WEEK of February 22, 2026

Hello friends,

Requiem Aeternam

• Cut-offs need to be precise. Some are still holding onto the tied 1/8th-notes. 
• Make sure dynamics are demonstrably observed.
• E needs to be clean and fluid in SAT voices. Tenors keep it light.

Out of the Deep

• Sing the rhythms with flowing intensity. 
• Sing the text. Let it inform your rhythms.

Lux Aeterna

• Should sound like a blessing (words of comfort) - so tone needs to be warm.

All of Us

• Clean up any pitches and rhythms between pp. 6-13.

City Called Heaven

• Highlight and memorize all dynamics.
• Write in mezza di voce (< >) in mm. 10, 15, 32. Note tenuto marks and sing them throughout.
• Sing last home with exaggerated "h."  
• Close to "m" on cue in penultimate and last measures.

Evocation

• Write phonetic pronunciations of each word throughout the score even when repeated. Oh is an open o as in Latin glo-ri-a. 

For TUESDAY, February 24 Rehearsal

Evocation to the end with Korean

All of Us p. 14 to the end

Dumela

Enfold Us

My Soul's Been Anchored

Meet Me in the Afterglow

WEEK of February 15, 2025

Dear friends,

We had our bi-annual Bel Canto board meeting yesterday and talked over many things. Joanna will be providing a brief update on some of the things we discussed during our next rehearsal.

I will also be addressing you in person on Tuesday about something that I feel is important as we continue to strive to do our absolute best in rehearsal and performance. It has to do with how I approach issues of pitch and rhythm accuracy, intonation, tonal matching, vowel formation and uniformity, and vibrato in the rehearsal setting. I was made aware that I tend to direct comments towards the group or a section, rather than towards the specific person who may need to adjust, and that isn't always helpful. I hope you know me well enough (at least most of you) that the last thing I want to do is embarrass or diminish anyone. That being said, I will begin to correct individuals when the need arises. If there are specific issues that a singer consistently deals with, I will personally communicate with them in note or email, rather than in rehearsal. This is to benefit the group. 

My Soul's Been Anchored

• Mark and observe all dynamics when rehearsing and let that be part of your memorization process.
• Make sure you know exactly when entrances are syncopated and when they're not.
• The sfp in the penultimate measure is achieved by strongly singing the word in and then immediately closing to the 'n'. After doing so, begain the crescendo.

Meet Me in the Afterglow

• This should have a gentle, rhythmic feel to it. Be precise with all the syncopated rhythms while avoiding accenting them. Altos and Tenors need to unify your rhythms as a section and then with the other part.
• Sing with a gentle, fairly non-vibrato tone.

Enfold Us

• Work in a dynamic level one level lower than written for anything above mf and strive for a clean, non-vibrato tone.
• Vowels should be pure and rounded.
• Mark and observe all dynamics. Especially on the word lean.

All of Us

• Practice slowly with broad vowels and clear consonants
• On slower, hymnlike sections, ex: pp. 11-12, 14-19, make sure to stretch the vowels and bite the consonants. Diction is very important.

Evocation

• Write this phonetic pronunciation of the Korean by the words in your score, each time they appear. What's there is meant to be close to it, but there are some variances based on what I heard listening to it carefully.

Mon-nee-joh            [as written]

Saeng-ga-ghee         [seng-kah-ghee]

Gh-ruhn-dae-ro       [koo-rohn-teh-roh]  - koo as in "book", rohn as in "bon vivant"

Han-sae-sang          [hahn-seh-sahng]

Ghee-naesi-gu-ryo  [chee-neh-shee-koo-ryoh]

Sa-noh-ra-myum     [sah-noh-rah-myuhm]

Eeh-tsil-nal             [Ee-chil-nahl]

Eeh-ssuh-ree-da      [Ee-suh-'ree-dah]

Sae-whol-mahn       [Say-wohl-mahn]

Ga-ra-see-guh-ryo  [Kah-rah-shee-hoo-ree-oh]

Mon-nee-joh-do      [Moh-nee-joh-doh]

Duh-ruh-nuhn         [Tuh-'ruh-nuhn] - tuh is more "ah" than "uh"

Eeh-chee-oh-ri-da   [Ee'-'chee'oh-ree-dah]

Guh-ruh-na              [Kuh-noh-nah]

Tto-han-goot            [Too-hahn-goot] - double Tt in Tto is dentalized like Latin/Italian.

