End of choir season: how was your choir season?
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    Tonight was our last choir rehearsal for the season. We had a potluck dinner and a short rehearsal for this Sunday. It was very enjoyable, and I got to know them better. I think we improved our singing while we enjoyed singing together for the Mass this year. Although there's so much to work, I feel we all did our best. Time for some break now. How were yours? Please share your stories.
  • Arthur Connick
    Posts: 494
    Our choir season ends on the last Sunday after Pentecost and starts up again on the 1st Sunday of Advent.
    Thanked by 4CHGiffen M. Jackson Osborn veromary CCooze
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    At St. Anne's in San Diego, the Choir accomplished much this past choral year.

    Highlights were
    Schola cohesion
    Gregorian Alleluias assimilated, on course for Graduals next year
    Allegri's 'Miserere'
    Monteverdi's 'Cantate Domino
    Three choral scholars, all a great fit and fine work

    We have the right proportions to sing the Byrd for 5 next year... we'll see.

    Choristers had a rough year. Lots of new littler members... I have to restructure for next year.

    Spanish Choir formed- lovely group with great attitudes.
    Thanked by 2miacoyne CHGiffen
  • redsox1
    Posts: 217
    We had a good year, although attendance slipped a bit after Easter-we have a lot of parishioners who travel. We sang Elgar's Ave Verum on Sunday and we had pretty much the whole group. It was a great way to end the season. The full choir sang the Faure Requiem with chamber orchestra in March-something I wouldn't have thought possible two years ago.

    The Schola had a great year and sang particularly well during Holy Week.

    I had a good crew of kids in my St. Nicholas Choir (Grades 3-5) and they really grew during the season. There are some good little musicians in that group. My middle-schoolers were just o.k. They were a pretty "green" group. I've had to rebuild the kids program and I'm hoping I can keep my younger singers in the music program and don't end up losing them to sports.
    Thanked by 2miacoyne CHGiffen
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    We (me) scaled back this last curricular year, but 'twas quite satisfying, less stressful, a third less calories, but still tasty.
    *Best bell choir evah, 8th grade. Came out of the gate learning Fatima hymn "A treze de Maio" in four successive keys by first of September for festa.
    *No major works for Adv./Christmas-kept it to Holst and Giffen (huzzahs!)
    *We contributed to a convention center packed Guadalupe with authentic villancicos, which seemed enigmatic to the congregation used to conjunto/ranchero/mariachi. I really don't need to require that of our schola again, but that call is out of my hands.
    *We've employed JMO's Sherwin Gloria, moved onto Mueller's Editione Tertia (all movements), and have Richard Clark's Mass of the Angels in the wings waiting.
    *Started weaving in the great Richard Rice Choral Communios, little gem motets, in alternation with his other source, the SCGradual and Adam's SEP's.
    *Did about four liturgies presided by bishop. Gave me opportunities to compose propers combining Latin, English, Spanish, Tagalog in more seamless ways, and which were enjoined by the congregations that came from parishes in the deanery afresh.
    *Did lotsa stuff from FNJ's Choral Anthology I, love some of the little alterations in some warhorses (Arcadelt Ave Maria phraseology, nice!) but did lots of versions from composers I had not even heard of with glee. I think the tune by a King Charles or some king was really fun.
    *Most proud- we normally put out the dog and pull out stops for Paschal concert. Nope. Did a little bit of fluff from Joseph Martin, Canticle of the Cross (I actually spent money at JWPepper!) which is Celtic/Irish, added some local Irish musicians from the parish on both tin whistles/traverse Irish flutes, bodhran and tasteful guitar.) This was on St. Paddy's Sunday, so synchronicity was ON. We've never sounded better. Had a nice audience of about 180 who donated $600 to our Bethlehem Center (clothing/food/living supplies for homeless). I'm still so stoked about how humble and perfect that concert came off, I might put it on YouTube when I get a round tuit.
    *We're now on hiatus!!!
    Thanked by 4JulieColl miacoyne Aristotle Esguerra CHGiffen
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    Bravo! I'd say you earned a break after all that, melofluent.

