Rehearsal Notes – January 5

Starborn - Music notes

Sing each fragment as many times as you went, progressing through them in order, until the choreographed movement comes to an end. Dynamics build as you progress through the sections. It is not necessary to make it to number 7– progress at a speed that has you singing in your range throughout the piece. At the end, Christina will cue the chord (in a six part split – Jordyn will sing the G with Sara & Devon) Remove the slide to the D at the end. Just a clean jump on Christina’s cue.

Starborn - Blocking

Drift to aisle positions while singing.

All together, Leah, Jenny, Brianna, Hayley, Zoe & Joanna process forward to form the constellation.

Others, create a very loose line behind your Muse. The person at the back of the line will have the light, and it will pass forward to the six Muses who are forming the constellation.

After passing the light, drift backwards to leave the Muses in the centre.

Lights will be turned on at the cue for the big chord at the end of the piece. After the note dies away, the lights go off.

Revontulet

This piece will not involve choreography at all – reserve all your brain power for the singing! :-)

There is a note error in the Alto 2 line – bottom of page 7,  last beat of the first measure should be two C-sharps.

Lux Aeterna

Measures 33-36 are in perfect time. Watch Christina for the cut-off at the end of 36.

I himmelen

New English text! Woo! This should be memorized by next week.

Gemini (Castor and Pollux)

The basic story is :

Pakkanen : Dawn is breaking, getting the boats ready to sail

Revontulet : One ship gets lost, sees bursts of St Elmo’s Fire, Castor and Pollux come and save the sailors.

Pakkanen

Beginning in the aisles, soloists at the front.

A – S1, S2 & A2 remain in the aisles, everyone else moves toward the centre

A1 – Mezzo parts move to two lines in the centre. A1 move to the edges

A2 – Mezzos pulling on a rope, in time with their HaHas

B1 – Mezzos stand, mingle with A1, end up on the South of the stage, facing centre. S1 & 2, A2 move to a new aisle, remaining together.

A3 – Lifting the mast, tying down the ropes, raising the sail

B2 – Mill about, everybody ends up in a clump on the South facing centre. In place by C1. Be near your part in a 4-part split, Alto 2 furthest East, Soprano 1 furthest West.

C1 – first 4 bars, remain still, anticipating boarding the boats. Next 4 bars, move to boat shapes in 4-part split

C2 – lean to the right for 4 bars, lean to the left for 4 bars

D1 – walking forward (heading out to sea)

D2 – turn over left shoulder and wave to the shore, turn back at measure 93. Continue sailing out to sea until the end of the piece.

Earth - anything in RED is new or changed from last time

Enter on Joanna’s line : Let’s stay together this time, ok?

Letter A

Altos in a clump in the middle of the stage, Sopranos walking around them in a clockwise circle. Sing to each other.

Measure 14 – Sops go to the North and sit down (Sop 3s nearest the centre of the space), Altos 1 & 2 go to the South and stay standing. Alto 3s go to the South and sit down.

Letter B

South group sing to North group  and moves toward the centre

Measure 32 – 34 – Sop 3s stand and confront South group

Measure 45 – 47 – Sop 1 & 2 stand and join the Sop 3s as the North group

Letter C

Step on the downbeat of 50, 51 & 52 (North group advances)

Step on the downbeat of 54, 55 & 56 (North group backs up)

“End of conversation” – North group turns 90˚ over left shoulder and looks back at South group

“Put your back in it” – North group continues turning left and starts walking away from South group

“Make it up” – North group turns back over right shoulder and gestures to South group

“Make it work”  - Sops sit down.

Letter D

Sops sit in the East. Alto 1 & 2 rotate around to face East.

Sop 3s stand up on Measures 78 – 80.

Sop 1 & 2 and Alto 3 stand on Measures 94 – 96

Letter E

Sop 1 & 2, Alto 3 Step forward on the downbeat of 98, 99 & 100 and again on 106, 107, 108

“End of conversation” – North group turns 90˚ over left shoulder and looks back at South group. South group turns 90˚ over right shoulder and looks back at North group.

