Chorale Notes (Member Site)

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4/4/2025

Hello, all,

As a number of you have so kindly expressed concern, I wanted to take a moment to fill you all in on what's been transpiring regarding my eye challenges.

At yesterday's follow-up appointment with my eye surgeon, I was informed that the retina in my right eye had detached yet again. This resulted in me having another emergency surgery first thing this morning, which, if I understood correctly, combined elements of both laser photocoagulation and vitrectomy.

Yesterday, after performing what I understood to be a relatively new diagnostic procedure/test related to changes in blood circulation throughout the eye tissue, my surgeon suggested that the retina may actually have detached as far back as Sunday afternoon...perhaps even during the performance. As I said in my previous message, I attributed my light headedness and coordination challenges during the second half of the concert to the fact that I had taken pain medication about two hours earlier than I should have, but it seems now that my challenges may have been more directly related to my eye problem. I guess we'll never know.

The Good News is that, as long as I adhere to ALL other post-operative guidance, I have been cleared to conduct the concert this coming Sunday and we are on track to present another fine performance for our patrons, all without compromising the integrity of my surgery.

Please, continue to study your music and plan to bring your best selves to our final full concert of the season. I look forward to being with you all again and making some great music.

3/31/2025

Happy Monday, everyone,

Sincere congratulations on a terrific opening concert! So many of the goals toward which we had worked were achieved and some were even surpassed. You all deserve to be quite proud of coming together to offer our smallish, but palpably invested, audience a fine performance.

Please, reconsider the directives I offered in last week's message and redouble your efforts to 1) refine and improve your diction, emotional intention facially and in terms of declamation of text and also 2) the maintaining of consistent, solid breath support. All of these elements were significantly improved since our last rehearsal and these improvements unquestionably elevated our first performance. However, I'm convinced that we can take them to an even higher and more refined level.

Lastly, at the risk of appearing to whine about my infirmities, I wanted to offer an explanation of my increasingly visible impaired physical coordination during the second half of the concert. In addition to my still unresolved and worsening vision issues, I have been dealing with SEVERE back and hip pain for 6-8 weeks now. I'm scheduled to see my primary care physician in about three weeks and I've been telling myself that I would address the issue with him at that time. However, just to remain functional (upright), I've been taking large amounts of Ibuprofen and occasional tablets of a medication called Tramadol. Yesterday, because my back pain was so severe, I made the mistake of taking a second Tramadol tablet at the start of intermission, realizing only then that it was about two hours before I should have taken it. While it certainly lessened my pain, it also affected my physical coordination to the point that the simple act of turning around toward the audience was difficult, awkward and precarious. You may trust that I will not make that mistake again.

Nevertheless, we all put forth our best efforts to offer our patrons what they came for and ultimately performed a lovely concert. Please, continue to do your own rehearsing and reviewing (focusing on your insecurities) and I'm certain that we'll do an even more refined and elevated concert next Sunday. I leave you with...

Kindest regards,

3/27/2025

Hi, everyone,

Thank you for an expedient and effective rehearsal with the orchestra last Monday.The challenges that emerged with the instrumentalists and the integrity of their individual parts have been resolved and I look forward to an opening concert on Sunday that is tonally beautiful and rich in emotional intention.

Things to think about as you continue your final preparation:

1) Get your faces up and out of your scores as often as possible. Not only will this allow me to guide you through a more emotionally and spiritually unified and musically accurate performance, but it will also us to enjoy the palpable joy of performing together in the moment.

2) DICTION! Consonants are HUGELY important and uttering them crisply and exactly where they are supposed to go is the key to ensuring that our audience members can understand the powerful and entertaining texts we're singing.

3) If the piece we're singing is joyful, you MUST exude joy as you sing it. This is more than just putting an insincere smile on your face. Let the spirit into your body. It's much more about allowing yourself to feel the happy emotion(s) expressed in the bottom of your heart and having the courage to let the audience see you having a great time. In contrast, if the piece we're singing is not necessarily joyful, but perhaps more poignant and inspirational, it's important that you internalize the emotion(s) of those lyrics, as well, and allow your facial expression(s) to project the seriousness and power of what you're saying/singing.

4) GOOD BASIC TECHNIQUE: Breathe on time, deeply, and create an arched "pre-yawn" soft palate EVERY TIME, so that the roof of your mouth feels elevated. Once you've taken that deep breath, allowing the diaphragm to fully descend and the abdomen to expand, feel that gentle but steady abdominal engagement as you release a relaxed, spinning stream of air that moves out of the lungs, through the vocal cords and into the nasopharyngeal mask...this being the area above, below and behind your eyes, nose and mouth.

5) Aspire to stay calm and do your best to shut down nervous energy and anxiety, by focusing on being an expressive, artistic singer. I swear to you that if you lose yourself in the magic of sincere emotional expression/intention, you won't have the cognitive energy to be nervous.

Please, be at Hope Palm Desert by 1:20 p.m., so that we may begin warm-ups promptly at 1:30 p.m. We will do our typical physical and vocal exercises, but I also want to take the time to revisit a few listening exercises, so that we can a clear and immediate sense of the type of sound we're making that afternoon. We will have access to the choir room (as our green room), but I would suggest that you leave your valuables locked in your car.

I look forward to entertaining our audience and hopefully ourselves as we present a heartfelt performance of From Sea to Shining Sea. Until Sunday...

3/20/2025

Happy Thursday, everyone,

Allow me one more check-in to dispense some information and, hopefully, some inspiration.

As you all likely remember, this coming Monday's rehearsal on 3/24 will include our chamber orchestra. Because I want the time together to be as productive as possible, we will not run the concert exactly in order. Because we are performing three numbers without the orchestra (Everytime I Feel The Spirit, Let Me Fly, & Seal Lullaby), we shall wait until the orchestra is released to run these three numbers. That being said, the order for this Monday will be:

Key/Moreen – The Star-Spangled Banner

Gershwin/Wagner – Porgy and Bess Choral Highlights

Hayes – Old West Medley

Seeger – If I Had A Hammer

Leavitt – Steal Away

Spevacek – American Folk Rhapsody

Martin – Ride On, King Jesus

Sheer – American Anthem

Martin – A Stephen Foster Tribute

Gershwin/Huff – Swingin’ with the Gershwins

Whitacre – Sing Gently

(Orchestra Departs)

Dawson – Every Time I Feel The Spirit

Depuit – Let Me Fly

Whitacre – Seal Lullaby

The wonderful staff at Hope Palm Desert have been nothing but supportive of us, but they've also made it clear that we ought to depart in a timely manner at the end of our rehearsal. Therefore, this coming Monday, let's not plan on staying beyond the rehearsal of our current concert repertoire. THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE SINGING FOR THE 4/8 Palm Desert EVENT AND/OR FOR THE Cathedral City EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE ON 4/20, PLEASE, PLAN TO ATTEND TWO SHORT(er) REHEARSALS ON MONDAY 4/7 AND MONDAY 4/14 at St. John's, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. We will prepare the music for both of these events at that time.

