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Rehearsal Notes & Homework Sept 15

Homework

Muse auditions on Sept 22 at 2pm – we will be using the excerpt of text that Claire gave out on Sunday.

Memorize Royals for Sept 22

Memorize I himmelen  for Sept 29

Listen to Christina’s MP3 of the pronunciation for Revontulet

Listen to Revontulet and sing along with it. Focus on the last two pages in your practice to make sure you have the notes and entries correct.

If you were absent, make sure to get the letter markings in Revontulet

Reherasal Notes

Warrior

In general, you need to minimize the breaths in the middle of phrases. Always maintain the feel of the phrase.

I himmelen

Review of movement:

Sops begin stage right.

Altos begin stage left.

Nelle & Shannon start centre stage facing each other.

Measure 1 – 19 process to triangle places, one step per measure. People in the back of the clump should start moving at the same time as the people at the front. Move like mystical, mysterious beings.

Measure 20 – 30 Movement in canon. On the reach (right arm & leg), make eye contact with someone across the room. Hand comes down by the downbeat of 31.

Measure 32 – 48 Walk to new places, keep the space balanced. Acknowledge the people you pass with eye contact.

Measure 48 – 59 Movement in canon.

Measure  60 –76 First 8 steps get to the East of Shannon and Nelle (if you are already there,  just mill around a bit) Next 8 steps, walk towards the West. Look up at the heavens!

Measure 76  Movement in canon

Measure 87 Shannon turn West

Measure 88 Nelle turn West

Measure 88 Small Choir turn West

Ave Maria

Rhythmic sections, figure out together who will breathe when.

In this piece, the nuance of the articulation is the most important thing.

Movement

See standing positions in the seating order post on the blog!

A – each action happens on the downbeat of the bar (even if you aren’t singing yet). Keep tension in hands and shoulders

-       Right hand forward     

-       Left hand forward

-       Cross arms to chest (pull in with shoulders)

-       Release arms down to the sides

On the repeat:

-       Left hand drops on the rest after “Maria”

-       Right hand stays in place for the downbeat at the repeat of A

On Vepsian Pathways

The beginning of the Castor & Pollux constellation.

My sister, my cricket – we’re supposed to do something, but let’s go and play instead!

Revontulet

Page 3, 3^rd system – Anyone who is part A (4-part split) does the scooping up, while Bs hold the cord.

At letter G – (3-part split) Alto Bs start the rhythm while Alto As hold the cord. The rest of the piece is a 4-part split.

Info for Sun Sept 15

Hi everyone!

Thank you all SO much for such an excellent retreat weekend. We made tons of progress on Constellations, and had a lot of fun while doing so! :) Thank you for your positive energy, hard work, focus, and enthusiasm! We are off to a great start!!

Thank you to Erin for posting lots of detailed information about the retreat weekend. Make sure to check out her posts on the blog for homework, seating order, and other important details.

Reminder that if you missed any part of the retreat weekend, it is your responsibility to meet with someone in your section to go over all musical and blocking notes to get caught up for Sunday's rehearsal.

We wanted to let you know the By-Call Schedule for the next month. This refers to what will be happening in the first hour and fifteen minutes of each rehearsal (1:15-2:30 pm). Full company rehearsal starts at 2:30 pm sharp, so please be a few minutes early.

Sept 15

• 1:15-2:00 pm   Soprano Sectional
• 2:00-2:25 pm   Auditions: Magnificat (music solo), Andromeda + Cassiopeia (movement + speaking role solos, see details below)

Sept 22

• 1:15-2:00 pm   Alto Sectional
• 2:00-2:25 pm   Auditions: Muses (speaking roles)

Sept 29

• 1:15-2:25 pm   Text workshop - all As (S1a, S2a, A1a, A2a)

Oct 5 OR 6 (see Facebook poll, time to be confirmed based on results of poll)

• 1:15-2:25 pm OR 5:30-6:30 pm   Text workshop - all Bs (S1b, S2b, A1b, A2b)

This Sunday:

Auditions: We will be auditioning for the Magnificat solo this week. If you're interested, please have a look over the music, and listen to the recording of us performing the piece that is posted on our Facebook page. 

We will also be auditioning for the Cassiopeia and Andromeda solos this week. Both of these characters will have very little text, but each role will be very character-driven, involving movement and embodying the character. Andromeda's role will have more dynamic and vigorous movement compared to Cassiopeia's. Here are the preliminary character descriptions for the two roles (also found on your list of characters attached to the Constellations synopsis):

Cassiopeia - The vain Queen. She is beautiful, self-involved, and craves the center of attention.

