Info for Canta Mara Weekend!

Hi everyone!

Thanks for all your hard work on Sunday. We were thrilled to finally run both sections that we'll be performing at the Canta Mara show on Sunday. We've got a busy weekend coming up so here's what you need to know!

Saturday November 2

• Rehearsal time is 1:15-5:30 pm, FULL COMPANY for the entire rehearsal
• Rehearsal location is DANSpace - a studio at 1531 Grafton St (across from the Spring Garden Public Library and St David's Church). It's a brick building with a glass door and a sign for the Catholic Pastoral Centre. There is only a small sign indicating DANSpace. Once in the lobby, take the elevator to the third floor, and the studio is the first door on the right when you get off the elevator. 
• During rehearsal we will be running and fixing both the Prologue + Polaris as well as Andromeda. 
• Please bring your black boots to rehearse in (do not wear them outside on your walk to rehearsal!)
• Wear your hair as indicated below so we can get a sense for how it looks as a group.
• Also wear your black dress + leggings so you can get a sense of how the whole outfit moves on stage.

Sunday November 3

• Schedule
• 12:20 pm       Call time at St Matthew's (our regular rehearsal church)
• 12:30 pm       Soundcheck
• 1 pm              Lunch break (you are free to leave the building as needed)
• 2:15 pm         Reconvene at St Matthew's
• 3:00 pm         Show
• The set list breakdown is as follows:
• Canta Mara Set 1
• Xara Set 1 (Prologue + Polaris)
• Intermission
• Xara Set 2 (Andromeda)
• Canta Mara Set 2
• Christina and I will speak to the audience and introduce each set before we perform
• Outfits
• Short black Xara dresses
• Opaque black leggings
• Black belts
• Black boots
• Hair/Makeup
• hair pulled back off the face and up (bun, braid, ponytail, your choice, just make sure it's pulled tightly off your face and bangs are pulled back too)
• makeup - basic stage makeup, make sure to emphasize eyes with mascara and eyeliner, we will be providing some gold shimmer/glitter/bronzer to make you look otherworldly!

Any other questions, let us know! We are SO EXCITED!!!!! to share what we have been working on with the world! We're gonna rock it!!!

See you Saturday!

Claire & Christina

UPDATED Rehearsal Notes – October 27

Rehearsal Notes – October 27

Theme of the Day: Pharyngeal Space Makes Better Blended Vowels and Tone Quality!

 

I took video of most of the pieces we rehearsed today. They are taking a while to upload, so I will update this post when they are ready.

Here is Warrior to start with.

Aglepta

Illumina le tenebre

I himmelen

Ave Maria transition

Christmas Wreaths!

·      Please use the form that Tenille posted on Facebook to track the wreaths that you sell.

·      Deadline for orders & money is Sunday November 24^th.

·      Decorating (all day) and Pick Up (2-5pm) on November 30^th, there will be a bake sale put on by the board during the pick up time.

·      Location TBA.

·      Goal is 10 wreaths per person.

·      Price: $20 per decorated wreath; $15 for a plain wreath.

 

Warrior

o   Sing TO Andromeda, don’t become her.

o   Double-check the places where we have decided to sing what is written and when we have decided to follow the recording.

o   Also double-check the feeling for each verse

o   In the last chorus, make sure the “T”s are plosive at the end of “fight”

Warrior Movement

At the end of Illumina, hands can relax by sides

A – B: Stand one at a time in the opposite order from Illumina le tenebre (See notes from Oct 20^th for the order)

B: Zoe and Kristin stand and help Paige up by the elbows; Tenille begins walking forward to stand behind and to the left of Paige (in place by the beginning of the chorus)

C:

Step forward on beat 1 of the following measures, right foot first :

 37, 38 (then together); 40, 41 (then together); 42,43 (then together)

See video for reference J

Transition Information – For Nov. 3rd

Prologue/Polaris

Between I himmelan & Ave Maria:

·      Jenny moves forward and gives her line

·      Choir moves to U formation in proximity to Ave Maria positions (Nikki, Kristin & Krystal in the centre)

·      At the end of Krystal’s line, move to Ave Maria positions

Learn the note relationship between your last note of I himmelan and your first note of Ave Maria

Between Ave Maria & Magnificat:

·      Whisper as quietly as possible! Group 1: Ave Maria, ave maris stella; Group 2: Come to us Mary, O star of the sea; Group 3: Venez à nous Maria, étoile de la mer

·      On whispering, move to Magnificat positions in the aisles, build volume gradually to a very strong whisper

·      Stop as soon as Sara begins to sing

At the end of Magnificat, don’t move to the sides for the Nov 3^rd show (doesn’t make sense without lighting)

Andromeda

At the beginning of Royals:

-  Positions as normal, Emily, Nelle & Brianna out in front for their text

Between Royals & Aglepta

·      On pedal ‘F’ drift from the end of Royals to a tight U in standard order, around Cassiopeia & Andromeda.