A bit of guidance to continue improving our current repertoire.

REVIEW, REVIEW AND REVIEW! I am continuing my mental preparation for our program(s) by spending significant time in score study. I advise you to make yourself aware of where your specific insecurities are and, consequently, to work extra hard at reviewing those spots mentally and vocally. Much of our repertoire is in GREAT shape, but please, don't make the mistake of laying off your preparation efforts now. If anything, work even harder.

DICTION, DICTION AND DICTION! For the first time in a long time, the Chorale is presenting a program that is entirely in English. In the many years that I've been singing, I've performed in English, Italian, Latin, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish and Swahili. To this day, I find that the most difficult language in which to retain healthy, ringing vocal resonance, clear consonants and acoustic projection is ENGLISH. I believe that there are many reasons for this...In fact, too many to chat about now. However, please, know that I understand the challenges you face as you try to make each and every word understood and still many tonally beautiful vocal production. Doing so is decidedly not easy. However, I genuinely believe that you're up to the challenge and I very much look forward to hearing the many powerful lyrics we're offering, as your sing them with clarity and sincere emotional intention.

I'm certain that we're going to have a productive rehearsal this coming Monday, followed by two fine performances.

I leave you with two quotes that I believe to be both instructional and inspirational.

"The beauty of the human voice is found in the quality of the vowel, but the gateway to emotion is the consonant."

Maria Callas

"Words make you think. Music makes you feel. Singing makes you feel a thought."

E.Y. "Yip" Harburg

Looking forward to being with you all on Monday...

T.B.

3/11/2025

Greetings friends and colleagues,

Please, know that I was absolutely delighted with the effort you all made to take our collaborative work even higher on the artistic scale at last Monday's rehearsal. I heard quite a number of profoundly unified and GORGEOUS sounds coming from the ensemble and I'm convinced that it's because you're working hard individually to learn your music better and more securely all the time and consequently surrendering yourselves to the magic that is lovely choral singing.

No long dissertation this week...just ENCOURAGEMENT!

Please, stay dedicated to building your musical security in ALL of the marvelous repertoire we will be offering and, equally important, dedicate yourselves ALWAYS to improving your technique and liberating your voices with open throats and adequate breath support, so that they may actually function as expressive instruments at your command that are able to respond to what I'm asking of you as a conductor. I learned a great deal at last Monday's rehearsal as to how I shall proceed in my preparation, particularly in regard to iconographic gesture and when to "get out of the way" and I hope you all feel much the same way.

REMEMBER: WE WILL REHEARSE AT HOPE PALM DESERT this coming Monday, in a standing order which I will suggest IMMEDIATELY at 6:30 p.m. Gail will do her usual physical warm-up, but I kindly request that you arrive vocally warmed-up, as we will do no more than one vocal exercise to get a sense of the acoustics of the venue. Please, plan to run Act 2 from memory, followed by Act 1 with scores in hand.

Last message...Forest Lawn has moved their Easter Sunrise Service indoors, and we are now limited in space to accomodate the singers...meaning we must be a smaller ensemble. I've emailed some of you to invite you to participate, selected on the basis of creating a unified, blended sound from a smaller ensemble. If you were not solicited, it does not mean that I don't value what you contribute to the Chorale, but rather that I had to cut people out to accommodate the space available. I hope that you'll understand and consider the challenge at hand.

I'm grateful to you all for your ongoing hard work. KEEP IT COMING, KIDS! We're sure to have a fine concert series.

T.B.

3/6/2025

Hello, Everyone,

Congratulations for staying so focused and getting through our entire spring program last Monday evening, even with a few stops to clean up some messy entrances. It's my hope that all of our subsequent rehearsals leading up to the concerts will be equally fruitful and productive and I'm confident that they will be so.

The First Sopranos, who were disappointingly few in number last Monday, somehow managed to produce a pleasant, unified sound that worked quite nicely anyway. Second Sopranos, please, realize that simply because you are an internal part in the vertical structure of the choral sound, you are somewhat harder to hear. While I want you to always be sensitive to the blend and balance of the ensemble as a whole, in general, you can afford to sing out a bit more strongly most of the time. Altos are sounding every more rich and unified, Please, savor those few places where you are actually featured, breathe the throat open and bring your best "earth mother" qualities to the sound. Tenors, Baritones and Basses are all making solid, appealing sounds, but I would urge both Baritones and Basses to be sure that they're fully supporting with adequate breathe and being heard easily. The challenge is the Tenors are quite often singing in a range where it's easy to be loud, whereas Baritones and Basses are often singing in the middle and lower parts of their voices, and as they provide the harmonic foundation for our ensemble sound, it's crucial that we all hear them as they fulfill that function.

As has been previously announced, we will be at St. John's once again this Monday 3/10 and we will sit in random mixed formation. Please, arrive by 6:20 pm for announcements, so that we can get started warming up right at 6:30 pm. REMEMBER: Monday, 3/17 and Monday, 3/24, we will rehearse at Hope Palm Desert, the latter date being our only opportunity to work with the orchestra prior to our concerts.

This coming Monday, 3/10, we will once again do a complete run-through of the program, but this time in forward order. PLEASE, HAVE YOUR MUSIC ORGANIZED IN SAID ORDER AND BE READY TO MOVE EASILY FROM ONCE PIECE TO THE NEXT.

PROGRAM ORDER

Key/Moreen – The Star-Spangled Banner

Gershwin/Wagner – Porgy and Bess Choral Highlights

Hayes – Old West Medley NOTE: I've decided to have the men sing the Home on the Range solo in unison. When the choir comes back in under the solo part, Tenors stay on the solo line, Baritones sing the Tenor line and Basses sing the Bass line for the few measures it takes to finish the song.

Depuit – Let Me Fly

Whitacre – Seal Lullaby

Seeger – If I Had A Hammer

Leavitt – Steal Away

Spevacek – American Folk Rhapsody

BRIEF BREAK

REMEMBER: You must be "off book" on the following pieces by THIS REHEARSAL.