Andromeda - Cassiopeia’s daughter. Kind, beautiful, with a determined spirit.

For the audition, Claire will give everyone a few basic movement and character activities and we'll do them all together so she can get a sense of who might be a good fit.

To help you prepare for rehearsal this week, here are the pieces we'll be spending some time on: I Himmelan (Swedish text and movement), Ave Maria (music and movement), Warrior (memorized), Revontulet, and Vepsian Pathways. You haven't received a score for Vepsian Pathways yet, but it is now uploaded to Soundcloud, so please listen to it and familiarize yourself with the piece. We will also take the last half hour to look at the music for the Radio Radio collaboration.

Last thing: We will also be doing the contract signing as well this Sunday, so please bring your handbooks with you to rehearsal and we'll sign them all as a group!

Thanks everyone!!! We can't wait for an awesome rehearsal on Sunday!!!

Constellations Placement & Seating Order

Please make note of when you change places (there are some people who need to switch seats when rehearsing in 3 vs 4 parts) I will update and link to this post as needed :-)

Click on each diagram to see a larger (more easily readable) version.

UPDATE : Based on comments, I updated the 4-part seating positions. Also, please take note of your ending positions for I himmelen

Notes from the Retreat Weekend

Hello lovelies! This is my first blog post as your official "Person Who Does The Things" (the name is a bit of a work in progress, as you know!)

This post contains the following information :

- Homework :-)

- Notes on the pieces as they were rehearsed. These are things that Christina said about the pieces (their place in the show, the feeling she wants from them, how to rehearse them etc.)

Memorization / Homework from Sept 8^th

• Memorize Warrior for Sept 15 – do NOT listen to the recording while working on this piece
• Ave Maria – bottom parts, find and look at your patterns so you don’t get lost.
• Listen to Revontulet (Christina will send a link to the recording on SoundCloud) – bear in mind that this is a children’s chorus, so we don’t want to mimic their tone, just their precision!
• Please let us know for sure this week if you are available for the Critical Care Pediatric Nurses’ Conference on September 24^th from 2 – 4pm in the World Trade and Convention Centre. Rep : One Voice, and Farewell to Nova Scotia.
• Listen to Christina pronouncing the Swedish in I himmelen and make notes in your scores. Come ready to sing this in Swedish next week.
• Solo audition next week for Magnificat  - learn the first page up to the word ‘Dominum' There is a recording on Facebook for reference.

If you were absent:

• Be sure to get the emphasis markings for Illumina le tenebre.
• There are some breath markings and accidental in From Ash You Rise to check. Note the meter change at the bottom of page 5.
• Meet with someone from your part to go over the movement in I himmelen

I himmelen

Special standing order for rehearsing this piece – see diagram (soon to come!)

Tutti from the beginning to measure 19, everyone in unison.

From 19-29, regular parts (all on Large Choir line)

Bottom of page 4, Small Choir splits off onto their own lines (in the small choir, Sop 2a takes the top line)

Watch the double accents (e.g. bottom of page 4)

Warrior

Mimic the feeling of the Wyrd Sisters

Sop 2 is the lead voice – warm full sound from the Sop 2s, lighter from the Sop 1s

Swing the “of” and the “hood” – e.g.measure 9 & 16 – each time that figure comes around, regardless of the word that is being sung.

Keep the energy moving through the rests

Verse 1 – quiet and withdrawn, womanhood means not being able to fight, defeated and hurt

Verse 2 – rejecting womanhood, quietly angry, heavier emphasis on the consonants

Verse 3 – sense of resolution, powerful, make a lot of the words that are different in the chorus this time around. At the end (on the repeated text) it becomes soft again, slightly retrospective

Pseudo-Yoik Lite

The melody is the pattern that occurs in the S2 & A1 parts at the start of the piece.  Whenever that pattern comes back, it takes the lead, the other parts are background.

Vowel change over long notes happens the full beat before the end of the held note.

Royals

Practice with the Lorde arrangement on the recording.

Some changes to the score (added & removed notes, some word changes) please make note of these.

Lots of attitude.

Ave Maria

Top two lines are the melody; bottom parts are rhythm and agitation.

Kallie moves to S1b (S2 as written in the score) for this piece

Revontulet

Measures 1-5 all parts should sing the same words as the Soprano line.

