Pre-concert notes

What a great rehearsal last night! I'm ready for a great concert next week!

Before giving you notes, please fill out this form if you haven't already. (CLICK HERE)

These are basically the notes I gave in rehearsal. Please look them over with your music.

• Ave verum
• start pp...we'll build ONLY on the second page
• Laudate
• m.48-53, there is no breath! Sing it as one phrase
• Kyrie
• explode in "Ky" every time
• letter B is still piano
• Gloria
• there is no break from mm.7-12; keep it strong
• watch the cutoffs on "bis" throughout letter B
• m.67: watch the cutoff on "ctus"
• we will accelerate from mm.81-end
• Credo
• the basic dynamic is pp
• mm85-89 is still forte
• p21: note terraced dynamics during this page
• mm.129- end of page is still ff
• p. 25 is pp
• Sanctus
• p26: watch your slurs! Sing through each phrase for a consistent, full sound
• Agnus
• let the pp dynamic be a surprise each time, never get loud!

Remember: dress for men is all-black; ladies is all-black or black bottom w/ single color top

See you at 6pm on Tuesday!

Agenda for April 26, 2011

This is our final rehearsal before the concert! You all are sounding very good, and I'm delighted to see that we're bringing this to an even better level than I planned.

Please be prepared for a THREE HOUR rehearsal. It is very unlikely that we will need this time, but it is reserved for us in the event that there are some issues.

The rehearsal will begin with a FULL RUN of the program in order.

PROGRAM ORDER

• Ave verum
• Laudate
• Mass

Please put your music in this order before rehearsal.

CONCERT TIME

• Tuesday, May 3, 6pm warmup, 7pm concert

CONCERT DRESS

• men: all black, including black socks
• women: either all black OR black bottom with single colored top
• Questions: ask at rehearsal!

COMMENCEMENT

• Sunday May 22, 2pm on Framingham Town Green (parking at FSU)
• You have no idea how important it is to the chorus funding that we have good attendance at this event. Please click here to fill out this form to indicate whether or not you will be attending. Please, please, please try to come.

Agenda for April 19, 2011

Given the week off, we'll need to retouch every movement, preparing ourselves for the 7-10pm dress rehearsal on April 26.

This week, listen (at least once!) to the Mass and other works (see links to the right).

AGENDA

7-7:10 warmup
10-45 Laudate (This is currently our weakest piece, since it's the newest. We need to be perfect simply to match Rebecca's own perfection!)
45-55 Kyrie (I'm still concerned about rehearsal B.)
55-8:05 BREAK
5-15 Gloria (Rehearsal B is still problematic!)
15-30 Credo (Rehearsal E and G need work.)
30-40 Sanctus (we'll do some slow work again on Osanna)
40-50 Agnus (we'll just check alto/bass notes)

50-9:00 Ave verum

Agenda for April 12, 2011

That was a great rehearsal this week! There are still a few things to tweak, but we're in better shape than we've ever been before a performance.

First things first: Monday, April 11 is Investiture. Please meet in Dwight at the front left side of the stage at 1:15. (If you arrive a little late, it's ok.) Dress is all-black. Bring your music, which should include the school song. The ceremony will be done by 2:20.

Our soprano soloist Rebecca Teeters mentioned her concert this Sunday. Details are as follows:

• Sunday, April 10 1:30 pm
• Soprano Rebecca Teeters in recital
• First Church in Boston: 66 Marlborough St., Boston, MA
• “Words of Women: songs on texts by Emily Dickinson, Virginia Woolf and the Wives of Henry VIII” 
  with pianist Michael Strauss 
  
  Program
  Dominick Argento: From the Diary of Virginia Woolf 
  John Duke: Six Poems by Emily Dickinson 
  Libby Larsen: Try Me, Good King: Last Words of the Wives of Henry VIII
• $15/$10 suggested donation
• Click here for more information.

And now the agenda for Tuesday:


We don't have our soloists with us this week, so we basically need to check in on every movement. I will spend a little extra time with the altos, especially since they don't have the help of a soloist.

7-7:10 warmup
10-45 Laudate (This is currently our weakest piece, since it's the newest. We need to be perfect simply to match Rebecca's own perfection!)
45-55 Kyrie (I'm still concerned about rehearsal B.)
55-8:05 BREAK
5-15 Gloria (Rehearsal B is still problematic!)
15-30 Credo (Rehearsal E and G need work.)
30-40 Sanctus (we'll do some slow work again on Osanna)
40-50 Agnus (we'll just check alto/bass notes)

Wikipedia on the Schubert Mass

The Wikipedia article on our Mass includes a recording by the MIT Concert Choir. Note how they mispronounce the vowel "e", particularly in the Kyrie! Nevertheless, it's a very solid performance and worth listening to.