Martin – Ride On, King Jesus

Sheer – American Anthem

Dawson – Every Time I Feel The Spirit

Martin – A Stephen Foster Tribute

Gershwin/Huff – Swingin’ with the Gershwins

Whitacre – Sing Gently

I look forward to seeing and hearing you all again this coming Monday.

Let's be FABULOUS!

T.B.

2/25/2025

Hi, everyone,

Thank you for another fun and productive rehearsal last night. I am so pleased that so many of you are trying to get a serious headstart on your memorization obligations for the current program. I KNOW that, despite the hesitations that some of you have, we WILL be able to memorize the six pieces well and, in doing so, have a greater visual and emotionally effective connection to our audience(s). Sincere thanks to Bob Mensel for agreeing to take on the solo part in Every Time I Feel the Spirit and doing it so nicely last night.

While I still am unable to see out of my right eye, I can clearly hear that a unified and beautiful choral sound is emerging more and more at each rehearsal. Last night there were several revelatory moments when your improved listening for balance and blend created a truly stunning vertical stack of sound that moved me very deeply and, once again, reassured me that we are becoming a genuinely excellent ensemble.

All these positives being said, I still feel that we have a few singers who do not always raise the soft palate when inhaling and therefore end up producing tone that is inadequately projected, insufficiently resonant, horizontally conceived and flat, not in pitch, but in tonal color. THREE IMPORTANT DIRECTIVES: 1) OPEN THE THROAT ON THE INHALE 2) KEEP THE JAW RELAXED 3) THINK OF EVERY VOWEL AS HAVING A VERTICAL SHAPE. Good choirs are made up of people who are positively intentioned and technically good singers.

REHEARSAL AGENDA FOR SATURDAY MORNING 3/1/2025. 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. There will be no break.

Seeger – If I Had A Hammer

Hayes – Old West Medley

Key/Moreen – The Star-Spangled Banner

Martin – Ride On, King Jesus

Sheer – American Anthem

Whitacre – Sing Gently

Gershwin/Wagner – Porgy and Bess Choral Highlights

REHEARSAL AGENDA FOR MONDAY 3/3/2025. Non-stop Run Thru

Key/Moreen – The Star-Spangled Banner

Gershwin/Wagner – Porgy and Bess Choral Highlights

Hayes – Old West Medley

Depuit – Let Me Fly

Whitacre – Seal Lullaby

Seeger – If I Had A Hammer

Leavitt – Steal Away

Spevacek – American Folk Rhapsody

BRIEF BREAK

REMEMBER: You must be "off book" on these pieces by 3/10/2025.

Martin – Ride On, King Jesus

Sheer – American Anthem

Dawson – Every Time I Feel The Spirit

Martin – A Stephen Foster Tribute

Gershwin/Huff – Swingin’ with the Gershwins

Whitacre – Sing Gently

Looking forward to howling together on Saturday.

T.B.

2/18/2025

Greetings to all,

My mind is still full of the many beautiful sounds you made at last night's rehearsal. Dispersing into mixed formation (as opposed to being in sections) automatically enhances the blend of the ensemble and ultimately leads to greater musical independence and security for each individual singer. Although we'll rehearse in sections for another week or two, please, plan on performing our concerts in mixed formation.

Again, thanks for putting up with my vision impairment and the impact it has on the pacing and focus (pun fully intended) of our rehearsal. I see my surgeon again this coming Thursday and I'm hoping for significant improvement by then or soon after.

After consulting with President Eisenhart, I've chosen to alter the concert program order as follows:

ACT 1

Key/Moreen – The Star-Spangled Banner

Gershwin/Wagner – Porgy and Bess Choral Highlights

Hayes – Old West Medley

Depuit – Let Me Fly

Whitacre – Seal Lullaby

Seeger – If I Had A Hammer

Leavitt – Steal Away

Spevacek – American Folk Rhapsody

ACT 2 (To be sung from memory. No folders or devices on stage)

Martin – Ride On, King Jesus

Sheer – American Anthem

Dawson – Every Time I Feel The Spirit

Martin – A Stephen Foster Tribute

Gershwin/Huff – Swingin’ with the Gershwins

Whitacre – Sing Gently

This coming Monday, 2/24/25, let's plan on studying the following:

Leavitt – Steal Away

Dawson – Every Time I Feel The Spirit

Martin – A Stephen Foster Tribute

Gershwin/Huff – Swingin’ with the Gershwins

Depuit – Let Me Fly

Whitacre – Seal Lullaby

Seeger – If I Had A Hammer

Looking forward to seeing you CLEARLY and hearing your lovely voices again on Monday. Wishing you a great week and weekend ahead.

T.B.

2/12/2025

Hi, everyone,

Thank you for another productive rehearsal last Monday. I very much appreciate your support as I continue to struggle with vision challenges. Here's hoping that I'll regain clarity in my right eye soon.

Special thanks to those of you who were already "off book" for our run throughs of the six songs we'll perform from memory. BRAVO!

There were MANY moments of tonal beauty and marvelously blended singing last Monday. We simply need to keep working toward that unified palate of sound that makes the ensemble sound ideal.

Here are a few general reminders to help you achieve your richest and most resonant individual sound to contribute to the group.

1) Every new breath is a chance to set up the voice for success. Breathe deeply, allow the diaphragm to descend,the abdomen to expand, the soft palate to elevate ala yawning and search for a gentle muscular connection to the diaphragm as you begin to sing.

2) To achieve an ideal choral blend, all singers must have similar concept as to the embouchure (shape of lips) for each of the five Italianate vowels: Ah, Eh,Ee, Oh and OO. Experiment with your own voice in front of a mirror and while maintaining a relaxed jaw, sing each of the vowels in succession on an easy mid-range note, paying attention to the ways in which the lips, tongue and teeth move naturally.

3) Keep your upper body and rib cage elevated and hold your scores high enough so that you are singing forward and not down into your laps. While it may at first seem effortful, maintaining an elevated, presentational posture allows the act of singing to be less fatigueing on the internal vocal mechanism.

This coming Monday 2/17 will be the first of four remaining rehearsals at St. John's. We will rehearse in the sanctuary at Hope Palm Desert for two successive Mondays, 3/17 and 3/24 (with orchestra). Please, make note of this, so that you don't end up going to the wrong venue to rehearse.

REHEARSAL AGENDA for Monday, 2/17.

Spevacek – American Folk Rhapsody

Whitacre – Sing Gently

Seeger – If I Had A Hammer

Sheer – American Anthem

Hayes – Old West Medley

Depuit – Let Me Fly

Whitacre – Seal Lullaby

This Sunday, 2/16/2025, Judi Russo of our Soprano section will be appearing on a program the Coachella Valley Classical Voices at 3:00 p.m. at Hope Palm Desert. Please, support her by attending if you're able.