    BTW, what's FNJ's Choral Anthology? Sounds intriguing.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,451
    FNJ's Choral Anthology


    http://www.thecatholicchoirbook.com/
    Thanked by 2miacoyne JulieColl
  • lautzef
    Posts: 69
    What "end of the choir season"? We go all year round. If you stop in the summer you miss a lot of wonderful music, at least in the Tridentine liturgy.
    Thanked by 7miacoyne chonak CHGiffen canadash JulieColl Salieri Jeffrey Quick
  • bkenney27bkenney27
    Posts: 444
    This season was quite successful. I am concluding my second season with a choir of roughly 5 dedicated individuals with varying skills. When I first started, I limited them to unison melody only on hymns out of our hymnal. We wrapped up this past season by singing Mozart's Ave Verum in two parts. Absolutely magnificent progress.

    For Lent, the choir even joined in the Latin Introits from the Graduale Simplex. They learned quite a bit about chant notation and, even if it isn't their favorite (yet!) they are much more capable of handling chanted repertoire.

    In addition, we use OCP's Respond & Acclaim for the psalms. For Palm Sunday and Pentecost the choir was able to chant the verses in polyphonic style in two parts. They very much enjoyed it and the sound was magnificent. I am now looking for additional music that lends itself to an SA choir's ability to handle polyphonic chant since they liked it so much and sounded so great!

    Overall, not much growth as far as personnel, but very happy with the amazing amount of musical growth made this year!
    Thanked by 1miacoyne
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    We have had non-stop activities since Christmas. We finished Body & Blood Sunday with the Mozart "Ave Verum" which the choir has never sung better. Although never a large choir, they have done well this choir year. For the remainder of the summer we will practice once a month and sing choir anthems a couple of Sundays per month. In September, we return to weekly rehearsals. I look forward to summer and getting a bit of rest.
    Thanked by 2miacoyne veromary
  • Musicteacher56
    Posts: 621
    Choir is beginning to accept more Latin chants and is working on IPA for proper pronunciations. Children's choir is doing beautifully and learned several new hymns and some new chants. Congregation is slowly accepting more SEP and Latin chants, although some are still very much against it. Harmonies still rough as singers don't all have good ears, but is something to continue working on. For right now, the objective is to get the congregation's acceptance of new genres and new hymnals. No more rehearsals for the summer and singers can come up and sing at any mass that suits them. I will use familiar hymnody for Ordinary Time and no chants throughout the summer and will commence in September with both adult and children's rehearsals.
    Thanked by 1miacoyne
  • carljn
    Posts: 23
    End?? We don't really end! More like adapt and overcome vacation schedules season begins!
    Thanked by 3miacoyne CHGiffen Aristotle Esguerra
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    I should have been clearer. We sing the whole year long. We don't rehearse in the summer. We've got 20 years of "stored memory anthems" to call upon for non-cong. stuff.
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    Yes, the old "oldie but goodie" file.
    Thanked by 1CharlesW
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    You have a choir "season"? I take 3 weeks off following epiphany sunday and the rest of the year is choie.
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    New repertoire highlights for 2012–2013, including three new pieces for ad libitum use at Communion:

    • Ad te domine (A. Scarlatti): The dramatic harmonies of this Advent I offertory were particularly challenging—and satisfying.
    • Ave Regina cælorum (Soriano): This serene setting contrasts well to the Lotti setting we first learned; takes a bit of the penitential edge off Lent.
    • Anima Christi (Cherion): We introduced my English adaptation/expansion of this setting last Sunday. Into the Communion rotation it goes.
    • Hoc corpus (Robledo): This gem will be a must-sing for Holy Thursday/Corpus Christi/First Communion, and will be used occasionally throughout the rest of the year. I was taken aback by how quickly the choir took to it, especially given the amount of time we needed to learn the Isaac setting of Gustate et videte two years earlier (which is also in our Communion repertoire).
    • O Lord, you once favored your land (R. Rice): This compact selection from Richard's Advent/Christmas collection of English offertories is perfectly set for Gaudete Sunday.
    • Ubi Caritas (Stephens): This Holy Thursday text also will go into the Communion rotation.
    • Viri Galilæi (Couillart): With our pre-existing repertoire we could afford to devote some time to a once-a-year piece, learned about as quickly as the Robledo.
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