform the rest.

Boston Landmarks Orchestra will provide access to practice copies for you to learn your music, and sufficient original printed copies will be obtained for the performance. An online pronunciation guide for the Latin and German text will also be provided. 

 Rehearsals are scheduled as follows: 
 Monday, July 7, 7-10 pm (choir and piano—One City Choir movements will be rehearsed first) location TBA 

Tuesday, July 8, 7-10 pm (choir and piano—One City Choir movements will be rehearsed first) location TBA 

Monday, July 14, 7-10 pm (choir, piano, and percussion) location TBA 

Tuesday, July 15, 7-10 pm (choir, soloists, and full orchestra): Christian Science Auditorium, 235 Huntington Ave., Boston (across the street from Symphony Hall, behind Horticultural Hall) 

Wednesday July 16, 5:30-6:30 pm at the Hatch Shell (concert is at 7:00 pm) Rain Location: Back Bay Events Center, John Hancock Hall, 180 Berkeley Street, Boston 

Locations for the other rehearsals will be announced shortly. Please note that the choir will be standing on risers throughout second half of the concert (approximately 65 minutes of music). If you are unable to stand for this length of time, we will make every effort to accommodate you, but until we know the final size of the choir, we cannot determine if we can fit chairs or stools on the stage. 

 If you would like to participate in the One City Choir this year, please send an e-mail with the information below to choir@landmarksorchestra.org. If you should have any questions or concerns, please call our Production Hotline at (617) 870-3910. 

Information to send:
 Name: 
 Phone Number: 
 Email: 
 Voice Part: 
 Choir Affiliation (if any): 
 Hometown/Neighborhood:

We hope you join us!

Thursday link

This article on how orchestras (and artistic ensembles in general) should consider rooting themselves in their particular homes and places is really good. The particular case in question is the resurrection of the Minnesota Orchestra, but the thoughts in the article (comparing fines wines and the concept of "terroir" to musical ensembles) could apply to any kind of artist. Hat-tip to my father.

Monday link

For your amusement, a fairly new Tumblr - Composers Doing Normal Shit. (Hey, Mom, I didn't name it.)

Every entry is totally delightful - and how much do I love that Caroline Shaw is on there? A lot!

Story about Caroline Shaw - I went to see the ensemble Roomful of Teeth at Wellesley last spring and they performed two of her compositions. And they were GREAT, and I remember thinking, "I need to commission her before she gets super-famous and completely out of my price range." One week later, she won the Pulitzer Prize. I console myself with the thought that at least my instincts are good.

Community Sing!

The Messiah Sings of Christmas Past are over, and the summer sings are (clearly, if you stick your head outside) not yet upon us. So what is the Boston singer to do?

Well, happily the Zamir Chorale has stepped into the breach! Sunday, March 9 at 1:30 pm, join the Zamir Chorale and director Joshua Jacobson at the Newton City Hall to sing choruses from Handel's Judas Maccabeus. More info is here; the address is 1000 Commonwealth Ave, Newton, MA (and again, note the unusual time of 1:30 pm.) Scores will be available for those who don't have their own.

Spotlight on a job!

I usually don't post awesome jobs here, because usually I want to apply for them MYSELF. :) But this job is far away from me, so I'll share.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, VA is searching for a Director of Music and Arts. Full-time UU positions don't come along every day, so have at it!

Friday cat post!

After a very darling picture of a boy reading to a cat got popular on Reddit, everyone learned about this great program in Pennsylvania where kids get practice reading by going into shelters and reading to shelter cats. You can read about it (and see the cute pictures) here and here!

New England Early Music Calendar - Revived!

The New England Early Music Calendar, that most excellent of resources, is back in a new reincarnation. Check it out!

Workshops for singers!

Hear ye! En guard! Mind the gap! (Well, maybe not the last two.)

My voice teacher, Emily Romney, is holding several workshops for singers this spring, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking to take their singing to the next level, while perhaps being leery of any major additional time commitment in your life. Check it out! She is a warm, lovely person with an amazing amount of wisdom about vocal pedagogy.

Here is some more info:

The New School of Music: Workshop Series for Choral and Solo Singers
Do you feel your singing voice has greater potential than you can realize on your own? Would you like to know more about how your voice works and improve your singing?

Here's an excellent opportunity to do just that.

"The Living Instrument & How It Works"

Emily Romney, workshop leader
This series of three Sunday afternoon vocal workshops are designed to develop greater sensitivity to and confidence in your breathing, body alignment, and tone quality. Each session will include singing activities, useful information and sharing of ideas.

Workshop Dates (all Sundays) in spring 2014: Feb 16th, March 16th & April 27th
To Register & for more Information:
New School of Music
25 Lowell Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617.492.8105
info@newschoolofmusic.org

Friday cat post!

This program in Louisiana looks fantastic - cats, vets, and prison inmates, all helping each other.

(I'm totally aware that perhaps I should rename this blog "A Cat-Lover's Blog, and Also Occasionally Musical Tidbits," but I do have some ideas on revitalizing things in this online corner in a month or two. Stay tuned!)

Cantilena auditions!

Hear ye, hear ye, Cantilena is holding auditions for our spring semester! Our program is called ""Immoveable Objects, Unstoppable Forces", and it will have everything from Schubert to Sojourner Truth. We are particularly looking for low altos. Looooow altos. If you know any, please send them my way! If you are one, come try out! Audition info at our website!

Annual Messiah Sing Post!

Here it is, your annual Messiah Sings post for 2013! Late as usual. But there are still quite a lot of sings coming up! If I missed any that you know of, leave a comment!