·      Colleen & Sopranos speak on hummed pedal F once into position

Between Aglepta & Illumina le tenebre

·      No text

·      Move to seated positions during the opening of Illumina

Between Illumina le tenebre & Warrior

• ·      No text
• ·      Move to standing on first verse

Notes for Sunday Oct 27

Hi everyone!

Thanks for your hard work on Sunday. It was a long rehearsal but we made a lot of progress on both the Canta Mara show and the pieces for Creative NS. Here are a few things to know for rehearsal this Sunday.

Schedule:

1:15-1:45 pm    Cassiopeia + Andromeda movement rehearsal

1:45-2:30 pm    Xara AGM - everyone mandatory attendance including Xara Board

2:30-5:30 pm    Full Company Rehearsal for Canta Mara show

This Sunday we will be holding Xara’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). This is an important meeting that we have to hold every year to inform our membership (all of us!) about how the organization is functioning, and to vote in new board members.

This Sunday in rehearsal, we will be working on all the music for the Canta Mara gig (I Himmelen, Ave Maria, Magnificat, Royals, Aglepta, Illumina, Warrior). At this point, all music must be memorized. We will be teaching the choreography for Warrior, and reviewing the blocking for Aglepta and Illumina. Then we will run both constellations with the text that Claire has sent out via email. Anyone with solo text must have their lines MEMORIZED for Sunday’s rehearsal. We are now in the stage of getting these sections performance ready!!!

One small addition for Sunday’s rehearsal is the text before Aglepta. Here’s how it will break down:

Colleen.  “To leave an enemy without an answer, say these words to her:

ALL. ‘Aglaria pidhol garia ananus qepta,’

Colleen. and blow in her direction. Then she will not know which way she is headed and cannot answer you.”

Note that we will NOT be doing this text on Friday night. Only for the Canta Mara gig + Constellations.

We know this is a busy fall, but so far we are doing incredible work. We are so grateful to all of you for your time and energy. Thank you to those who have shared information with your friends and families about our upcoming performances - we are getting lots of visibility this fall and it’s awesome!!!

Thanks and see you Friday evening at 5:20 pm!!!

Claire & Christina

Creative Nova Scotia Awards

Hi everyone!

Some important info for our gig this Friday, October 25th at the Creative Nova Scotia Awards.

Schedule:

5:20 Arrive

5:30 Rehearse in the space

6:00 Distribute boots, get ready for show

7:00 Doors open

7:35 First Xara set starts

8:05 Break - mingle etc

8:45 Awards presented + more mingling

9:55 Second Xara set starts

10:15 Mingling/dancing/partying or free to leave

Here’s a breakdown of how our sets will work. Remember this is based on how the organizers need to control the sound bleed. 

Set 1:

I Himmelan

Short break (7-8 mins)

Tuning Meditation (approx 10 mins)

Illumina

Aglepta

Set 2:

I Himmelan (processing from Marine Gallery to Sphere Room)

Tuning Meditation (approx 10 mins)

Christina will cue the transitions in and out of the tuning meditation. During the “short break” that they’ve requested in the middle of our first set, they would like us to disperse and wander among the other exhibits on our floor. This is to encourage other guests to also continue exploring the floor. We will then have to make sure to reconvene at the appropriate time. Anyone who has a watch should wear it and we can sync them beforehand to make sure we all end up back at the appointed time.

Logistics:

Clothing: Short Xara dresses, black Xara belt, leggings (opaque), boots. You will receive the boots on Friday. You must provide your own leggings. Any Xara dress issues need to be directed to Robin ASAP. Robin will have belts for new singers and one or two extra belts as needed. Reminder that the black boots are NOT to be worn for any function other than Xara performances. If the boots are worn for any other reason and they become dirty/scuffed/ruined, you will be responsible for the cost of cleaning/replacing. You will need to take your pair of boots home with you on Friday after the show.

Parking: The parking lot adjacent to the museum is monitored 24/7 so you are welcome to park there but you will have to pay. Street parking may also be available and is free after 6 pm.

Green Room: There will be a locked green room space for us to store our belongings in for the duration of the evening. We likely won’t be able to access it during the event, only once our second set is finished. So when we’re not singing, we need to be mingling. This is a good thing - more Xara visibility!

Tickets: Tickets for the event are available online here. Tickets are $25. 

Thank you all so much! This is a very high profile event that will include many established artists from lots of disciplines, as well as many people who work for the Department of Culture and the funding bodies that give us grants! So feel free to let people know who you’re singing with and how awesome we are :)

Thanks!