“Put your back in it” – North group continues turning left and starts walking away from South group. South group continues turning right and starts walking away from North group.

“Make it up” – North group turns back over right shoulder and gestures to South group. South group turns back over left shoulder and gestures to North group.

Letter F

Same as Letter A, Sopranos create a circle from both sides (when the ends meet, start walking clockwise in a circle)

Letter G

Sop 1, Alto 2 & 3 split and go North and South. Other remain in the centre and make the magical moving rectangle.

Letter H & I

Diagonal line down the centre of the space, in normal U formation.

Sarah Sampson is the pivot at the centre of the line.

Letter J

Rotating around the pivot point. One step per bar.

First January Rehearsal!!

Hi everyone!!!

Happy New Year!!! We hope you all had a restful and enjoyable holiday. I can't believe it's been almost a month since we've been together. January is going to be an exciting month as we finalize and refine Constellations without any other distractions! :) I want to thank you in advance for the time and energy this is going to take throughout the month. We know that we will all work together to make this show amazing!!

Here's what we have planned for this Sunday:

1:15-2:30     Muses (except Jenny)
2:30-5:30     Full Company

Muses, we'll be working the new Story of Orpheus & Eurydice text (unmemorized, but please look over it thoroughly).

We will take some dedicated time to look at music for Revontulet (memorized), Starborn (Ice replacement piece - unmemorized), I Himmelen (English words), and Lux Aeterna (memorized).

In terms of blocking we will focus on finishing Earth, learning the blocking for Starborn, and learning the blocking for Pakkanen.

There are several of you missing this Sunday's rehearsal for a variety of reasons. If you miss rehearsal, we cannot stress enough the importance of meeting with someone to catch up on what you've missed. We cannot waste time re-teaching anything we have already gone over in rehearsal. As well, Erin has provided excellent notes and videos for you throughout the rehearsal period regarding blocking and other important details. Thank you, Erin!

Please make sure that you have all our rehearsal and performances dates marked in your calendar. They are all listed on our Google Calendar for your reference. With the exception of Saturday January 11, you should expect a full company call for all remaining rehearsals from 1:15-5:30 pm.

Let's bring it this month everyone, and make something extraordinary happen for our audience!

Blocking Videos from December 8

Pseudo Yoik Lite 

From Ash You Rise

Earth

Last Weekly Update of 2013!

Hi everyone!!!

We've finally made it!!! What a busy and exciting fall we have had. Thank you all for your ongoing energy, efforts, and dedication to this ensemble. We've had six amazing performances since September and we have you to thank for making them extra special for our audiences!

Hopefully we will all get some much needed R&R over the holidays, so we are back in January refreshed and ready to go! There's still lots to work on at home over the next few weeks so we wanted to give you a little homework list.

• All music and blocking must be memorized by the first rehearsal in January.
• There are still a few things that will be forthcoming to you via email, so please look out for them:
• English words for I Himmelen
• Some minor revisions to Muses' text in Lyra
• New soundscape score to replace "Ice"

A reminder of the power weekend scheduled on January 11 & 12, 2014. Both days rehearsal will be from 1:15-5:30 pm, full company.

Please look ahead in your calendars to show week. All dates and times are to be found in the Google Calendar. All rehearsals during show week are mandatory. You must be present for the entirety of each rehearsal.

Xara Holiday Party!

This Sunday, Dec 15, is our annual Xara Holiday Party!!! This is a super fun day!!!!!! We would love for as many people as possible to be there! Significant others are welcome! It's a potluck, so please bring a snack to share, and we also do Secret Santa!

Rules for Secret Santa: Bring a wrapped present valued at no more than $10. No names on the present! The rest is taken care of at the party :)

Location: Tenille & Zoe's House - 2323 Brunswick St, Unit B, Halifax (this is also Claire's old apartment for anyone who was at the holiday party last year)

Time: 2:00 pm onward!

Looking forward to a lovely and festive afternoon!!!!!