Upcoming:

Fri. 12/6: Messiah Sing to benefit Project Bread. 7:30 pm. At All Saints Parish, Brookline. Tickets $10/$5 stu&sen. Scores provided, or bring your own. (You can still make it!)

Sun. 12/8: Nashoba Valley Chorale annual Messiah Sing. 3:00 pm. At the Congregational Church of Littleton. More info here.

Sun. 12/8: Sudbury Memorial Congregational Church Annual Messiah Sing. 3:00 pm. At Sudbury Memorial Congregational Church, Sudbury. More info here.

Sun. 12/8: Carter Memorial United Methodist Church Messiah Sing. 3 pm. At the Carter Memorial United Methodist Church, Needham. Scores available, or bring your own. More info here.

Sun. 12/8: JP Concerts Messiah Sing-a-long. 7:00 pm. At St. John's Episcopal Church, Jamaica Plain. Suggested donation $10. Scores provided, or bring your own. More info here.

Tues. 12/10: Brandeis University Messiah Sing. 4 pm. At the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium, Brandeis University. Free admission. Scores available, or bring your own. More info here.
 
Wed. 12/11: Cathedral Church of St. Paul Annual Messiah Sing. 12:15 pm. At the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, downtown Boston. More info here.

Fri. 12/13: Masterworks Chorale annual Messiah Sing. 8:00 pm. At Cary Hall, Lexington. Suggested donation $12. Scored provided, or bring your own. More info here.

Fri. 12/13: Roxbury Latin School Concert and Messiah Sing. 7:30 pm. At the Roxbury Latin School, West Roxbury. Free admission. Scores provided, or bring your own. More info here.

Sat. 12/14: Masterworks Chorale annual Messiah Sing. 8:00 pm. At Cary Hall, Lexington. Suggested donation $12. Scored provided, or bring your own. More info here.

Sun. 12/15: Assabet Valley Mastersingers Messiah Sing. 3:30 pm. At St. Mark's School in Southborough. Scores available, or bring your own. More info here.

Sun. 12/15: St. Peter's Church in Weston Messiah Sing. 4:00 pm. At St. Peter's Church, Weston. Free admission. Limited scores available, or bring your own. More info here.

Sun. 12/22: Harvard Unitarian Church Messiah Sing. 5:00 pm. At the Harvard Unitarian Church in Harvard, MA. More info here.

Sun. 12/22: Belmont Open Sings Messiah Sing. 7:30 pm. At All Saint's Church, Belmont. Tickets $10.  Scores provided, or bring your own. More info here.  

Passed:

Thurs. 12/5: Annual Dunster House Messiah Sing. 8:00 pm. At Dunster House, Harvard. More info here. 


Merry Messiah season to everyone!

Cantilena concert this Sunday!

Cantilena's winter concert is this coming Sunday, and I hope you all come!

I am very proud of the pieces on this concert - we are (of course!) doing Britten's A Ceremony of Carols in honor of his 100th birthday year. We're also doing Paul Csonka's Concierto de Navidad, a very cool piece that I was introduced to by our awesome harpist, Barbara Poeschl-Edrich. The pieces are very different, and compliment each other nicely, and we have worked very hard on both!

The concert will be this Sunday at 4 pm. We'll be performing at First Parish Arlington, 630 Mass Ave, Arlington, MA. And there will of course be a delicious reception afterwards!

Hope to see you there!

Friday cat post!

It's been a while since we've had a Friday cat post, but my mother sent along this article last week, and I thought I would share. I think you will find it very helpful in planning your next vacation!

Anthology new music concerts this weekend!

Anthology, my women's vocal quartet, is starting our fall season with a concert of world premieres, written particularly for us by six members of the Boston Composers' Coalition! Join us this weekend, in person or online, to experience six unique pieces of new music by Heather Gilligan, PoChun Wang, Brett Abigana, Andrew Smith, Ramon Castillo and Justin Casinghino! (To pique your interest, I will say that one of these pieces is something I would definitely like to program again with a women's choir; and another is one of the cleverest pieces of new music I have ever sung.)

Friday, October 4th at 8 pm (7:30 pm pre-concert reception) at
The Green Room (thegreenroomsomerville.com)
62 Bow Street, Somerville, MA
Come and join us in this intimate new performance space for a salon-style evening of new music, conversation and refreshments. Be warned: we expect this concert to sell out, so get there early!

Saturday, October 5th at 8 pm at
Killian Hall, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
160 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA

Both concerts are free and open to all. Details concerning both concerts and directions to venues can all be found at: www.bostoncomposers.org
If you can't attend the concert in person, you can also visit the website during concert time to be connected to a live stream of each event. 

 

We have worked our tails off on this concert, and there is so much variety and invention on the program that there is sure to be something for everyone! Hope to see you this weekend, either in person or in cyberspace!

Sing with Cantilena!

My women's chorus Cantilena is singing Britten's Ceremony of Carols this semester! We're pairing that with Concierto de Navidad by Paul Csonka, an Austrian-Cuban-American 20th-century composer (he had to keep running away from fascists.)

Auditions are tonight, and also next week. Come to First Parish Arlington at 7:30 pm either tonight or 9/23 and join an awesome, friendly group for some great singing!

Who wouldn't want to sing this?

Cats have vocal prowess!

Apparently some cats employ what is called a "soliciting purr" to get food from owners.

I wish Samson would talk to those cats. He just meow, meow, meows when he wants to nag me about something!