NOTES for Week of March 31, 2024

Dear friends,

Were a month away from our concerts and we need to focus our energies on really perfecting our repertoire.

• Please make sure that you're reviewing everything weekly, perhaps listening to the performances and singing along paying attention to expressiveness and tone quality.
• Get the word out. Send out cards. Invite friends, colleagues, family, and any music lovers. Let them know this is a benefit for a very good cause.
• Work on your memorization.

Here's a rundown on what I would like you to focus on in each particular song.

If Music Be the Food of Love

• Sing with a light, lilting, tone quality. Warm up on doo to get the easy flow without to much volume.
• Think courtly dance.

Can We Sing the Darkness to Light

• Work you parts (we haven't spent a lot of time in rehearsal) and watch cut-offs. Be exact.
• Make hm and oh musical underscoring the melodies with words

When You Wish Upon a Star

• This must be memorized this week. I want it to be rubato, and some have their noses in their scores and not watching.
• Use a light, almost breathy tone. Think jazz.

It Takes a Village

• I would like Brittany to sing the solo in the beginning and also in mm. 77-80. 
• Memorize. 
• Sing the repetitive patterns musically. Don't just sing the same way over and over.

Alleluia

• Don't over sing, especially at the key changes (mm. 42+ and 51+).
• It should always have a buoyancy to it, even in the 4/4 sections.

Ubi caritas

• Don't over sing going in m. 15. Also, practice the harmonic shift between mm. 14-15.
• This is harmonized chant. Keep it flowing and gentle.
• Men sing the introductory change at almost piano.

The Eyes of All

• The tone is lovely. Don't slur through "w's". Also watch the eyes. It sounds like thee-
• yize.
• Begin to move in m. 16 and do an energetic expansion to the sopranos forte in m. 26.

Breathe

• Really sense the breathing motifs throughout and sing them. 
• Make mm. 33+ warmer and more earnest.
• Make sure there is a natural sounding crescendo going into m. 49.

Song for Justice

• Sing rich, round tone, and really enunciate the words. 
• Put the time into this as we haven't rehearsed it as much.

The New Colossus

• Make the fanfare section at the beginning rich and powerful.
• Make the contrasts in dynamics and mood through come through. 
• The words have to be expressed.

Hold On!

• Really pour over this to memorize.
• Make sure you know where every syncopated chord is.
• Melody, if you have the high notes, I would like you to do m. 86-88 by yourself then have the 1st Sopranos join in m. 89.
• Anna and Chuck use a nice full, rounded tone on the solos. Check you pitches in mm. 82-84 

Grace Before Sleep

• Make the crescendo in mm. 17-20 be more intense.
• Those singing words in mm. 29-34, use a warm, intense blended sound. Those singing ah make it really full and warm.

Five Hebrew Love Songs

• #1: Really make sure to sing the tenuto (- or ten) articulations. 
• #2: Men (tenors, particularly), really work on the seamless quality of the unison melody when going up and down intervals large than a 4th. It sounds labored and not unified.
• #3: Make the entrances in m. 6 more confident and clean. 
• #4: Soprano I sing mm. 1-7 very smoothly and sweetly. 
• #5: Sopranos practice the timing of your ornaments. in mm. 11, 15, and 32, the two grace notes come before the next syllable. 

For TUESDAY:

6:30 - 7:30 EVERYONE

• It Takes a Village
• Breathe
• Hold On!
• If Music Be the Food of Love

7:30 - 8:30 MEN

We'll be focusing on places where you have solo sections or are not confident. I will take requests.