Looking forward to hearing (and hopefully seeing) you all again on Monday.

T.B.

2/6/2025

Hello, fellow singers,

I hope you're all having a good week.

I'm happy to hear that the last two rehearsals Bruce ran with you were both positive and productive. I'm grateful to him for stepping in and keeping our concert preparation going while I deal with my eye challenges. No doubt, all of you are appreciative, as well. In his honor, I offer...

A LIMERICK ODE TO BRUCE MANGUM (#1)

Quite skilled at piano was he,

And he usually found the right key,

If he made the rare error,

He didn't show terror,

Instead, he just chuckled with glee.

I plan to be with you for rehearsal on Monday, 2/10. It strikes me that we're at a point in the rehearsal process where we should make another attempt to run through the program with very few stops. As I've demonstrated in the past, this approach is difficult for me, but I'll mentally and psychologically prepare myself to be in "charge ahead" mode, rather than "stop and fix every messy phrase" mode. That being said, let's plan on running the repertoire in the following order:

Key/Moreen – The Star-Spangled Banner

Gershwin/Wagner – Porgy and Bess Choral Highlights

Sheer – American Anthem

Hayes – Old West Medley

Depuit – Let Me Fly

Whitacre – Seal Lullaby

Martin – Ride On, King Jesus

Leavitt – Steal Away

Dawson – Every Time I Feel The Spirit

Seeger – If I Had A Hammer

Gershwin/Huff – Swingin’ with the Gershwins

Martin – A Stephen Foster Tribute

Spevacek – American Folk Rhapsody

Whitacre – Sing Gently

I look forward to being with you all again this coming Monday.

2/2/2025

Happy Sunday, everyone,

Thanks to those of you who've reached out and expressed your support and encouragement regarding my eye surgery. I very much appreciate your kindness and concern. My eye surgeon's orders require me to continue lying on my left side,being vertical only when I must, for another couple of days. This means that I will not be able to run tomorrow evening's rehearsal.

Word has it that yesterday's rehearsal was productive. Thank you all for coming together to make it so. Bruce will again lead you through tomorrow's rehearsal and he has chosen to focus on the six pieces which require memorization. Use his choice to your advantage. If you're an aural/audio learner, use your phones to record the rehearsal and make use of these recordings for your additional individual preparation. Please, plan on rehearsing:

American Anthem

Ride On, King Jesus

Everytime I Feel the Spirit

Swingin' with the Gershwins

A Stephen Foster Tribute

Sing Gently

If time allows, you will also spend time on:

American Folk Rhapsody and Let Me Fly.

Thank you all for continuing to bring your best to our collaboration in spite of my absence(s). I remain confident that we're going to effectively prepare and present two marvelous spring concerts.

T.B.

1/29/2025

Happy Wednesday, all,

Thank you for your flexibility in helping to make last Monday's rehearsal work well, despite the somewhat unconventional collaborative approach that Bruce and I were forced to take.

ATTENDANCE ISSUE: As I announced last Monday, I am VERY discouraged and disheartened at the large numbers of members who have not been showing up for rehearsals in recent weeks. I find it EXTREMELY frustrating to be forced to work toward a quality artistic product when I can NEVER count on having the same "instrument" before me. While most of you have been dutifully notifying Judi Johnson of your impending absences (which are too frequent), you often do so without offering any sort of legitimate excuse. What are legitimate excuses? SERIOUS, contagious illness, debilitating injury or a genuine personal/family tragedy.When you chose to be a member of our organization, you made a commitment to be present at rehearsals and far too many of you are far too casual about honoring this commitment. THIS MUST STOP...PERIOD.

As announced last Monday, my Friday morning eye surgery will prevent me from attending this Saturday's 9:30 a.m. rehearsal at St. John's. Lest you would think otherwise, my absence is by virtue of my surgeon's orders and therefore constitutes a "legitimate excuse."

On Saturday, Bruce will lead a rehearsal of the following material:

Whitacre: Sing Gently

Whitacre: Seal Lullaby

Hayes: Old West Medley

Dawson: Every Time I Feel the Spirit

Gershwin/Huff: Swingin' With the Gershwins

Memorization test of: American Anthem & Ride On, King Jesus

If my surgeons sanctions it to be so after my follow up appointment, I will be at rehearsal on Monday 2/3. In any case, a rehearsal agenda for that evening will be posted several days in advance.

Lastly, thank you most sincerely to those of you who are already doing your best to make a deducated contribution to the new approach we are taking to our February fundraiser and recital, Friends in Song. It promises to be a terrific concert and a fun, celebratory reception with the potential to win MARVELOUS prizes. SELL TICKETS to both the recital and the raffle, PLEASE! You must do both to make this event a success.

Wishing you all an enjoyable and productive rehearsal on Saturday.

T.B.

1/21/2025

Hello, all,

Congratulations on a successful rehearsal last night. You managed to make admirable improvements on every piece we covered and even did a respectable job getting through the "surprise" run-through of the Stephen Foster Tribute FROM MEMORY! BRAVISSIMO!

Please,do your best to remember the basics of good vocal technique throughout each and every rehearsal. Things to consider:

1) An elevated, aligned and presentational posture can be achieved even when seated. Some of you fall into a slumped, deflated physicality because you keep your folders/Ipads on your laps. Be sure to keep them elevated, so that you are looking forward as opposed to downward.

2) Every breath you take is another opportunity to set the instrument up for success. Every inhalation should result in an arched, yawn-like soft palate and an abdomen that expands outward as the diaphragm drops and expands.

3) Once a deep, full breath is taken and you start to sing, remind yourself that you must search for a sense of muscular engagement in your abdomen as your diaphragm seeks to return to its original position of rest. If you fail to resist the contraction of your diaphragm and intercostal muscles, your air will not serve you efficiently, your tone will be breathy and unclear and you'll find yourself unable to sing a phrase of any substantial length.

Rehearsal order for Monday 1/27/2025 is as follows:

Key/Moreen - The Star-Spangled Banner

Seeger/Shaw - If I Had A Hammer

Gershwin/Wagner - Porgy and Bess Choral Highlights

Spevacek - American Folk Rhapsody

Hayes - Old West Medley

Dawson - Every Time I Feel the Spirit

PLUS a "surprise" run-though of one of the six (6) selections on your memorization list.

Wishing you all a terrific week ahead. I look forward to being with you again on Monday the 27th.

T.B.

1/15/2025

Greetings, everyone,

I hope you're having a great week.

