Hello Everyone:
I’m often reminded by members, sometimes gently, sometimes less so, that we all come to rehearsals from a hard day (or week, month, year) of dealing with all sorts of things – bosses, partners, kids, sickness, weather, death, etc., – and want a couple of hours each week with our friends and fellow singers to relax into singing (which we all love), to smooze, and to focus on making ourselves a finer chorus. To that end, I apologize if I got snarky with the men towards the end of last week’s rehearsal and cast a bit of a pall on the otherwise good evening of work. No excuses, but a bit of an explanation is in order.
At the forefront of my thinking as a conductor and a rehearsal ‘technician’ is that each of you comes to be a member of BCAS after an accepted audition where you demonstrated above average singing skills. Included in those skills, which I have always considered to be enormously important is the ability to sing in tune for at least 90% of the time, to sing with an awareness of good tone – always, to be rhythmically accurate, to have pitches more and more accurate with each rehearsal, and to be able to focus on becoming more musical each and every rehearsal by being able to interpret the composer/editors intent. By providing my scores this semester on line I expect that everyone of you, every singer, marks his or her scores so that we are ALL on the same page. That’s how I approach each and every rehearsal.
As our rehearsal proceeded last week, I noticed more and more folks using pencils to mark their scores, and looking at other singers parts (obviously those folks scores were not marked), and along with those interruptions, our sound deteriorated – especially in the men for the Mendelssohn beginning. I guess it bothered me more than I could slough off with some sort of self-deprecating comment, and because of those issues, I ‘let the men have it’. I do apologize for my lack of sensitivity. Each of us can do better, and we all know it, as evidenced by how much better said men did after that verbal sniper attack by moi.
Let us rededicate ourselves to better, efficient singing (and directing) on Wednesday. OK? We’ll be at the MIDDLE SCHOOL – NOT THE High School.
I actually thought your work was quite good for much of the rehearsal last week, as many notes and rhythms were accurate. Linda Lang has done us such a great service by providing some rehearsal tapes. They really do help to hear each piece as a whole, something that we must achieve in these last couple rehearsals until our performances. Let’s go for a full, efficient, musical rehearsal this week as next Tuesday, November 20th, will be our last before the dress on November 28th.
A couple of you volunteered to let us borrow wind chimes for HOW STILL HE RESTS. Could you bring them please if you have access to a set.
SELL TICKETS. This will be a ginormously lovely concert.
See you at the MIDDLE SCHOOL,
M