Rehearsal Notes - December 8

Revontulet

Letter G to Letter I – Lock in the Zan-za-ka timing, the eighth always stays consistent regardless of time signature changes

This MUST be off-book by the first rehearsal in January, no exceptions.

Earth

Enter on Joanna’s line : Let’s stay together this time, ok?

Letter A

Altos in a clump in the middle of the stage, Sopranos walking around them in a clockwise circle. Sing to each other.

Measure 14 – Sops go to the North and sit down (Sop 3s nearest the centre of the space), Altos 1 & 2 go to the South and stay standing. Alto 3s go to the South and sit down.

Letter B

South group sing to North group  and moves toward the centre

Measure 32 – 34 – Sop 3s stand and confront South group

Measure 45 – 47 – Sop 1 & 2 stand and join the Sop 3s as the North group

Letter C

Step on the downbeat of 50, 51 & 52 (North group advances)

Step on the downbeat of 54, 55 & 56 (North group backs up)

“End of conversation” – North group turns 90˚ over left shoulder and looks back at South group

“Put your back in it” – North group continues turning left and starts walking away from South group

“Make it up” – North group turns back over right shoulder and gestures to South group

“Make it work”  - Sops sit down.

Letter D

Sops sit in the North again. Sop 3s stand up on Measures 78 – 80.

Sop 1 & 2 and Alto 3 stand on Measures 94 – 96

Letter E

Sop 1 & 2, Alto 3 Step forward on the downbeat of 98, 99 & 100 and again on 106, 107, 108

“End of conversation” – North group turns 90˚ over left shoulder and looks back at South group. South group turns 90˚ over right shoulder and looks back at North group.

“Put your back in it” – North group continues turning left and starts walking away from South group. South group continues turning right and starts walking away from North group.

“Make it up” – North group turns back over right shoulder and gestures to South group. South group turns back over left shoulder and gestures to North group.

Letter F

Same as Letter A, Sopranos create a circle from both sides (when the ends meet, start walking clockwise in a circle)

Letter G

Sop 1, Alto 2 & 3 split and go North and South. Other remain in the centre and make the magical moving rectangle.

Last rehearsal of 2013!

Hi everyone!

Thank you all for a beautiful performance last night at Government House. It was extremely well received by Their Honours and those in attendance and you looked & sounded lovely!! A perfect way to start the holiday season!!!

We have one rehearsal left before our holiday party! Here's what you need to know for Sunday December 8th:

Schedule

1:15-2:30 pm   Lyra text rehearsal
2:30-5:30 pm   Full Company rehearsal

What We'll Be Working On

This Sunday, we'll be working on music for Revontulet, learning the blocking for Earth (memorized), and then doing a run of Lyra from memory (Pseudo-Yoik Lite, From Ash You Rise, Earth). We will also be singing through and recording I'll Give My Love an Apple.

Constellations Solos

After hearing the solos again, Christina would like to keep those currently singing solos in Pakkanen (Tenille, Jordyn, Kristin) and Lux Aeterna (Shannon). You're all doing great work!

Ice

Based on the amount of time we have left to prep the show, and in recognition of how difficult Ice would be to memorize, we've decided to cut Ice from Constellations. In its place, Christina will be writing something new - it will be significantly easier to memorize, will be shorter in length, and will still capture the same spirit of Ice (soundscape-y etc). You will receive this the first rehearsal back in January.

Changes to I Himmelen

We recognize that this piece has been challenging to sing, memorize, and perform, and we are grateful for all the hard work you have put into this piece! We've had a few opportunities to perform it now, and after some careful consideration from all ends, we've decided to make some changes:

• Christina will be writing new English words, and we will perform the piece in English. You will receive them before the holidays so you can learn them over the break. 
• Devon, Mackenzie, and Paige will now be moved off of their parts in the small choir and will sing with the large choir. Devon and Mackenzie will sing the alto line of the large choir, and Paige will sing the soprano line.