Although we didn't quite get through all of the pieces I had planned, I think we did some productive, solidifying work this past Monday on five of the pieces in our spring concert repertoire.

This coming Monday 1/20, let's turn our efforts to:

Sheer - American Anthem*

Gershwin/Huff - Swingin' With The Gershwins

Martin - Ride On, King Jesus*

Whitacre - The Seal Lullaby

Depuit - Let Me Fly

Seeger/Shaw - If I Had A Hammer

*To be performed from memory

Looking forward to being with you all again in a few days.

T.B.

1/9/2025

Hello, everyone,

It was great to be with you all again last Monday. I apologize for not posting a note sooner, but I've been greatly distracted by the news of the terrible fires in Los Angeles. The Eaton Fire came as close as six blocks away from our home in Pasadena where we lived for twenty years. Between the Eaton Fire and the Palisades Fire I know five friends and former colleagues who've lost their homes to the infernos which are still not contained.😔

On a more positive note, congratulations on reading through the ENTIRE spring program and thereby allowing ourselves to develop a clearer sense of what the demands of the repertoire will be.

This coming Monday, January 13th, please, be prepared to so some detailed work on the following selections:

1) Martin - A Stephen Foster Tribute*

2) Dawson - Every Time I Feel the Spirit* If you're interested in the solo part, please, look at it now.

3) Whitacre - Sing Gently*

4) Hayes - Old West Medley

5) Gershwin/Huff - Swingin' With the Gershwins*

6) Leavitt - Steal Away

*Indicates four of the six selections which will ultimately be sung from memory. The remaining two are: Sheer - American Anthem and Martin - Ride On, King Jesus, both of which we will rehearse next week.

If time allows, we will return to the start of this list and work through these selections again.

Please, do your best to stay healthy so that you're able to bring your best to our next rehearsal.

T.B.

12/11/2024

Greetings to all,

It's my sincere hope that you've all now had time to experience the joyful afterglow of what was unquestionably a successful and extremely well-received concert last Sunday afternoon. The many positive conversations I had afterward with our guests proved to me that you succeeded in offering our patrons a well-sung and emotionally genuine program and that your standing ovation was much deserved. CONGRATULATIONS!

Several times I allowed myself to get so emotionally involved in the beautiful texts that we were sharing that I completely fumbled two conducting cues and nearly missed another. My continuing individual work on our repertoire will definitely involve studying those particular spots as well as reviewing the entire program. I would imagine that each of you has a number of passages wherein you wish your contribution had been a bit better and more accurate, so I urge you to study your scores prior to our next concert, as well.

Technical issues to consider before this Sunday...

DIPHTHONGS...After all the instructions you've received on this topic during rehearsals, I'm somewhat surprised and distressed that some of you persist in singing diphthongs incorrectly by shortening the first vowel and then sustaining the final vowel. This is absolutely wrong and it creates a messy, muffled and unblended ensemble sound. For those of you who still don't grasp the concept, please, consider the very first diphthong that you sing on the program. It occurs in the word "light," the third word of your opening number. PLEASE, sing the word as "LAH---------------------EET" and not 'LAHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET."

SUSTAIN THE FIRST VOWEL OF EACH DIPHTHONG AND CLOSE WITH THE SECOND VOWEL AS YOU CUT OFF! THE RULE IS THE SAME WITH A TRIPHTHONG...SUSTAIN THE FIRST VOWEL AND CLOSE WITH SECOND AND THIRD (IN RAPID SUCCESSION) AS YOU CUT OFF. While this problem persisted intermittently throughout the program, it was particularly troublesome during "This Christmastide." Again, the word ends with "tah----------eed" and not "taheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed." Let's get this right on Sunday, please.

You all produced a beautiful, warm, rich and blended choral sound on almost all of your pieces. YAY! The only places where you noticeably lost this appealing, unified sound were in the closing pieces of each act. A bit of vocal fatigue perhaps? If breath flow is insufficient, voices tire and weaken in amplitude because extraneous muscles (usually in the throat and neck) seize in a tension-filled, forced propulsion of air. Please, remember to allow your soft palate to rise as you inhale (the beginning of a yawn) and engage your diaphragm and intercostal muscles to create a consistent and comfortable flow of air...a flow of air that allows you to remain physically relaxed, whether you're singing long, sustained notes or quickly moving melismatic passages.The most beautiful singing happens when the singer maintains a relaxed, open throat and a consistent air stream generated by gentle, but constant engagement of the abdominal muscles. When I am singing at my best, I feel as if I'm sighing out my air and controlling the flow via abdominal engagement. Good concepts to think about before we perform again.

The final chord of of Movement 3 of the Vivaldi (Et Misericordia Ejus) was tarnished by a Soprano who did an unintentional solo and sang the e-natural early. JUST WATCH ME, PLEASE.

Your diction was really QUITE good throughout the performance, but DON'T take that as an indication that you should stop working on spinning out clear, sharp lyrics at all times. Your words got a little less discernible on the swing numbers, when you had to get through a lot of words in rapid succession over close, Jazz harmonies, but I'm certain that if you all review these passages, we'll manage at least some improvement.

MEMORIZATION: You were asked to memorize the opening number of each act of the concert, Sweet, Heavenly Light and Christmas on Broadway. To those of you who dutifully did so, thank you. However, it was clear to me last Sunday that several of you were up there stumbling through and trying to "fake it" a bit on both of these numbers. Please, don't do this again when we perform this coming Sunday. If you do not have the music memorized, please, USE YOUR SCORES.

THE PARTY!!!

Special thanks to Barbara Campbell for working to organize the particulars of this event. If you have any questions regarding what to bring or anything else, please, contact her with your questions.

Our home (8 Voltaire Court) sits at the center point of the cul de sac. Unless you have serious mobility issues, I urge you to park on Provence and walk into the cul de sac, leaving the driveway and available parking on Voltaire Court to those who may need to be closer to the house.Additionally, please, be sure not to block any of our neighbors' driveways.

At this celebratory event, indeed, we shall all eat, drink and be merry and I hope that MANY of you will choose to SING! Bruce and I will share piano accompaniment duties and I encourage you to share a few pieces if you are so inclined.

I look forward to seeing (and hearing) you all again this Sunday, DRESSED AND READY FOR WARM-UPS, at 1:45 p.m.

May the remainder of your week be enjoyable and productive.

T.B.

12/4/2024

Greetings to you all,

Alas, my ongoing dance with the plastic cups at our recent rehearsal was a clear indication that I will never be a dancer, as am I obviously devoid of any sense of spacial awareness.

