May 4, 2013 Rehearsal Notes

First of all, we cut Miss Celie's Blues and I Can Tell The World from our concert. So we will not be singing them. Also, we added A Child's Prayer for the women to sing with Gabe. The women will sing the women's part and Gabe will sing the men's part.

Here's the latest updated concert order:

I Am A Child Of God (with the youth choir)
He's Got The Whole World
Wonder

A Child's Prayer (women & Gabe)
Consider The Lilies (Gabe solo)
Child of God (men)

I Will Rise (youth choir)
Sunshine In My Soul
Have I Done Any Good?

The Prayer (maybe)
I Am A Child of God (from the hymnal, memorized, 4-part harmony)
Let The River Run

The Lord Bless You And Keep You


The song we worked most on was Wonder. We worked on transitions. It is very important to count so that we come in at the correct time. It is also very important to sculpt the phrases, and Erin asked that we have slight crescendos on the quarter notes in each phrase. Also, make sure that we come off the staccato notes. We also worked on I Am A Child of God (the one with the youth choir). We will be singing in different areas of the chapel and some small groups will be doing different languages, so I'm sure we will review this on Thursday. We did a sing-through of He's Got the whole world. It is very important to watch Barb because the tempo changes frequently and the only way we will know what the tempo is will be if we watch her cues. Lastly we worked on Sunshine In My Soul. We need to make sure to have a warm, dark sound. I encourage everyone to work on their music at home so that we can have a great rehearsal this week. Thanks! Let me know if there are any questions.

~Laura

April 18 Rehearsal Cancelled

Rehearsal for the MMC and youth choir has been cancelled for this evening. The weather has become too severe to drive safely. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to prepare for tonight's rehearsal! Have a great evening and stay safe!
~Laura

May 10, 2013 - "I Am A Child Of God" Spring Concert

On May 10, 2013, the Minnesota Mormon Chorale and a special Youth Choir will be performing songs of many genres expressing that we are all children of our Heavenly Father. The concert will be held at 7:30 pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 100 Silver Lake Rd., New Brighton, MN. 

Easter 2013 - "Lamb of God"

We are excited to announce that the Minnesota Mormon Chorale & Orchestra will again be performing the beautiful Easter oratorio Lamb of God by Rob Gardner, on Sat. March 23 & Sun. March 24th, 2013.  The oratorio features the choir & orchestra, 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 tells 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. 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.

2013 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 17th, and will be posted on this blog.

Performance dates are currently scheduled for Saturday, March 23rd and Sunday, March 24th. 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, January 31st.

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/Requirements**: Thursday, Jan 17th (9-10 pm) and Jan. 24th (6-7 pm & 9-10 pm). Other date(s) as needed.Audition times on Jan 17th and 24th 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.  

**We are accepting video auditions for those who live outside of the metro area.  Please upload your video to YouTube and send the link to director@mnmormonchorale.org on or before January 24th.  You may use the CD as accompaniment as long as your voice can be clearly heard over the soloist. 

You may audition for more than one part.  However, it is required that all those auditioning in person or via video prepare the following excerpts according to the part for which you are auditioning (LofG vocal sheet music found here).

Soloist Audition Requirements & Excerpts (in order of appearance):

Accuser: Baritone ('This is He' - mm. 17-23, 30-35)
Thomas, the Apostle: Tenor (tender, high G# required - "To the Disciples" - mm. 125-149)
John, the Apostle: Tenor (lyrical voice, high G required - "To Calvary" - mm. 32-44)
Peter, the Apostle: Tenor (high B required - "This is He"- mm. 79-89, "I Cannot Watch Them" - mm. 8-58)
Martha, sister of Lazarus: Mezzo-Soprano ("Make Me Whole" - mm. 41-63, 123-145)
Mary of Bethany: Contralto (low F# required - "I Am the Resurrection" - mm. 20-26)
Judas: Bass (strong E above middle C required - "Judas' Deal" - mm. 6-25)
Mary, the Mother: Alto (low G required - "To Calvary" - mm. 44-52, "Here is Hope" - mm. 33-45)
False Witness: Tenor ("Gethsemane" - mm. 104-116, "To Calvary" - mm. 29-33, 59)
Maid: Mezzo-Soprano or Alto ("Gethsemane" - mm. 162-172)
Damsel: Mezzo-Soprano or Alto (Gethsemane" - mm. 168-172)
Pilate: Tenor (strong upper range required with consistent high F and G - "To Calvary" mm. 2-28, 52-68)
Mary Magdalene: Lyric Soprano (high A-flat required - "The Resurrection" - mm. 25-32, 122-153, 179-185)

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.

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