THE STORM

Half Note Happenings

By Annamarie Lyman

From April 24th to April 28th, the Central Valley Performing Arts Department was joined by the ever-so-talented members of Living Arts Collaborative. On April 25th, various chamber ensembles, faculty, and Living Arts Collaborative put on “LAC’s Got Talent” for the second year in a row. Students who attended NYSSMA on May 12th and 13th received vocal and instrumental lessons with members of the group. 

After a long and fun-filled musical week, Central Valley’s own Chamber Choir and a few members of Chamber Singers headed down to New York City. The group, led by Mr. Bunce, left early that Saturday morning, and went straight to Riverside Church. The singers were given a thirty-minute rehearsal period in a private room of the church, and then called into the worship hall to perform for three judges. The judges were situated in different areas of the room, each with recording devices to speak into and make notes while the ensemble performed. Mr. Bunce received a copy of these notes and read them to the chamber choir and singers so that they could integrate advice given by the judges into their future performances. 

The group then made their way to Radio City Music Hall for a tour. After a brief wait, they were taken into the Grand Foyer, which is decorated with abstract carpeting, twin chandeliers, and a forty-foot by sixty-foot mural that had been transported to the hall piece by piece. 

Next, they were taken to the center of the stage where the Radio City Rockettes perform, and then taken below to see the hydraulics beneath that make everything move. A fun fact that was shared was the hydraulic technology used in shows used to be classified as war technology, and guards were stationed throughout the music hall to keep enemies from sneaking in and taking pictures to return to their own government! The singers even got to meet a Rockette and take pictures, learn about the audition process, and discover how many women per year audition and don’t make it. While on the tour, they were also taken to the Grand Lounge (specifically designed to keep guests calm, quiet, and somewhat organized during the intermission of a show), and the VIP Lounge (which had originally been an apartment for Samuel Rothafel, the creator of the Radio City Rockettes). 

 The Chamber ensemble members then walked to Top of The Rock, which has 70 floors and is 850 feet tall. The group took separate rides to the top in an elevator with a glass ceiling, onto which a brief introductory video was projected. They walked out onto a balcony laid with brick, plexiglass walls, and no ceiling. Though a bit foggy and rainy, the students were still able to see many of the buildings of the Big Apple far below. They took an elevator ride down to the gift shop, walked through an underground plaza, and then returned to the bus where they rode to Riverside Church once again for an awards ceremony. 

The ensemble was awarded a gold rating. This means that between the three scores that they were given by the judges, they’d gotten an average of 90 or better on their overall performance. Due to the size of the ensemble, they were put into a separate grading category, so smaller schools would have to receive an 85 or better to receive gold. The group qualified by invitation only to return to New York City next year and join many other ensembles in a performance at Carnegie Hall. Only 6 ensembles out of all who attended the festival had received the invitation. Following the awards ceremony, every ensemble that performed was treated to a four-hour dinner cruise that took them under the Manhattan Bridge and back. 

The next morning, Mr. Bunce’s singers went to Pearl Studios to participate in an up-close, private workshop in which they were taught a few bars and some choreography from the hit musical Wicked. There was also a twenty-minute period in which the group got to learn a little about their instructors (one of which was a vacation swing for Wicked) and ask specific questions. They were given a lot of information about expenses, life as a swing, and inside looks into why certain parts of the show are designed the way they are. A swing is someone who learns several other parts (typically other ensemble members) in a show to cover for someone in case they turn up sick. A standby is someone who specifically covers a lead role, and waits offstage at the ready in case they’re needed. A vacation swing is someone who covers for ensemble members when they leave for a vacation. 

The group then went to lunch at Hard Rock Cafe and walked to Gershwin Theater to see Wicked. The set, which they’d learned some of the history and symbolism about during the workshop, was designed like a large clock, with a metal dragon suspended above the stage. There were different level platforms for entrances, and some took place in the air. The actor who performed for Galinda (one of the main protagonists in the show) in the production that the Chamber Choir and Singers saw was a standby. 

The Central Valley Treble and Mixed Choirs will be performing medlies from The Wiz (another show based on “The Wizard of Oz”) and Wicked at their spring concert. You won’t want to miss it!