Tonight's fireside CANCELLED - possible reschedule for 12/16

The fireside tonight has been CANCELLED.  However, we are discussing the possibility of RESCHEDULING for next Sunday 12/16.  This event has been well publicized so we feel it would be worth rescheduling. 

I will send out another e-mail and post on the blog as soon as we know if it is rescheduled.  If you are unable to perform next Sunday, please reply ASAP by tonight so we can plan accordingly.  If we're missing too many people, it may not be possible to give the fireside.  If I don't hear from you, I'll assume you will be performing. 

Thanks so much for your service!!! 

Warmest regards,
Erin

November 1, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

Hi everyone! Great rehearsal last night! So just a reminder, our concert order for Nov 9 & 10 is: Johnny, Pilgrim Song, Cindy and Come Thou Fount, although I'm not certain if we are singing Come Thou Fount on the 10th, but I guess we'll find out next week :)

We stayed in SATB for the entire rehearsal last night. During the first half we worked o our concert pieces, making sure we are familiar with all of the markings and dynamics. It is VERY important, if you are uncertain about certain areas of your music, to practice at home. As Erin reminded us, it is a requirement in our Membership Guide to practice our music outside of rehearsal. I would like to once again offer, if anyone is in need of help learning their part, I am more than willing to come and help you, no matter where you live, or how late or how early you need me to help. I am serious. If you want/need help, don't be shy. My number is 651-402-9682, so now you have no excuses :)

After rehearsing the concert pieces, we went through The Hand that First Held Mary's Child. We need to make sure we pay attention to the dynamic markings that Erin gave us several weeks ago. This song is dependent on the dynamics and the flow. Erin reminded us to think of certain colors that associate with the mood of the song and it should help us with our emtion. Then we went through Virgin Mary (memorize it!). I was happy to see a couple of altos without their music for the most part, so I'm hoping that next time we go through this piece to see even more people without their music. It is a very simple and short song. We can do it! Oh, and Erin had us change all of the words that start with -th to a -d sound, so instead of The Virgin Mary, it would be Duh Virgin Mary. Also, we are no longer making a -k sound on the word glory. Then finally, we went through Sussex Carol. The rhythm is very tricky in this piece, so please be sure to go over it at home. Thanks!

~Laura

Oct 25, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

Hi everyone! Great rehearsal on Thursday! I know we all learned a lot.

First of all, I just want to reiterate the confirmed concert dates & times:

Thanksgiving concert: Nov. 9 ~ Call time: 5:30pm
Rosedale Center Concert: Nov. 10 ~ Call time: 3:45pm
Rochester Concert: Dec 1 ~ Call time: 4:45pm
Christmas concert: Dec 7 ~ Call time: 6:00pm
Fireside @ Mpls Stake Center: Dec 9 ~ Call time: 6:00pm (as far as we know)

I also wanted to remind everyone that I need about 6-7 ushers for the concert in two weeks, so if you have family members who are willing to do that for me, let me know so I can get them the info they need.

Okay, so for rehearsal notes: we only have 2 more rehearsals before our Thanksgiving concert. Eek! I think we all realize after Thursday's rehearsal that we need to super oober make sure we know our notes. We won't have time to do anymore sectionals during rehearsal, so it is super important to go over your part outside of rehearsal and make sure you know your part.

We stayed in SATB the entire evening on Thursday. The pieces we went through are: Johnny, Gloria, Cindy, Go Tell It on the Mountain, While Shepherds Watched Their flocks, and First Nowell. Please review these at home so we can come to rehearsal next week ready to conquer them :)

~Laura

Oct. 11, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

Hello, everyone! You all did such a wonderful job on Friday at the fireside! It was such a wonderful event to be involved in. I loved hearing all of the different musicians. We have such amazing talents in the Church!

