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