Measures 6-8, same words as the Sopranos. Measures 9 & 10 exactly as written.

Vem kan segla forutan vind

The tune for this song gets passed around from part to part. Make sure you know where you have melody, and where you have supporting parts.

Ice

Sop 1 A, Sop 2 A, Alto A – Sing the top three lines (Choir 1)

Sop 1 B, Sop 2 B, Alto B – Sing the bottom three lines (Choir 2)

Illumina le tenebre

Andromeda’s prayer after being chained to the rock.

This will be a regular 4-part split, with Altos all singing the bottom line at the start, and then splitting at the bottom of the second page into Alto 1 & 2.

Translation :

All-highest, glorious God cast your light into the darkness of my heart. Give me right faith, firm hope, perfect charity and profound humility. Lord give me wisdom and perception so that I may do what is your will.

From Ash You Rise

Orpheus’ story of losing his love.

Be sure to lift slightly between ‘ash’ and ‘at’.

Reminders + Driving Directions for Xara Retreat!

Hi everyone! 

We're SOOOOOO excited for our retreat tomorrow!! Reminder to go over the "what to bring" list so you come fully prepared for our weekend together. Especially remember to bring warm sweater/blanket etc for the star gazing on Friday and Saturday. It looks like it will get cold in the evening both nights.

Our rehearsal spot on Friday and Saturday is William Black Memorial Church, at 10515 Peggy's Cove Rd in Glen Margaret. Driving directions:

• Take the 103 to exit 5, turn left at the top of the ramp and drive that road (Hammonds Plains Rd) until it ends at a set of lights facing a Superstore (about 2 mins). 
• Turn right at the lights. 
• The next set of lights (less than 1 minute) is the Peggy's Cove Rd. 
• Turn left onto the Peggy's Cove Rd. 
• Drive along this road approx. 15 minutes to the church.

Don't forget to bring gas money for your driver!!!!!

That's it!! Any questions or concerns tomorrow, feel free to get in touch with Christina or Claire!

Christina: 902-818-8582

Claire: 902-223-7828

SEE YOU TOMORROW!!!!

Personnel/Divisi

Below you'll find a chart indicating who is singing which parts for this year! Please note that the "a" or "b" after your name indicates a further division for when we need to sing in 8 or 6 parts.

You'll also notice two changes in personnel. In addition to our awesome newbies/returnees, Colleen, Paige, Zoe, Mackenzie, Joanna, and Devon, we will also be welcoming Krystal Yorke to the Alto 2 section!!! Krystal is 28, newly married, and a cardiac nurse. Rachel Lutz, who was originally to be joining us this fall, had to withdraw when she accepted an offer to attend Memorial University in Newfoundland. In total, then, we have 6 new, amazing people and 1 fabulous returning singer!! Get ready to give them an overwhelming Xara welcome!! :-)

XARA 2013-14 :: Constellations

PERSONNEL &  DIVISI

2/4/8 Part Split

3/6 Part Split

SOPRANO 1 Shannon Scales (a) Nelle Duinker (a) Kallie White (b) Brianna Coombs (b) Kristin Bunyan (b) SOPRANO 2 Colleen MacIsaac (a) Paige Marvel (a) Hayley Giles (a) Zoe Leger (b) Sarah Sampson (b) Emily Curley (b) ALTO 1 Leah Boulos (a) Jordyn Bochon (a) Mackenzie Hepditch (a) Robin Lauriston (b) Joanna Burris (b) Tenille Goodspeed (b) ALTO 2 Jenny Trites (a) Tejas Madhur (a) Sara Jellicoe (a) Nikki Martin (b) Devon Pennick-Reilly (b) Leanne Hoffman (b) Krystal Yorke (b)

SOPRANO 1 Shannon Scales (a) Nelle Duinker (a) Kallie White (a) Brianna Coombs (b) Kristin Bunyan (b) Colleen MacIsaac (b) SOPRANO 2 Hayley Giles (a) Paige Marvel (a) Emily Curley (a) Zoe Leger (a) Sarah Sampson (b) Leah Boulos (b) Mackenzie Hepditch (b) Tenille Goodspeed (b) ALTO Jordyn Bochon (a) Joanna Burris (a) Tejas Madhur (a) Robin Lauriston (a) Sara Jellicoe (b) Jenny Trites (b) Nikki Martin (b) Devon Pennick-Reilly (b) Leanne Hoffman (b) Krystal Yorke (b)