NOTES for Week of March 26, 2023

Dear friends,

We're a little over a month away from our concerts. You have been doing some great work learning and beginning to perform the repertoire. These next few weeks, I really want to concentrate on precision, musicality, and expression.

1. Review all your parts at least once during the week. More, if you can. 
2. Sing along with the performance recordings to get a sense of how your part corresponds with the others.
3. Highlight every expression mark (dynamic, tempo, and articulation) and practice performing it expressively.
4. Practice getting your eyes out of your music. Two pieces (There is a Pleasure and My Soul's Been Anchored) need to be memorized, but the others need to be so well learned that you can look up and sing to the audience. Remember, I'll be cuing you, cutting you off, and showing expression in my conducting gestures if you'll look at me.

Please continue to reach out to your acquaintances and let them know about the concert. Encourage everyone to come. Not only is it going to be a beautiful concert, but it is for a very worthy cause. Let's fill (and possibly) sell out the houses.

FOR TUESDAY: All meet at 6:30 to 8:00. Tenors will have a sectional 8:00 to 8:30

Trees - Brinsmead

• Highlight every slur in your line. A slur means to sing the pitches (2 or more) very legato. 
• Add the word rit. to mm. 2, 5, 10, 19, 31, 42, 45
• Note that at m. 40, everyone closes to m individually

The Birds' Lullaby

• Highlight every slur, especially sopranos and tenors
• If you are singing the melody - sing stretch the vowels on swing, sing, drowse delaying second part of diphthong.
• Sopranos and tenors work on a light, gentle, semi-popular style on the solo sections with an ear to blend and intonation.

The Willow Song

• CHANGES: Do not breathe in mm. 11 and 25. Do breathe at end of mm. 12 and 26
• Think in terms of phrases for breaths and entrances in mm. 4 and 18. 
• Put crescendo in m. 11 and 25

Evening Gale

• Again, highlight your slurs.

FOR TENORS:

O Schone Nachts

Away in the Woods

My Soul's Been Anchored