Last Monday's rehearsal was undeniably long and arduous at times, but the orchestra members managed to pull it together and you all ultimately succeeded in effectively revealing all the hard work you invested so far this season and offered up some beautiful singing.

While we will not have another opportunity to rehearse together prior to our first concert, each of us can continue to study and review our repertoire and to do our best to eliminate any insecurities we still have. I'm dedicating significant time tomorrow and also Saturday 12/7 to getting myself even more in control of the musical passages that continue to challenge me. Remember that final pages (Amen) of the Vivaldi are going to move rather quickly. After a fermata on the final beat of M. 263, the Altos enter on the downbeat of M. 264 and must immediately buy into the new ltempo.Tenors enter immemdiately after on Beat 2 and need to be prepared to carry on at the new, brisker tempo.

Our call time for this Sunday is 1:00 p.m. PLEASE, be on time and be prepared to focus and cooperate as we try to obtain a formal photograph of the ensemble. Remember also that we will be attempting to get individual head shots of each ensemble member as we wait in the choir room. If you wear makeup, please, do apply it for the performance. Please, wear no perfumes or colognes and please, do wear anti-perspirant(s).

Let's have a grand time sharing Love, Light and Miracles with our patrons. Here's to a FANTASTIC opening concert!

T.B.

12/1/2024

Hi, everyone,

Here's the running order for tomorrow evening's rehearsal. C U soon.

Sweet, Heavenly Light

Ave Maria

Hodie Christus Natus Est

Light One Candle

Christmas on Broadway

This Christmastide

Three Chanukah Songs

Wartime Christmas

A Hand for Mrs. Claus

I Saw Three Ships

What Will Santa Claus Say?

Winter Pathetique

Swingin’ Christmas Tree

Magnificat in g

11/20/2024

Hi, everyone,

What an exciting and productive rehearsal we had this past Monday! We're well on our way to creating a joyful and exciting program for our patrons and if we continue to stay focused and work hard on our individual contributions to our collaboration, we're certain to perform two successful concerts.

This coming Monday 11/25, let's plan on running Ave Maria and Hodie Christus Natus Est first with Michelle and then the remainder of Act 2 first and the remainder of Act 1 second...as follows:

Hi again...

Sorry. It looks as if the You Tube link that I posted is inoperable. If you're interested, just so a You Tube search for: Grateful Ann Hampton Callaway. Gobble, Gobble.

11/25/2024

"I believe that appreciation is a holy thing - that when we look for what's best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we're doing what God does all the time. So in loving and appreciating your neighbor, we're participating in something sacred."

Fred Rogers (1928-2003)

Hello, everyone,

Happy Thanksgiving! As I spent some additional time this morning studying the scores for our upcoming concert(s), I felt and still feel overwhelmed by a palpable sense of gratitude for SO MANY elements of my life...an uplifting and sustaining family/home life, basic material needs met and surpassed and a rich, satisfying professional life spent immersed in marvelous music.

Thank you all for being part of my life and for continuing to bring the best of yourselves to our collaboration. Please, make an effort to be ideally PREPARED for this coming Monday's orchestra rehearsal and do your best to be in control of all aspects of your contribution, as I will be (necessarily) largely focused on the orchestra. I will post the rehearsal order by this Sunday evening. I'm so looking forward to our final rehearsal of the term and, of course, to offering our patrons TWO terrific concert performances.

I hope you're all spending the holiday with family or friends (human, canine or feline) whom you love and who love you. Here's my favorite rendition of one of my very favorite songs, Grateful, by our friend, John Bucchino, sung by Ann Hampton Callaway. I call it "the Alto version."

Until Monday...

T.B.

https://youtu.be/AbVBT1lLu2w?si=NwnEe2VuB4MxeN_o

11/20/2024

Hi, everyone,

What a joyful and productive rehearsal we had last Monday! I heard some lovely, unified sounds which were more beautiful than anything we've yet achieved this season. I'm certain that it's largely because you're watching me more consistently and listening to one another much more acutely than you have before. THIS is the time to increase your individual preparation efforts ten-fold and do all that you can to ensure that what you add to the ensemble's performance(s) is truly your very best.

REHEARSAL AGENDA 11/25

Ave Maria…………………...……….…….Giulio Caccini (1551-1618)

Michelle Fiore, Soprano

Hodie Christus Natus Est……......…….Mark Hayes (1953- )

Michelle Fiore, Soprano

Christmas on Broadway…...M. Wilson, V. Herbert, R. Rodgers, J.Herman & A. Menken, arr. John Higgins

A Hand for Mrs. Claus…………..K. Anderson-Lopez & R. Lopez

Light One Candle……………...…………Peter Yarrow (1938- )

Barbara Cassuto, Soprano Rebecca Rodriguez, Alto

Swingin’ Christmas Tree…...Traditional German, arr. Kirby Shaw

What Will Santa Claus Say?............Louie Prima, arr. L. Shackley

This Christmastide………….………….Donald Fraser (1947- )

10-Minute Break

Sweet, Heavenly Light………..……………..Tim Bruneau (1959- )

Winter Pathetique…..L.V Beethoven, arr. Audrey Snyder (1953- )

I Saw Three Ships………….………..Traditional, arr. Bruce Mangum

Magnificat RV 610……………..………..Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

1. Magnificat

2. Et Exultavit - Judi Russo, Soprano, Barbara Campbell, Alto,

Rich Fulkerson, Tenor (12/8) Joel Fleisher, Tenor (12/15)

3. Et Misericordia 4) Fecit Potentiam 5) Deposuit Potentes

6) Esurientes -Judi Russo, S1, Olivia Mcllravy-Ackert, Soprano 2

7) Suscepit Israel

8) Sicut Locutus Est – Olivia Mcllravy-Ackert, Soprano,

Jennifer Myers, Alto, Rick Schaffner, Bass

9) Gloria Patri/Amen

Three Chanukah Songs………………Bruce Healey (1950- )

Wartime Christmas……..……………..Tim Bruneau (1959- )

Looking forward to being with you all again on 11/25. Bring your best selves and I shall endeavor to do the same.

T.B.

Hi, all,

Here's a terrific song, written by Gene Sheer and sung by Nathan Gunn, that has timely and powerful lyrics. We'll be performing an arrangement of this piece on our spring program(s). I hope you enjoy.

American Anthem by Gene Sheer

All we've been given by those who came before,

The dream of a nation where freedom would endure,

The works and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day,

What shall be our legacy? What will our children say?

Let them say of me, I was one who believed in sharing the blessings I received, Let me know in my heart when my days are through...America, America, I gave my best to you.