In Sectionals we worked on the following pieces:
Come, Come Ye Saints ~ Men, mm. 8-34 and Women, mm. 1-17. The women worked on making their sound unified and without vibrato. It is very difficult to sing this beginning without vibrato. Also, on the word Come, we need to make sure to close to the M immediately. I tried to have you all envision stalwartly marching closer and closer to your destination as one. It seemed to help as well when we made sure the rhythm was right on.
Sussex Carol ~ We ran through mm. 52-end making sure we knew the rhythm and then singing the notes. This section was similar to the beginning of the song, so the rhythm was easier to pick up. In measure 55 be sure to pronounce "the" as thee because the following word starts with a vowel. So it should be ''thee angels".
Go Tell It On The Mountain ~ We reviewed mm. 40-end. I had the women stand in a circle and imagine they were telling a story. Add some soul and have some fun!
For Unto Us ~ We reviewed mm. 26-72, making sure that each phrase has movement and as always, tall vowels :)
Finally we went through mm. 24-39 of Pilgrim Song. The sopranos will sing with the altos at measure 24 and then split off to their own part on measure 31 after the word "story."

In SATB we worked on:
Come, Come Ye Saints ~ We ran through the entire piece.
The Spirit of God ~ We ran through the entire piece. (We will be turning this piece in on Thursday)
Pilgrim Song ~ We went through the Forever section and Erin wants to make sure we get the entire phrase "I'm going to live forever" out so the audience will understand it.
Lastly, we sang through Cindy (memorized)...it was a little shaky, so be sure you have your parts memorized.

Thanks, and have a great week!
~Laura

Oct. 4, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

Hi everyone! Sorry I slacked off this weekend...I'm using Conference as my excuse :)

In sectionals we worked on While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks, Letter I to the end. We need to make sure our phrasing flows in each section. We then refreshed our memories with Go Tell It On The Mountain. Be sure to practice the rhythms in this piece outside of rehearsal because they are a little tricky and it will be easier during rehearsal if you know your part. We then went over the runs in For Unto Us A Child is Born. Be sure to have good breath support and know where the notes are going in each run. You don't want to be surprised... Then we sang mm. 32-end of Pilgrim Song.  Be sure to have tall vowels. Finally we reviewed Cindy, mm. 1-50. This piece will be memorized, so you should all be working on this outside of rehearsal.

In SATB we sang through Come, Come Ye Saints, which is one of the pieces we will be performing this Friday at the fireside. ( We will also be performing The Spirit of God and A Child's Prayer). Be sure you know your parts for these three songs. Thanks! Have a great week!
~Laura

Sep 20, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

We are taking tshirt orders! Yay! I will be taking remaining orders next week and I need everyone's money that night as well because I have to pay upon ordering. If you have checks, make them out to Laura Michels.

Also, just a reminder that next week is the MMC Autumn Party.Altos and Basses are in charge of treats, so let's bring it!

We received two new pieces this week: The Spirit of God (will be performed on Oct. 12) and Angels We Have Heard on High. If you did not receive either of these, make sure to talk to John Horton before rehearsal next week.

In sectionals the women worked on Come Thou Fount with Erin. We need to make sure we have tall vowels and enunciate all of the words, paying special attention to consonants at the beginning and end of words. When words have two syllables, be sure to stress the first syllable and back off on the second.  The men worked on Johnny with Barb.  We then worked on While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks, mm. 76-end. It is very important that we all know our notes in this piece. There are a few tricky places, so practice at home and know your notes :)  We then worked on The Spirit of God. The men went over mm. 48-80 and 87-103. The women covered 87-end. Then we worked on The Virgin Mary, mm. 73-end. This piece is going to be memorized, so be sure to work on that during the week. I have found it helps to listen to the Motab version on youtube. I had it memorized in 2 days. If I can do it, anyone can :)  Lastly, we worked on the stomp/clap section in Cindy. This is another thing that will be helpful if you learn it at home. If you need help, please let me know because I am more than willing to help anyone who needs it.

In SATB we ran through A Child's Prayer and While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks with Barb. Then we did mm. 87-end of The Spirit of God, making sure we had the notes down. Finally, we worked on The Virgin Mary, mm 73-end. Erin had us change the pronunciation of Believer to buh-lee-vuh. We also need to make sure to not sing the k for gloria as hard.

Have a great week!

Sep. 13, 2012 Rehearsal notes

In Sectionals we worked on When Johnny Comes Marching Home, While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks, Virgin Mary and Cindy.

In Johnny, the women worked on pronouncing Johnny witha Ch- at te beginning...so it's Chonny. We need to make sure our vowels are tall and that we enunciate.