Claire

Rehearsal Notes and Homework – October 20^th

Friday October 25^th

·      There are many artists involved, we will not be singing all the time. When we are, we are on a three song loop (I himmelen, Illumina, Aglepta). Arrive at 5:30 for a 5:45 sound check.

·      Short dresses, leggings, and boots (which will be provided at the Museum) Hair off the face, look good.

·      Doors open at 7pm. We will perform from 7:35 – 8:45, we will be sharing the space with another group (we won’t be singing the entire time) 9:20 – 10:30 is another performance slot for us. DJ & dance from 10:30 onwards.

·       

Aglepta – Movement

This song is the spell that the nymphs cast on Andromeda.

**Transposed down a semi-tone (altos keep to the higher octave) – don’t practice with the recording!**

**On the Alto melody (2^nd system, 1^st page) – 4 reps, and at the end Sopranos will hold the A-flat for a beat or two, Sop 2s will cut off with the Altos.**

**PLEASE make sure you are singing a pure Ah vowel, not an Uh J **

·      On pedal ‘F’ drift from the end of Royals to a tight U in standard order, around Cassiopeia & Andromeda

·      On Sop 2 “Ah-Ah’s” (4 reps) drift slowly backwards to standard U formation (in place by  the “Glaria” at the bottom of the page)

·      Top of page 2: 4 slow unison steps in towards the centre

·      PT (3^rd system) telling rumours to one another

·      Tone cluster (4^th system) – once everyone is singing, lean in with right foot and ‘push’ Paige down with both hands. Lean back to normal standing when Christina fades out your voice (the four who continue will lean back when Christina gets to them but keep singing)

·      Aglaria: Drift backwards to standard U

Illumina – Movement

Transformation from evil nymphs to having a connection with Andromeda.

Sitting for the entire piece, very slow upper body choreography

Order for sitting down (come down to knees, sit on left hip, slide both feet to the right), this will take from the first measure up to measure 8 (page 2, second system): #1-10 fill in the centre of the stage. Start moving when the person before you is about two thirds of the way through sitting down.

1.     Kristin

2.     Zoe

3.     Jenny

4.     Shannon

5.     Emily

6.     Robin

7.     Hayley

8.     Jordyn

9.     Nikki

10. Nelle

11. Leah

12. Devon

13. Brianna

14. Sarah

15. Joanna

16. Kallie

17. Mackenzie

18. Krystal

19. Colleen

20. Sara

Make all movements last over the given measures.

Measure 8, 9, 10 Dammi una fede retta speranza certa

Right shoulder lift, and then reach out with right hand over the right knee, look over your fingertips. Left hand remains on your left thigh.

Measure 11 & 12 Carita perfetta

Left hand reaches across, grab right wrist

Measure 13, 14, 15 E umilta profonda

Left hand pulls both hands down to your lap (centre)

Measure 16 & 17 Dammi signore

Bring your left hand to the floor beside your left hip, weight shifts slightly left

Measure 18 – 25 Senno e discernimento […] e santa volunta

Right hand comes out to meet the left hand, draw a circle around to the right-hand side, mid shin. Hover above the floor rather than touching it.

Measure 25 – 30 Dammi Signore senno e discernimento

Right hand to heart, look up to the balcony

Measure 30 – 33 Per compiere […] volunta

Left hand comes to meet the right.

Measure 34 – 40 O alto […] cuore mio

Both hands down to the floor on either side

Measure 41 – 44 O alto […] illumina

Rise to knees, hands by sides

Measure 45 (pick up) – End Illumina […]

Hands rotate to face forward, sink to sitting on knees, arrive by “mi-“, hands remain facing forward

Radio Radio Update

Hi everyone! A quick note from BC! Hope you are all well and had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. And hope you are working hard on music and movement for this Sunday's rehearsal!!!

We've received some information from the CBC producers re: Radio Radio in November. We will have the dress rehearsal on the evening of Tues November 19 (time TBA) at the CBC TV building. On Wed November 20, they want to have an afternoon rehearsal with Radio Radio. We need as many singers as possible there from 3-5 pm. We specifically asked for evening rehearsals but this is what we have to work with, so please try to be there if at all possible!!!!!

Here's the detailed schedule for Nov 20:

3-5 rehearsal and lighting checks (as many singers as possible)

5-6 break

6-7 - final rehearsal with everyone

7:30 - concert

We'll let you know as we hear more from them. Thank you for being flexible and accommodating so we can make this project come together. It's going to be soooo fun!!!

Thank you!

Claire

Info for Sunday Oct 20

Hi everyone!!

Thank you for some great work this weekend. Your positivity, creativity, and quick learning when it comes to music and choreography is so appreciated! We are moving along at a steady pace for our first performances of Constellations on November 3rd, but we still have a lot of work to do!

