Thank you again for another very productive rehearsal! If you missed tonight, please make sure you review these notes and make the appropriate markings in your music so that you will be caught up when we resume on the 29th. Work with those study tracks and of course, have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Rehearsal Notes

S’vivon
Pay attention to dynamics throughout, especially last page
Page 4: this section should be smoother & sweeter than the beginning and end
Pronunciation: “ch” is always a gutteral “k” sound like the German “Ach” – never “ch” as in cheese!
Breaths as marked throughout
Watch for cutoffs on fermatas; break & breath after each one
Last “sov” – accented attack, then quiet immediately, then crescendo until cutoff

There Shall A Star From Jacob Come Forth
Dynamics as marked throughout; beginning needs to be very quiet to allow room to grow
Breaths on page 6-top of 16 are only at rests or before the repitition of “there shall a star”
Page 10: substantial change in tone and emotion; needs to be intense and emphatic, accented as marked
Bring out all instances of the beginning of the phrases (“there shall a star” and “and dash in pieces”)
Page 13 – stays forte! Do not decrescendo until top of 14
Chorale, page 16: needs a clear, rounded, bell-like tone quality; listen carefully and sing as one voice
Breaths page 16-end: ***These are edited from what I gave at rehearsal because I am a dope. Please correct your markings!***
top of pg 18, after glowing; top of 19, after Jesus; bottom of 19, after bestowing

Summer in Winter Carol
Think light & dancing; enunciate words and be precise on rhythms
Dynamics as marked: each verse gets softer!
Watch for 9/8 measures
Measures 33-end are very hushed, like a lullaby, with just a slight swell on “Lifts earth to heaven”
Breaths and no breaths as printed

Solstice Song
This piece needs a rich, lush, chest-voice feel, especially in the alto melody
Rehearsal letter B: Altos still have melody; other voices hold back a bit
Be very careful with syncopated rhythms at rehearsal C and F
“Do do dos” at rehearsal E need to be very light, a little staccato; listening & counting carefully; we will do this part a capella!
Watch for ritard at last four measures, but not before

Christmas Candles
It’s a cheesy piece; embrace the cheese! Look like you are enjoying it!
After rehearsal D: slow down a little and give it a hymn-like quality; slight ritard at m. 54 when tenors resolve the chord, then a tempo at E
Page 6: lower voices, bring out the echos & embellishments
Rehearsal G: careful with rhythms at m. 77, 84, and 86
Soprano I sings the top line at rehearsal H; Soprano II on the lower staff with the altos
Fake whistling if you can’t whistle!
Rehearsal J: Soprano I on top again (and through to the end)
Watch for the ritard & fermata leading into rehearsal K
Last page needs to be strong and confident!

Peace, Peace
Be careful of the entrances; hear the pitch in your head first
Repititions of “peace, peace” need to be connected so there aren’t extraneous “s” sounds

We have had to move our final rehearsals for this semester to a different location. This Thursday, Nov. 15th, we will be rehearsing at our concert venue, St. John’s Lutheran Church in Palmer. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for understanding!

Thank you all for your excellent work tonight, and in taking time to prepare for rehearsal! If you were not present, I am providing a recap of notes that should be marked in your music so you will be caught up. Next week we will do targeted work on the pieces we did not cover today. Since we have only three more rehearsals before our concert, please make every effort not to miss them. Thank you!

Rehearsal Notes

Do You Hear What I Hear
Full Piece: intensely rhythmic & precise; dynamics as marked
m. 20: no breath after “kite,” “sea”
m. 23: quick cutoff & be ready for next verse
m. 28, 32, 43, 47: please check these rhythms with the study tracks
m. 39: no breath after “gold”
m. 45: REST!
m. 46: tenors/basses, loud like a fanfare
m. 54: “light” is a half note followed by a quarter rest; watch rhythm on “He will”
mm. 56-59: watch for cutoffs; precise consonants

Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella
Full piece: keep it light & bouncy; enunciate words clearly; be prepared for entrances after 3/8 measures; stagger breathing except for rests; each verse louder than the last
m. 13, 16: the “Ah”s are more like eighth notes
m. 60, 62, 73, 75: watch the dotted rhythms; different from earlier verses
m. 83-end: no ritard.

