Fwd: And we’re off! This weekend, and getting started

Dear Carmina & Illuminare!

Hello! Thank you for confirming your participation this season. I am so excited to get started with you. The following email has information about this weekend, and our first concert.

I hope you are planning to join us for the first event of the season: this Saturday’s “welcome back” luncheon (Sep 7) and pre-season voicing at St. Alban’s. The event is scheduled from noon to 2pm. Our food is being generously provided by a choir member! We will catch up, and I will talk with you about the season. As some of you weren’t at my audition, I will also talk a little bit about my past experiences and share a little about the work we will do this season. I will also voice the ensemble a bit to firm up voice assignments and check balance, particularly for the sopranos and altos.

Following the luncheon and voicing, I’d like to invite anyone who can stick around for a bit to help in the joyous task of stuffing envelopes for our fundraising call. Many hands make light work! 

Rehearsals will commence the next Monday, Sep 9. I don’t want to email wrong info out, so please know that our most up-to-date schedule will always be the “live” Google Spreadsheet [link]: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12VZxIlNKdfM73XN2x2V4NojOUmH3IEqsZjw_xwYx92Q/edit?usp=sharing

Attached are two pieces that we may use Saturday: the Sicut Cervus you auditioned on, and an Ave Maria by the Polish composer Pekiel. These are the pieces I will use this weekend for your voicing, and are included in case you cannot access the following Google Drive link, where all your pieces will eventually appear: [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1is5fNDNou18EsgBGaX9rP86vwy8ftFw4?usp=sharing]

You are welcome to print anything you find in that folder (we won’t begin working on that rep until our first “real” rehearsal). If you requested that music be printed for you, I will provide that to you this weekend and at future rehearsals.

I will talk about how we access this information on Saturday, just to make sure everyone is comfortable with how I will be communicating with you and to learn about any technology issues.

Some pieces are already in the folder, but so that you have an idea of where this first concert is going, here’s an outline:

– Three Marian antiphons from Poland: Ave Maria (Pekiel), Omni die dic Mariae (Gorczycki), Gaude Maria Virgo (Gorczycki)

– Pekiel’s Missa Brevis (goal is entire, although we might cut the Credo for time)

– Zielinski’s Domus mea

– selections from Gomolka’s Polish Psalter (sung in Polish, be brave!)

– and for balance (and so that we’re not having to learn all new rep), a selection of well-loved works by Palestrina, who was especially revered in Poland (unlike the works of the Venetian composers, and composers like di Lasso, who were more influential in Germany).

The following YouTube playlist has some recordings for you, and will be updated with future recordings [link]: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLICAZdC1yxLNlbMrqUWZP-zieWsKZRkA5]

This concert of Polish rep is sacred. This will balance out with our Italian concert, which will lean secular.

I do have some selections planned for our sopranos-altos (Illuminare). Those will appear in our folder as well. However, for our first couple of rehearsals, please plan to begin rehearsing together at 7:30p. I would like to establish a good four-part sound before splitting our ensemble.

Please let me know what questions you have, and in particular if you have any trouble accessing our scores (I am aiming to find a way to do this easily and without having to send constant updates if issues arise with our editions).

All best!

Richard

—

Richard Robbins, Artistic Director

Carmina-Illuminare Early Music Vocal Ensembles

carmina.org