On Virgin Mary, we rehearsed, mm. 66-96. We need to be sure to note where the staccato notes are throughout the piece and be sure to cut off right away when we sing those notes. We need to have a darker  sound in our voices. We worked on getting our rhythms correct as well as notes.

On Cindy, we figured out who is going to be singing in Choir 1 and Choir 2, so there should be no more confusion. This piece will be memorized.

In SATB, we worked on Johnny, Gloria In Excelsis Deo, The Hands That First Held Mary's Child, and Cindy.

On Mary's Child, we worked on mm. 66-96. Erin had us circle the first and third syllables of most measures so that we can stress the important words. In four four time, the first and third syllables are usually stressed more than the second and fourth. In mm. 70, w need  change the quarter note on side to an eighth note with an eighth rest because there will be a quick break. In mm. 72 we need to change the dotted half note to a half note with a quarter rest. There is a breath afte the word anger in mm 73. In mm. 76 Erin is going to have us break after we sing Let Us, so pay attention to her at this point because she will be stretching out the phrase. We need to be sure in mm. 78 to not breathe between the words "hold" and "the." It is also very important to be completely in unison for the final phrase  starting in measure 84.

We worked on the ending of Cindy. Erin had us imagine a church revival when we sing the Hallelu! (choir 1) We need to be sure to enunciate during this section as well (choir 2).


We were so blessed to have Presidnt Wiberg come speak to us before rehearsal, and I am so grateful for his words. He reminded us that what we are doing is so very important and we do touch lives, even if we don't see it right now. He said that we have become a resource to the Church and we will be called upon to perform more often. He is such a sweet man and he will be missed when he gets released.

~Laura

2012 Chorale Retreat!

Hi everyone! I had a fantastic time at the retreat this past weekend! I am so glad to have gotten to know everyone better! I have a few pics to post right now, but I'm sure more will pop up soon :) Thanks to everyone who helped make the retreat super awesome!!!

~Laura

2012-2013 Audition Info

Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a fantastic summer! I just thought I'd post audition info just in case anyone has any referrals.


Orchestra AuditionsThe MN Mormon Chorale is adding an orchestra this season for Handel's 'Messiah' and Rob Gardner's "Lamb of God". A string orchestra will rehearse weekly from September through March, Thursday evenings from 7-9 at the St. Paul Stake Center.  Winds, brass and percussion will be selected at the beginning of the season, but will only join rehearsals two or three weeks before the performance.
Auditions will be held on Thursday, August 16th and 23rd at the St. Paul Stake Center in New Brighton.  For more information or to schedule an audition, please contact Laura Michels at minnesotamormonchorale@gmail.com  Please include your name, stake, instrument and contact information. 

MN Mormon Chorale AuditionsThe Minnesota Mormon Chorale invites all vocalists to audition for our 2012-2013 season! Vocal auditions will be held Aug 16 & 23 at the St. Paul Stake Center in New Brighton. For more information or to schedule an audition, please contact Laura Michels at minnesotamormonchorale@gmail.com. Please include your name, stake, vocal part and contact info. Various volunteer positions are also available; please contact us if interested.


Thanks, everyone, and let me know if you have any questions.
~Laura

Congratulations to Erin!

Hi everyone! I hope you are all having an amazing summer so far! I just wanted to update everyone that doesn't already know...Erin had her baby! All the details are on her blog http://www.thematterinlife.blogspot.com/.
Have a great day!
~Laura

Hi all! Chris Miklya requested that I post his recital info on the blog in case anyone wanted to attend:

Monday May 7th at 7PM at the White Bear Unitarian Church 328 Maple Street, Mahtomedi, MN. It is a free concert for all.

Thanks! See you all Thursday!
~Laura

April 26, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

In Sectionals last night the women worked on For The Beauty. Barb reminded us to be sure to stay on top of those higher notes so we don't sound flat. We also need to make sure there's movement in each phrase. The men worked on Pirate Song. Then we worked on memorizing the second half of Cindy and reviewed the stomp/clap section.