The Star Carol
Full piece: Rubato throughout, so watch! Dynamic shaping is crescendo to m. 7, begin decrescendo at m. 11, end each verse at same volume as beginning
1st time: mezzo-forte; all voices on words
2nd time: solo; chorus “ooh” underneath, piano
3rd time: mezzo-piano; on words; Soprano I on descant; molto rit. last three measures

What Sweeter Music
Full piece: very smooth and exceedingly sweet, as if in awe; watch for rubato sections; work those study tracks!
m. 20, 36, 50, 69: Fermata cutoffs lead directly into next entrance. Please follow carefully at the next rehearsal, as this can’t really be explained well in text.
mm. 57-61: lower voices, please review this; should be a rich, full, confident sound
Dynamics will be reviewed next week

The Holly & the Ivy
Full piece: Bright, dancing; count and watch carefully! All 4/4 measures have a breath after the half note, whether or not there is a rest; repetitions of “sweet singing” have a slight lift, not a full breath, after “singing”
m. 47, 74: 5 beats to these measures!
m. 64-65: staggered cutoffs on “all” and entrances on “Oh”; watch for cues

Look-A That Star
Full piece: Fuller, more confident sound throughout, even the quiet sections!
m. 43: ritard. here, watch carefully
m. 45: direction is in 4 here, about half as fast as first section. Watch for faster movement on “Oh” in measure 52
m. 57: fast tempo returns; keep the energy up
m. 73-end: please review these parts; does not slow down!

Jazz Gloria
Full piece: syncopated rhythms need to be very precise; listen for each other part for balance
Sopranos, review the “Alleluia” section pgs. 6-8
Pure latin vowels on “Gloria in excelsis Deo”
Slight breath after “Gloria” every time

Chanukah Blessing
Full piece: review pronunciation; dynamics as written
m. 7-8: “ooh” entrances need to be more confident, even though they’re piano
m. 23, 24: begin the phrases on the downbeat, not before!
m. 40: cutoff after 3 beats, piano has fermata; prep beat of 4 is given before “Amein” entrance; watch for slower tempo

Remember, this week we’ll be starting our rehearsal with auditions for the solos in Chanukah Blessing, The Star Carol, and Look-A That Star. You can review the parts at http://www.matsucommunitychorus.org/membership/study-tracks/ if needed. See you soon!

Study tracks for our October 4th songs and for the first few Christmas songs have been posted. Head over to http://www.matsucommunitychorus.org/membership/study-tracks/ to listen or download them!

Also, please note that the remainder of the songs for our Christmas concert will be handed out this Thursday. It will also be our last rehearsal before heading to the Glenn Massay theater next Tuesday for a run-through of the college’s anniversary event. Come prepared to work hard and have fun as we finish putting the program together!

Hello choristers! I hope you’ve been enjoying this fabulous autumn weather! Please take a few minutes before tomorrow’s rehearsal to review the songs we’ve covered so far. You can find Youtube videos on our Study Tracks page:

Study Tracks

This week we’ll be polishing our songs for the October 4th concert, including the Alaska Flag Song, reviewing the work we’ve done so far on Christmas music and learning some new sections of What Sweeter Music, Solstice Song, and There Shall A Star from Jacob Come Forth. If you are singing a solo on Octover 4th or participating in one of the smaller group pieces, please be prepared to stay until 9:15 to go over those.

Thanks for the hard work you’ve put in already! This is going to be a wonderful season!

Get ready for the 2018-19 season! In addition to our winter concert during Colony Christmas in Palmer, we’re very excited to be partnering with Mat-Su College to celebrate it’s 60th anniversary. The chorus will sing top songs from each decade that the college has been in existence. The upcoming semester will be intense, but lots of fun! We can’t wait to see you at the first rehearsal!

Hello Chorus Members!

As one of the organizations Matanuska Electric Association sponsors, we have been invited to a reception prior to their Annual Meeting on Tuesday, April 3rd.

The reception is from 4-5pm at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center on Clapp Street in Wasilla. If you are an MEA customer and stay for the meeting (beginning at 6pm) you’ll also get $10 off of your next bill! We hope to see you there to show our appreciation for MEA’s sponsorship!

Study tracks for most of the songs for our Christmas Concert are now available. The remainder will be up soon. Happy Practicing!

Find the study tracks here: http://www.matsucommunitychorus.org/membership/study-tracks/

A big welcome and welcome back to all the folks who came to our first rehearsal on Thursday. It’s not too late to bring a friend to join us! The first of the study tracks has been posted; find them at http://www.matsucommunitychorus.org/membership/study-tracks/ or click on “Study Tracks” under the “Membership” tab in the navigation menu.

Download the season’s syllabus here.

Don’t forget to link us to your Fred Meyer card and get the word out about Sponsor-Your-Singer!