Power Weekend

While we have made these few changes to streamline our preparation for Constellations, we feel like we will need some extra rehearsal time to tighten up the remaining blocking and make it into an absolutely tight, stunning performance. So, we would like to hold an extra rehearsal on Saturday, January 11 from 1:15-5:30 pm, location TBA. Please try your best to make your schedules accommodate this rehearsal, and please be in touch with us directly if you have an unavoidable conflict. We know that this extra time and energy will help to take the show to the next level and to blow our audiences away!!

Thank you all for what has been the busiest fall in Xara's history. You are all amazing, talented, dedicated singers, and all wonderful, inspiring humans. We are so lucky to work with you every week!!!!! Looking forward to this last rehearsal together before the holidays, and then to blow everyone away at Constellations in January!!!!!

December 1st Rehearsal Notes

December 1^st – Rehearsal Notes

Find out for sure if your people picked up their wreaths. Be on this! Contact Claire & Tenille.

Concert Order for the LG show on Tuesday:

Piece	Memory	Movement	Ed
Folders will be preset in stacks by section (Shannon, Paige & Nikki will be in charge of distributing folders after Ave Maria) When not in use, folders are in left hand Whenever there is applause, PUT YOUR FOLDER DOWN
Sister Song	Memorized	Process in from the aisles to mixed scattered (MS)	C
Magnificat	Memorized	U – By parts, Sara in the middle	D
Ave Maria	Memorized	Same blocking as Nov. 3rd	A, C, E, G, C
Apple	FOLDERS	Shannon, Paige & Nikki pass folders along 3 Part U shape	D
Warrior	Memorized	Regular MS with walking	E, G, B
Sure on This Shining Night	FOLDERS	Double U (see photo)	Accompanied
Pakannen	Memorized	In a U (Alto 2s in the middle) Walk forward at C2 Return to U after “Hey!”	C, D, G
Nuit d’étoiles	FOLDERS	Special MS (see photo)	Accompanied
Lux Aeterna	FOLDERS	Double U (see photo)	Eb  & Bb
I himmelen	Memorized	U (like the circle at the museum) Nelle & Shannon on the ends	High A
Illumina le tenebre	Memorized	MS	E
Perhaps They Are Not Stars	FOLDERS	Special MS (see photo)	Accompanied

Double U for Lux Aeterna and Sure on This Shining Night

Special MS for Nuit d'Étoiles and Perhaps They Are Not Stars

Pseudo Yoik Lite

Enter from the NW aisle

o   Zoe, Paige & Kristin

o   Joanna, Nikki & Krystal

o   Jenny, Sara & Devon

o   Colleen & Mackenzie

Enter from the SW aisle

o   Jordyn & Robin

o   Leah, Sarah & Tenille

o   Kallie & Shannon

o   Brianna & Nelle

o   Hayley & Emily

Form a circle, arrive by measure 11 (the high A).  Refer to image for location (order may be slightly different)

Measure 15 – 22 inclusive

Steps forward (into the centre of the circle, starting on the right foot), slightly crouched and sneaky (no stomping).  Be aware of the shape, keep the oval shape consistent.

Measure 23 – 25 inclusive

Drift backward, steps on the downbeat of each bar

Measure 26 – 34 inclusive

Stand and sing

Measure 36 – 45 inclusive

In time with the sung line, parts 2,3,4 & 5 pivot in a clockwise circle, and then in a counter clockwise circle (each circle lasts over the 2 bars of the theme). Slightly crouched and with wonder in the eyes. Involve the arms.  Stop moving on the rests.

Parts 1 & 6 sway with their line

Measure 46 – 49 inclusive

Steps on the spot (same rhythm as M 15)

Measure 50 – 53 inclusive

Steps into the centre of the circle (same rhythm as M 15)

Measure 54 – 61 inclusive

Stand and sing

Measure 62 – 66 inclusive

Move back to the circle from the start of the piece

Measure 67 – 71 inclusive

Stand and sing

Measure 72 – end

Walking toward the centre of the circle (same rhythm as M 15)

Earth

Try to wean yourself off of the recording, as we are singing it in a higher key J