In SATB we first worked on Little Potato, sections J-end. Barb emphasized that we need to get our entrances on the first note. We also need to pay attention to the what volume we are supposed to sing at. The only time we should be at a forte is at section K. At the last couple of measures we need to watch Barb for the slower tempo to the end of the song.
Then we worked on My Soul's Been Anchored. We mostly concentrated on mm. 83-end. Once again, we need to be sure to come in strong on our first notes so the phrases make sense and sound good. We need to have a dark tone. At mm. 86 we are at pianissimo, 87 piano, 88 mezzo piano, 89-90 mezzo forte, 91-93 forte, and by the time we get to the end of mm. 94 we should be at a fortissimo. We hadn't gone over this piece in a few weeks, so please make sure to go over it at home this week to make sure we know it well by next week.
Next we went through A Child's Prayer. Barb had us add I Am A Child of God to the beginning of the song. We will be singing the first verse in parts before starting A Child's Prayer. I will make copies out of the hymnal this week so everyone has a reference if you can't remember your part.
We then did a runthrough of It Takes a Village. Erin is hearing auditions for the solo parts, so if you're interested, please be sure to contact her this week. This piece should be memorized by now.
We memorized the second half of Cindy as well. Be sure you know the lyrics well by next week.

Also, just a reminder that if you have a story you're willing to share at the concert, please get it to Erin by next week at the latest. I will post the email I sent out yesterday below:

We are looking for individuals to briefly write to us your experience with the following:

·      A funny story about wooing or being wooed :) Could even be a failed attempt.  :) 

·      Learning from the example of someone other than family (Ex: I thought I was my 3rd grade teacher's favorite student and I even called her for years after thinking she'd be so happy to hear from me!  She even helped me with my math homework.)

·      Something you experienced with your child or learned from them

·      A faith building experience / or a time you felt God's love for you (Ex: When I got lost as a child and found my way home.)

·      Something your parent did that means a lot to you (could also be funny) (Ex: Larry's dad did something very funny at his Ph.D ceremony - he'll have to share it with you all).

·      When you knew you were in love / Falling in love (Ex: On my first date with my future hubby, I physically had to turn around and mouth the word, 'WOW!!!!!!!', when he was busy setting up his dad's telescope!)

·      Tribute to your mother 

I included a few of my own experiences to give you an idea of what we're looking for.  Since time is limited, we won't be able to share everyone's experiences but we'll do our best to use as many as we can.  We may even ask that you read your experience (it may be edited).

Thanks everyone! Have a great week!
~Laura

April 19, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

Great rehearsal last night, everyone! A couple of things before I begin the synopsis: Erin was requesting any feedback that people have from past concerts - any good memories or things that touched them so we can keep a record of it. Please email her if you think of any stories or thoughts about past concerts. She also brought up that the board is going be looking to have an historian starting in the fall, so if anyone is interested, please email me and let me know. This is a great way to preserve memories and remember our choir's history.
I also wanted to thank all of those people who helped set up and clean up the party last night after rehearsal. It was greatly appreciated!

Okay, so first of all, Erin announced that Cindy and It Takes a Village need to be memorized. We were able to memorize the first part of Cindy including the clap/stomp section and the entire score of It Takes a Village last night, so if you were not at rehearsal or if you didn't quite get it last night, then please work on it this week so we can move forward next week. We will be expected to have the entire Cindy song memorized by next week. Thanks in advance for all of your hard work with these two pieces. They are sounding wonderful!

In sectionals the women worked on For the Beauty. We worked on our phrasing and making sure each phrase had movement. We need to try and make sure our vowels are tall and that we have resonance. Be sure to review the last two pages of that piece since we seemed to have the most trouble there.
The men went through mm.52-75 of Pirate Song.
We then worked on memorizing It Takes a Village mm. 25-76 and Cindy mm. 1-135. We practiced the stomp/clap and the women perfected it! Woohoo! We then worked on trouble spots in Little Potato, making sure we were getting the right notes and dynamics.

In SATB we memorized It Takes A Village. We need to make sure we watch Erin for the specific dynamic elements of this piece. We need to have a dark gospel sound and we need to crescendo on notes that are held out. I would suggest to everyone that we work on this at home and be super awesome next week!
We then memorized the first half of Cindy including the clap/stomp section. We need to whoop and holler during the clap/stomp section. When we sing the phrase "Get along home little Cindy" we need to crescendo on the work Cindy so there's a little change in dynamics. We also need to make sure we pronounce "purdiest" correctly, not prettiest. This is a hoe down, people; so let's pull it off! :)
We then worked on section I to the end of Little Potato, making sure everyone had the correct notes and rhythms. This is the trickiest section of this song, so be sure to review is during the week as well. Then we ran through A Child's Prayer. Be careful to not sing it like the primary children do.