Each generation, from the plains to distant shore,

With the gifts they were given, were determined to leave more,

Valiant battles fought together, acts of conscience fought alone,

These are the seeds from which America has grown,

Let them say of me, I was one who believed in sharing the blessings I received, Let me know in my heart when my days are through...America, America, I gave my best to you.

For those who think they have nothing to share,

Who fear in their hearts there is no hero there,

Know that quiet acts of dignity are that which fortifies the soul of a nation that never dies.

Let them say of me, I was one who believed in sharing the blessings I receive, Let me know in my heart when my days are through...America, America, America, America, America, America,

I gave my best to you.

Hello, everyone,

Thank you for another productive rehearsal. Although we did not get through the entire program as planned, we did some effective work and moved our concert preparation ahead in an admirable way.

We will continue this coming Monday's rehearsal with:

A Hand for Mrs. Claus

Light One Candle

Swingin’ Christmas Tree

What Will Santa Claus Say?

This Christmastide

We will then continue by starting the program again at the beginning and proceeding as far as we're able to get in the time remaining. NOW is the time to move your individual preparation efforts into high gear and work diligently to ensure that your contribution to the ensemble is as musically solid and vocally beautiful as possible. Work hard to eliminate your musical insecurities!

Below you'll find the entire program listed with the selected soloists indicated.

I look forward to being with you all again this coming Monday.

T.B.

Love, Light and Miracles

PROGRAM

Sweet, Heavenly Light………..……………..Tim Bruneau (1959- )

Winter Pathetique…..L.V Beethoven, arr. Audrey Snyder (1953- )

Ave Maria…………………...……….…….Giulio Caccini (1551-1618)

Michelle Fiore, Soprano

I Saw Three Ships………….………..Traditional, arr. Bruce Mangum

Magnificat RV 610……………..………..Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

1. Magnificat

2. Et Exultavit - Judi Russo, Soprano, Barbara Campbell, Alto,

Rich Fulkerson, Tenor (12/8) Joel Fleisher, Tenor (12/15)

3. Et Misericordia 4) Fecit Potentiam 5) Deposuit Potentes

6) Esurientes -Judi Russo, S1, Olivia Mcllravy-Ackert, Soprano 2

7) Suscepit Israel

8) Sicut Locutus Est – Olivia Mcllravy-Ackert, Soprano,

Jennifer Myers, Alto, Rick Schaffner, Bass

9) Gloria Patri/Amen

Three Chanukah Songs………………Bruce Healey (1950- )

Wartime Christmas……..……………..Tim Bruneau (1959- )

INTERMISSION

Christmas on Broadway…...M. Wilson, V. Herbert, R. Rodgers, J.Herman & A. Menken, arr. John Higgins

Hodie Christus Natus Est………....…….Mark Hayes (1953- )

Michelle Fiore, Soprano

A Hand for Mrs. Claus…………..K. Anderson-Lopez & R. Lopez

Light One Candle……………...…………Peter Yarrow (1938- )

Barbara Cassuto, Soprano Rebecca Rodriguez, Alto

Swingin’ Christmas Tree…...Traditional German, arr. Kirby Shaw

What Will Santa Claus Say?............Louie Prima, arr. L. Shackley

This Christmastide………….………….Donald Fraser (1947- )

THE END

Hi, everyone,

Bravo to all of you! Last night's rehearsal was very productive and I believe that we definitely moved both the Magnificat and Wartime Christmas closer to being performance ready.

1st SOPRANOS: Please, work on your own to liberate your voices and solidify your pitches in the last two phrases of Wartime Christmas. Many of you missed the high Bb in the penultimate phrase (Christ-mas day) and the high C of the final chord was sharp and a bit strident. Remember...It's a joyous forte, not an angry one. In general, your sound as a section is becoming reasonably unified and blended.

2nd SOPRANOS: Please, do your best to take deep, full-bodied breaths and feel your abdominal engagement as you use that air, so that you can sing out a bit more strongly. You're making some lovely sounds, but the Soprano 1's have the advantage of higher pitches which are simply easier to hear. What I'm looking for is a more equal balance between the two Soprano parts.

ALTOS: I'm hearing some beautiful sounds coming from your section, but not all the time. Please, remember to allow the soft palate to lift as you inhale, creating the feeling of a gentle yawn. This will improve your tone quality in all parts of your range and allow you to balance more easily with our strong Tenor section.

TENORS: Gentlemen, you're consistently producing strong, clear sounds and blending with one another quite nicely. Please, remember to keep the voice forward in the masque if you are using head voice/falsetto for those few extremely high notes. Head voice can be very strong if it's flushed with breath and placed forward, vibrating just behind the eyes and cheekbones.

BARITONES & BASSES: I hear plenty of warm, rich sound coming from your section, but I urge you to remember that you are the foundation of our total sound and need to do your best to balance with those heroic Tenors, who are often singing in a range that allows them to easily project. Also, because you're often singing relatively low, diction can become a bit muddy, requiring that consonants always be strong and precise placed.

EVERYONE: Please, be prepared for a fast-paced rehearsal with few stops this coming Monday 11/11. We will begin promptly and run the program in order, taking only the briefest of brakes. Full rehearsal will end at 8:30 p.m. and then we will hold auditions for all available solo parts, which are to be found in:

A Hand for Mrs. Claus

Light One Candle

Magnificat

FOUR REHEARSALS REMAINING!!!

11/11 & 11/18 will be held at St. John's.

11/25 & 12/2 will be held at Hope Lutheran.

C U all soon.

T.B

10/29/2024

Hi, everyone,

Thank you for a very focused and productive rehearsal last night. We succeeded in working through a few insecurities and, while I'm well aware that some dissecting and reviewing of certain passages must still be done (particularly in the Vivaldi), I'm encouraged by your progress and looking forward to presenting some excellent performances.

Since we didn't quite complete a run-through of the entire program last Monday, we will pick up where we left off on Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m.

Lopez - A Hand for Mrs.Claus

Yarrow - Light One Candle

Shaw - Swingin' Christmas Tree

Prima - What Would Santa Claus Say?

Fraser - This Christmastide (focusing on diction and dynamics)

Then we will move on to detailed work on the Vivaldi Magnificat (last two movements) and Wartime Christmas. We will sit in sections for the last time on Saturday morning. As of Monday 11/4 we will sit in mixed formation as indicated by the seating chart soon to appear.

Rehearsal Agenda for Monday, 11/4

Bruneau - Wartime Christmas

Healy - Three Chanukah Songs

Vivaldi - Magnificat in g COMPLETE

Hayes - Hodie Christus Natus Est

Mangum - I Saw Three Ships

Fraser - This Christmastide

REMEMBER: All Solo auditions will take place on Monday, 11/11.