Eeh-ruh tsee yo        [Ee-root chee oh]

Guh-rhee-woh          [Koo-ree-woh]

Sal-ttul-hee               [Sahl-tuhl-ee]

Moht-eet-nun-dae     [Moht-ee-nuhn-deh]

Uh-zhuh-myun          [Oht-chuh-myuhn]

Ttuh-ghee-na-yo       [Toht-chee-nI-yoh] the nI is like nigh

For TUESDAY, February 17

Evocation (Mon-Nee-Joh) - to page 8 (top) with the Korean

Requiem - Movements 1, 2, 6

All of Us - pp. 6-13

City Called Heaven

WEEK of February 8, 2026

Friends,

I'm not sure I can spend the time playing out the parts of All of Us due to the fact the voices are constantly jumping from one part to another. I'd have to make about 15 tracks just for this song. Below are the assignments and notes for this song. It's a doosy. Pencils for arrows as well as highlighters are paramount.

Soloists are #1 = Anna, #2 = Brittany, #3 = Susan throughout. Jump to regular parts when possible.

Divisi pp. 6-10
Soprano I         Melody, Suzanne, Carissa, Hunter
Soprano II        Joanna, Cassi, Vania, Lisa, (Brittany and Anna)
Alto                  Cyndi, Michele, Yuko, Toni (Susan)
Tenor                Jean, Chuck, James, Dan
Baritone           Thom, Dana, David, Frank
Bass                  John, Matthew, Larry, Gregory

Pp. 11-12 - There needs to be equal balance and some pitches are repeated in other voices, so I'm omitting some and having the mezzos and bari-tenors shift.

M. 34-35         as noted

M. 36              Cassi, Joanna, and Brittany go up and join seconds: Anna, Vania, and Lisa

                        Tenors sing the baritone A on beat 4 (altos will sing the D)

                        Basses will sing G, D, E-flat F

M. 37              Baritones will sing the G's on beats 1&2, the A on beat 4 is sung by the Tenors

M. 39              Baritones cross out the F# and G (they're sung by the Tenors). Only the F-natural is a                                Baritone note.

M. 40              Baritones cross out the 1st B-flat and the C (doubled by tenors)

M. 41-42         Baritones cross out the pitches on And know we (doubled)

M. 44              Baritones cross out the B-flat on beat 4

M. 48              Baritones cross out the notes on beats 3&4

P. 13                M. 50 Tenors (not Baritones) will sing the baritone pitches on Loe that lifts us up!. Jean                         sing the tenor part. 

                        M. 52 - same thing as m. 50.

Pp. 14-15        Baritones cross out pitches on ev-er - (m. 54) and this and Now (m. 55)

P. 17                Baritones cross out pitches on to be (m. 59)

Pp. 19-22        SI=Melody, Carissa, SII=Suzanne, Hunter, SIII=Lisa, Vania

                        AI=Cassi, Joanna, AII=Toni, Yuko, AIII=Cyndi, Michele

                        TI=James, Jean, TII=Dan, Chuck, TIII=Frank, Dana

                        BI=David, Thom, BII=John, Gregory, BIII=Matthew, Larry

Pp. 23-end     CHOIR I

                        SI=Suzanne, Hunter, SII=Lisa, Vania

                        Al=Joanna, Toni, AII=Yuko, Michele

                        TI=Chuck, Jean, TII=Dana, Frank

                        BI=Gregory, Thom, BII=Matthew, John

                        CHOIR II

                        S=Melody, Carissa (II)

                        A=Cassi, Cyndi (II)

                        T=James, Dan (II)

                        B=David, Larry (II)

For TUESDAY, February 10

All of Us

My Soul's Been Anchored

Meet Me in the Afterglow

Enfold Us