Thanks everyone, and have a great week!
~Laura

April 12, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

Okay, so one final reminder that the Temple Devotional Fireside is this Sunday, April 15, at the Oakdale building and call time is 5pm. The pieces we will be performing are Lamb of God #4 and #12, Consider the Lilies, and Pilgrim Song.

The Makeup rehearsal will be held next Thursday, April 19 at 6pm. Also, after next week's rehearsal, there will be a spring party which the altos and basses are in charge of treats. Let's bring it!!

I also need 6-8 ushers for the spring concert, so if any of your family members are available and willing, please let me know asap. Thanks!

So during sectionals, the women reviewed For the Beauty and the men reviewed Pirate Song. Then we went over It Takes a Village. In mm. 1-20 we do a heartbeat rhythm with one palm on our chest. We reviewed the entire piece after that, working hard on getting the rhythms correct. Then we worked on the stomp/clap in Cindy. It's a little tricky, so be sure to practice this at home (along with your other pieces of music). Then we did some spot checking with Little Potato, making sure our entrances aren't timid and making sure we are getting the correct rhythms.

In SATB we worked on Little Potato, Consider the Lilies and It Takes a Village. We also did a quick runthrough of Lamb of God #4.

Have a great week, everybody!
~Laura

April 5, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

As requested, here is the list of pieces we will be performing at the Temple Fireside:

Lamb of God #4: I Am The Resurrection
Lamb of God #12: Gloria
Consider The Lilies
Peace Like A River

Also, if you did not receive the email I just sent out, the time of the fireside is actually at 6:00 rather than 7:00, so that makes our call time 5:00. Just another reminder that we are meeting at the Oakdale building. Sorry about all of the confusion on that!

Okay, so in sectionals we worked on the following pieces:
(Women) For The Beauty Of The Earth ~ We ran through the entire piece and worked on getting the rhythms right and giving the phrases movement.
(Men) Pirate Song ~ mm. 60-end.
It Takes A Village ~ mm. 45-84. Work on the rhythms!!
Cindy ~ mm.171-end.
Little Potato ~ The women did a complete runthrough of this piece making sure they had the notes and rhythms correct.
Pilgrim Song ~ mm. 43-end.

In SATB we worked on Consider the Lilies, Peace Like A River, Little Potato and It Takes A Village. Things are starting to come together for our spring concert! Exciting!!
~Laura

Lamb of God Concert

Hi all!

We had such a wonderful concert the other night and I just wanted to make sure to thank everyone who helped set up and take down. You took a giant load off of my mind and therefore restored my sanity! Special thanks to Albin for setting up the feed into the primary room. I heard lots of positive feedback about that. Also special thanks to Paul Heathcote for organizing the chair setup in the gym - you rock!! Another special thanks to Cindy Curtis for bringing the beautiful tablecloths for my displays and saving my life! Also thanks to Janet Nelson (Bruce's wife) for the gorgeous floral displays out in the halls. Hopefully I am not forgetting anyone :)

We are so lucky to have been able to collaborate with so many outside guests. I sure hope we can do it again sometime. It was amazing, and my spirit has been uplifted by being able to share this wonderful sacred work with so many other people. See you all on Thursday!
~Laura

March 17, 2012 Soloist/Orchestra Rehearsal

Hey everyone! Just thought I'd share a couple of videos I took this morning at the soloist/orchestra rehearsal.  Just FYI, it's not the best quality recording, but the orchestra adds so much more to this piece and I'm even more excited to perform it next week!

So this first clip is Pontius Pilate, performed by Dr. Clifton Ware. Amazing!

The next one is Judas' betrayal performed by Lynn Randall...

See everyone on Thursday!
~Laura

I promised you the PDF of my presentation. I can't attach it to a post but I put it on my Google docs. Here is the link:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B0q6v4eSXLBKS1pORWdIUGVUZ2lxZ0d1U3RTTVhrZw

If the title of the slide is in bold, then I presented that to the choir at some point. The rest are new.