To that end, when we next meet on Sunday Oct 20, Christina and I will be expecting all music and choreography we've worked on to date to be memorized as per the memorization schedule. We know it was the end of a long rehearsal on Sunday evening, but there were still several shaky parts throughout the Prologue + Polaris in terms of both music and movement. A reminder of what needs to be memorized/worked on:

I Himmelan (music + choreography memorized - please spend some significant time solidifying the Swedish as we were still struggling with this on Sunday)
Ave Maria (music + choreography memorized)
Magnificat (music + choreography memorized)

Royals (music + choreography solid)
Aglepta (music memorized)
Illumina (music memorized)
Warrior (music memorized)

With performances coming up so soon, we can't emphasize enough how important it is to be looking over your music and choreography regularly so that it stays fresh. Please prioritize this over the next two weeks. We know that if we all work together we can create something spectacular...let's do it!

If you missed any part of rehearsal on Sunday, you MUST review the notes and videos Erin has posted on the blog, and meet with a member of your section to get detailed notes and go over the Royals choreography.

Reminder that on Sunday, October 20, we will be rehearsing from 2:30-7:00 pm. All company are called for the entire rehearsal. Here's what we'll be working on: Illumina (music + choreography), Aglepta (music + choreography), Warrior (music), I Himmelan (music + choreography), and the improvisation elements that will be part of the Creative NS Awards on October 25th. At 5:30 pm we will transition to the Museum of Natural History for the rest of our rehearsal. If you have access to a car and can bring it to rehearsal or arrange a drive, that would be very helpful to ensure that we all get to the museum in a timely manner.

Thank you all for being the brilliant and wonderful people that you are. We can't wait to blow everyone away at all of our upcoming performances!! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and we'll be thinking of you while in BC!

Love, Claire & Christina

Homework & Rehearsal Notes - October 6

Rehearsal Notes October 6

Homework

Aglepta and Illumina le tenebre are to be memorized for October 20^th

Rehearsal Notes

Royals – Movement

See videos for clarification of movement and standing positions.

Verse 1 : Altos in a straight line at the front. Sop 2s in a mixed scattered clump on Stage Right (facing centre) Sop 1s in a mixed scattered clump Stage Left (facing centre)

m. 11 – Sops turn to face front (But ev'ry song is like)

Refrain : See video for movement

m. 22 – Move to make the “Nelle Triangle” – be in place by “Queen B”

When you sing “I’ll rule” (the echos) look sharply over right shoulder at Andromeda and Cassiopeia (Downstage Right)

Verse 2 : Inverted ‘V’ shape, Sop 2s stage right, Altos centre, Sop 1s stage left

Chorus 2 : same movement as before, but in the ‘V’ shape

m. 30 (Oohs) move to two lines (split in the middle of the ‘V’) facing centre

m. 34 – down on one knee (knee closest to the audience) on Tenille’s gesture

m. 37 – Stand up on “we’re not caught up”

Videos :

Part 1 - Royals

Part 2 - Royals

Part 3 - Royals

Part 4 - Royals

List of Important Dates

Click here for a list of the upcoming important dates for the rest of 2013: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e034h0inWwD85Es-Sb_hRvzGQEFqhFrpjJJxIdlNdxY/edit?usp=sharing

This Google Doc will be updated with the same frequency as the Google Calendar.

Info for Sunday October 6 (Evening Rehearsal!)

Hi everyone!

Great rehearsal this Sunday! It was so gratifying to be able to run the Prologue + Polaris with all blocking at the end of September!!! It's a testament to your hard work, talent, and dedication! Thank you!!!

Important reminders:

• Rehearsal this Sunday is from 5:30-9:30 pm due to the Nova Scotia Youth Choir concert. 
• The by-call session this week is for all Bs (S1b, S2b, A1b, A2b) and is from 5:30-6:30 pm.
• Full company rehearsal from 6:30-9:30 pm.
• Since there is no rehearsal on Thanksgiving weekend, Fundscrip is due (in person) this Sunday evening!

This week we'll be working on the following pieces: Royals (music and movement), Aglepta (music and movement), and Illumina. We'll be running I Himmelan + Ave Maria + Magnificat from memory with blocking to keep it fresh!  

As we mentioned on Sunday, the Nova Scotia Youth Choir concert is this coming Sunday, Oct 6 at 3:00 pm. This will be a wonderful concert featuring faaaaaaabulous guest conductor Elise Bradley. We would love to see Xara faces there!!! We've posted the Facebook event on the Xara Facebook page and would encourage carpooling over to Dartmouth for the concert (or take the ferry!)

For your information, the pieces we'll be singing for the Creative Nova Scotia Awards on Friday October 25th are the following:

• I Himmelan
• Aglepta
• Illumina le tennebre

Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday evening and have a great rest of your week!