Albin

March 1, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

Last night's rehearsal was wonderful! We stayed in SATB the entire night and worked on our spring music, which was a nice refresher. So first of all, we worked on A Child's Prayer. We reviewed the entire thing and need to work on our phrasing  and make sure it doesn't sound the way we all sing it as a primary song. It needs to have movement and we need to emphasize the first syllables of two-syllable words. Then we reviewed Peace Like A River. Barb reminded us that each verse talks about a new concept: peace, faith and hope. We need to feel these things as we are singing this piece. Then we worked on Little Potato. It was a lot of fun to hear all the parts together. I think a lot of us got lost at some parts, so we need to be sure to work on this piece at home and get our rhythms, notes and entrances right. It's a fun song, but can be pretty tricky.

During the second half of the night we worked on Cindy with everyone together and with both choirs. I think this one is still confusing to some people, so please be sure to ask someone (you can ask me) if you need help finding your part or need help mapping through the piece so you don't lose your place. It helps me if I draw arrows at the beginning of each system pointing to where I need to sing next. This piece is also one that needs to be worked on at home so we can perform it better next rehearsal.  Lastly we went over mostly the beginning of My Soul's Been Anchored. We need to pay attention to Barb when she is directing the beat so that we don't get lost and the rhythms are different after we initially start singing. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or need help with anything. We are sounding great and I am so excited for our concerts!

During our announcement time we wrote down different messages that President Wiberg had for us last week. I think I got almost all of them, so here we go:

He expressed how grateful he was to be able to speak with us. He said that there are certain blessings received from having the voices of ages. He challenged us to always have the Spirit with us and to be able to share the Spirit with others. He felt that during church-related meetings the choir is one of the most important parts. Our work has a significant impact on others. We may never know which audience members we touch, but we should know that we do touch them in a special way. Music speaks to people in special ways. He also said that we are a treasured choir and they (the St. Paul Stake) have big plans for us.

I am so grateful that President Wiberg took time out to come and speak with us. He must feel that our work is very important or else he wouldn't have said such profound and inspired things.

Have a great week everyone!

Feb. 23, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

Happy Friday, all! It was an excellent rehearsal last night. Even though I hate having a cold, it was fun to just sit back and listen to all of you. It is sounding wonderful!

So just a couple of reminders: first of all, there is a musical missionary fireside this Sunday at 7:00pm at the Crystal building. There are going to be lots of soloists and musical numbers. It sounds amazing!

I am in need of 4 ushers for the Easter concert, so if you know of anyone who might be willing to help us out, please let me know.

Lastly, I want to encourage everyone to get the word out about our Easter concert. It is going to be so amazing! I am so excited and want to make sure that everyone has a chance to attend. I've even invited the random people at Kinko's because they were curious why I am always there making copies, lol. I did create an event on Facebook, so you can go the MMC page and share it with your friends and family. Thank you all so much for your help with this.

Okay, so during sectionals we covered mm. 170-end and reviewed mm. 38-135 of Cindy. We worked on getting the rhythms correct as well as the weird notes that can sometimes be a little difficult to find. The men went over the Pirate Song, mm. 52-end. The women ran through For the Beauty of the Earth, and we worked on our phrasing.

In SATB we worked on Lamb of God - big surprise, right? So first we sang through #12b, Gloria, and worked on where to stress certain syllables in certain words (ex. JE-sus instead of Je-SUS). The second sopranos need to work on mm. 175 and get that solidified before next week. Then we ran through #13a, Jesus, My Savior, once again working on phrasing and where to stress certain syllables.

Then we went back to the beginning of Lamb of God and started at #1, Thou Hope and Deliverer. In that piece it needs to sound like a Gregorian chant, and Kate McWilliams explained how monks would preach in this chant because you can project your voice more when you're singing than if you were just speaking in plain voice.

I hope everyone has a great week, and please let me know if you have any questions or need anything!
~Laura

Feb. 16, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

Hey everyone, sorry it took me so long to get the update done for last week's rehearsal.  I've been fighting a cold (boo!).

So first of all, just one more reminder that this coming Thursday, Feb. 23, is our first makeup rehearsal at 9:00 to 9:45. If you have missed any rehearsals or think you may end up missing any rehearsals, then you should plan on attending.

The next thing is that we found out that the Temple fireside is going to be held in New Brighton instead of Oakdale, so all three of our concerts this season will be in the New Brighton building.

In our sectionals we worked on the middle chunk (mm. 38-135) of Cindy. We then did a sing-through of A Child's Prayer and reviewed the ending of My Soul's Been Anchored, paying special attention to the rhythm and the feeling of the song. We need attitude!

In our SATB section we worked on the second half of Lamb of God. Erin had Larry and Shauna play the solo parts so we could hear how they sounded in correlation with what we have to sing.

Thanks, and see you all on Thursday!
~Laura

Feb. 2, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

In sectionals we worked on Lamb of God #14a  mm. 32-41 and 14b mm. 60-92. Then we moved on to Cindy and split up into Choir 1 and Choir 2. We worked on mm 1-37 and mm 207-251 with both choirs. It would be wise to go through your score and mark where you are singing so you don't get confused because there are a lot of places that would be easy to lose your place.. We then did a run through of Consider the Lilies. We reviewed mm. 1-47 of My Soul's Been Anchored, paying special attention to the accents and the rhythms, making sure to get them correct. Then we ran through Pilgrim Song mm 30-50. Finally, we started working on the tricky rhythms in It Takes a Village, mm. 85-end.

In SATB we went through Lamb of God #6, Hosanna. We worked on the rhythms and making the phrasing sound fluid. We reviewed #12b, Gloria. And then we worked on #13a, Jesus, My Savior until the end of rehearsal.

Also, just a reminder that next week is our Valentine's party and the Sopranos and Tenors are in charge of treats. Thank you all for a great rehearsal this week!

~Laura

January 28, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

Hey everyone, I've been debating whether or not to put Saturday's rehearsal notes up, and decided that since we covered so much material, I'd better do it. So here goes...

So first of all, we were assigned to make up songs to children's tunes describing why each of our sections was awesome. Personally, I think the altos' song was the best (not at all biased, heehee), but the basses had an unfair advantage with Larry as their accompanist. It was a great time!

We divided up into individual sections for an hour and a half so we could get to know our parts a little better. So first we went over the last half of Lamb of God. I will list where we practiced:
#10a Is This Not Enough? ~ mm. 14-22, 38-43, and 55-70
#11 Here Is Hope ~ mm. 23-30 and 44-54
#12a Mary Magdalene ~ mm 44-51
#12b Gloria ~ we reviewed the entire song (this is one we sang last Easter, so we got through it pretty quickly during rehearsal)
#13a Jesus, My Savior ~ mm 18-82

The second half of sectionals was spent on working on our spring concert repertoire.
My Soul's Been Anchored ~ We worked from the beginning to measure 47. We worked on getting the rhythm correct and then worked on our notes.
Little Potato ~ We covered sections E-J
Pilgrim Song ~ This is a new piece we received on Saturday, so if you were not there, you will receive it on Thursday, Feb. 2.  We sightread through the beginning to measure 42.
It Takes a Village ~ mm. 25-84. In the alto sectionals we worked on the rhythms and sightread the notes. The rhythm is tricky...the notes, not so much.

When we came together, we worked on Lamb of God, pronunciation of the Hebrew words and our dynamics throughout the pieces in the second half. We covered Is This Not Enough and Here Is Hope.
Then Barb helped us go through My Soul's Been Anchored. She helped us get the right feeling and pronunciations (Lawd instead of Lord) (Mah instead of My) of words and helped us nail the rhythms and accents. The accents are very important for that piece.

Well, that is all for now. We had a great time and missed those of you who weren't able to make it. See you all on Thursday!

~Laura

January 26, 2012 Rehearsal Notes

Hey everyone! Great rehearsal tonight! I am so excited for our concerts this semester!!

So, first of all, just a super reminder that we are having a required rehearsal this Saturday morning starting at 9:00, so please be at the church before then so we are ready to go on time. Also, it is potluck, so please bring something yummy to share.

For those of you who are new to the Chorale, I try to update this blog after every rehearsal so that if you had to miss rehearsal, you can come here and get notes on what we covered that day.

In sectionals we worked on Lamb of God first. We went over parts for #2a Art Thou He, #2c He Was Despised, #4a/b I Am The Resurrection, #6 Hosanna, #7 The Last Supper and #8 Gethsemane. We worked on pronunciation of the Hebrew words. We need to pay special attention to the movement of the songs, especially when we need to increase in intensity or decrease to a whisper.

We then started working on My Soul's Been Anchored. This is a Spiritual piece, so the pronunciation of some words (Lord is Lawd) is key. We worked on mm.1-47.

Then we worked up to letter E in Little Potato. We need to make sure to get the rhythms right so when we all practice together it will sound awesome!

I am so grateful to everyone for working so hard during rehearsals and making this a great experience for all! Also, one more quick reminder: make sure to practice your music at home so that it comes easier for you during rehearsal. Thanks! See you all on Saturday!

~Laura

"Lamb of God" by Rob Gardner

We are thrilled to announce that the Easter oratorio Lamb of God by Rob Gardner, will be presented for Easter 2012 by the Minnesota Mormon Chorale, 13 vocal soloists, 1 cello soloist, and 2 narrators. The oratorio not only tells the Easter story of the final days of the Savior's earthly ministry, but also helps us understand that meaning to us. Gardner helps us understand each person's view of those very special events, from Peter's denial and real testimony of Jesus to Mary's understanding of the blessedness of His sacrifice. Thirteen soloists bring the music and story to life. Jesus Christ is not portrayed by a singer on the stage, instead a cello soloist represents the Savior in the music, helping us feel His presence and spirit throughout.

To hear clips of the music, click on the link below, and then select PREVIEW, and listen to samples of the solos and choir: http://www.spiremusic.net/servlet/Detail?no=66.

2012 Schedule of Rehearsals and Performances
Complete rehearsal schedules for soloists, choir, cellist and narrators will be provided at the first scheduled rehearsal on Thursday, January 19th, and will be posted on this blog.

Performance date is currently scheduled for Sunday, March 25th. Additional performances may be scheduled. Check here again for a final performance schedule announcement.

Soloist auditions will be scheduled with the director and will be selected by Thursday, February 2.

Auditions - Vocal and Instrumental Soloists
Musicians of all faiths in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas are invited to participate in Lamb of God. The performance is being hosted by the Minnesota Mormon Chorale, but all are welcome to attend as performers or as audience. All vocal and instrumental positions are volunteer only, with no paid positions. Participation is through audition only. Vocal and instrumental soloists should be prepared to audition with a song that shows their range and technique as a soloist.

Soloist Auditions: Thursday, Jan 26 6-7 pm & 9-10 pm), Other date(s) as needed
Audition times on Jan 26 should be scheduled by sending an email and a preferred hour for auditioning 6-7 pm or 9-10 pm to director@mnmormonchorale.org or calling Director Erin Gray, at 763.229.7651. Those without audition appointments will be scheduled as time permits. Please note that all soloists may be asked to also learn the choir parts and sing as part of the choir in this ensemble-type performance.

Soloist parts needed (in order of appearance):

Accuser: Baritone
Thomas, the Apostle: Tenor (tender, high G# required)
John, the Apostle: Tenor (lyrical voice, high G required)
Peter, the Apostle: Tenor (high B required)
Martha, sister of Lazarus: Mezzo-Soprano
Mary of Bethany: Contralto (low F# required)
Judas: Bass (strong E above middle C required)
Mary, the Mother: Alto (low G required)
False Witness: Tenor
Maid: Mezzo-Soprano or Alto
Damsel: Mezzo-Soprano or Alto
Pilate: Tenor (strong upper range required with consistent high F and G)
Mary Magdalene: Lyric Soprano (high A-flat required)

Cello soloist: the cello soloist represents Jesus Christ in the music and should be capable of carrying a strong and expressive cello voice throughout the oratorio.

Spring 2012 Auditions

Pass it along! Auditions for our Spring season are being held on Thursday, January 12 from 7:30-9:00p.m. Spread the word! If you know of anyone who is interested in auditioning, have them email me at munsterwoman13@yahoo.com to schedule their audition. Thanks! See you all on the 19th!

~Laura