We will stop our full rehearsal at 8:30 p.m. and I'll hear solo auditions from 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. that evening.

Please, make an effort to work on your musical insecurities on your own time, so that we may move ahead with working on issues of blend, balance between sections and effective and thoughtful interpretations of the many beautiful, inspiring and entertaining texts that we are sharing with our listeners. WE HAVE ONLY SIX REHEARSALS REMAINING before we appear before an audience!!!

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday.

T.B.

10/9/2024

Hi, all,

I hope you're having a pleasant week.

Last Monday's rehearsal clarified a number of preparation goals for me, which I shall try to address in the rehearsals ahead. I hope the rehearsal brought your respective, individual musical insecurities to mind and afforded you some direction as to where your individual practice time should be focused.

Some general observations:

1) Many of you are doing a bit better at getting your faces out of your music, particularly at the ends of phrases. This is resulting in cleaner, more accurate, synchronized cut-offs. However, others continue to look up almost NEVER and therefore, hinder the emergence of truly unified phrasing and articulation. If you have practiced your individual parts sufficiently, there is no reason for your eyes to be constantly cast downward. Another contributing factor is the tendency some of you have to hold your scores (or devices) in your laps and direct your voices downward. Please, hold your folders and/devices high enough so that looking up and out at the conductor is simply a matter of directing only your eyes upward, as opposed to having to move your entire head up to receive your musical cues and interpretive guidance.

2) I already hear the potential for a rich and unified SATB choral palate, but we are not there yet. Tenors and Basses...Each of your sections has already moved toward a warm, resonant and blended sound. Sopranos and Altos...There is still work to be done in this area. Achieving a beautiful sectional tone quality and blend requires that A) each singer understands and practices the concepts of an open throat created with each inhalation, B) each singer is singing with as little physical tension as possible, C) each singer is familiar with the physical senation of a pure Italianate vowel (A, E, I, O, U) which vibrates the nasopharyngeal masque...the area of the face surrounding the eyes and the cheekbones and D) each singer actually pays attention to how their individual sound is contributing to that of the entire section. Lack of blending is not always created by individual singers singing too loud. It can, in fact, be created by singers who don't sing out enough to "add their color to the mix."

3) I'm very much appreciating the fact that you are all staying quieter and more courteous during rehearsals. There is much less "chatter" than in the past and, because of this, I find that I don't have to repeat the same directions multiple times...meaning that we get more done. Thank you.

REHEARSAL AGENDA

Monday 10/14/2024

Hayes - Hodie Christus Natus Est

Fraser - This Christmastide

Bruneau - Sweet, Heavenly Light Mm. 41 to the end

Shaw - Swingin' Christmas Tree Mm. 26 to the end

Bruneau - Wartime Christmas Mm. 26 to the end

Prima - What Will Santa Claus Say?

ALL SINGERS WHO AGREED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 11/2 EVENT:

Please, print or download a copy of Stairway to Heaven. We will stay on past 9:00 p.m. for a brief (15-20 minute) examination of this simple arrangement and do our best to establish a solid harmonic background for the soloist. It's my sense that we will end up using the printed arrangement as a guideline and, once we understand the form of the arrangement, have some freedom to improvise our own harmony.

REHEARSAL AGENDA

Monday 10/21/2024

Vivaldi - Magnificat in g COMPLETE, detailed rehearsal

Lopez - A Hand for Mrs. Claus

Higgins - Christmas on Broadway

Mangum - I Saw Three Ships

REHEARSAL AGENDA

Monday 10/28/2024

COMPLETE RUN-THROUGH OF CONCERT PROGRAM, as follows:

Bruneau - Sweet, Heavenly Light

Snyder - Winter Pathetique

Caccini - Ave Maria

Mangum - I Saw Three Ships

Vivaldi - Magnificat in g COMPLETE Those who intend to audition as soloists should participate.

Healy - Three Chanukah Songs

Bruneau - Wartime Christmas

**********************************

Higgins - Christmas on Broadway

Hayes - Hodie Christus Natus Est

Lopez - A Hand for Mrs.Claus

Yarrow - Light One Candle

Shaw - Swingin' Christmas Tree

Prima - What Would Santa Claus Say?

Fraser - This Christmastide

Looking forward to seeing you all soon...

T.B.

10/3/2024

Hello, everyone,

Please, accept my apologies for not creating a post until now. My time and my energies (both physical and emotional) have been largely consumed by processing the aftermath of last Monday's unfortunate rehearsal drama. I offer my sincere thanks to those of you who have since communicated empathetic expressions of support. While I don't understand the motivations of those of you who chose instead to cast me as the creator and cause of the problem(s) at hand, I have thoughtfully and respectfully considered your opinions and I shall keep your concerns in mind as we move forward.

UPCOMING REHEARSAL AGENDA(S):

Saturday, October 5th

Vivaldi - Magnificat in G Last two movements

Yarrow - Light One Candle

Shaw - Swingin' Christmas Tree

Lopez - A Hand for Mrs. Claus

Prima - What Will Santa Claus Say?

Caccini - Ave Maria

Monday, October 7th

COMPLETE RUN-THROUGH OF CONCERT PROGRAM, as follows:

Bruneau - Sweet, Heavenly Light

Snyder - Winter Pathetique

Caccini - Ave Maria

Mangum - I Saw Three Ships

Vivaldi - Magnificat in g COMPLETE Those who intend to audition as soloists should participate.

Healy - Three Chanukah Songs

Bruneau - Wartime Christmas

**********************************

Higgins - Christmas on Broadway

Hayes - Hodie Christus Natus Est

Lopez - A Hand for Mrs.Claus

Yarrow - Light One Candle

Shaw - Swingin' Christmas Tree

Prima - What Would Santa Claus Say?

Fraser - This Christmas Tide

Until Saturday...C U Then!

9/18/2024

Hi, all, Congratulations on having two solid rehearsals to your credit. This coming Monday, we will sit in rows similar to a traditional riser format...Basses stage right, Tenors stage right center, Altos stage left center and Sopranos stage left.

Rehearsal Agenda for Monday 9/23

1) Healy - Three Chanukah Songs PLEASE, be sure that you have the correct PDF file, scored for SATB chorus.

2) Vivaldi - Magnificat in g - all choral sections

3) Lopez - A Hand for Mrs. Claus

4) Prima - What Will Santa Claus Say?

5) Shaw - Swingin' Christmas Tree

6) Hayes - Hodie Christus Natus Est Run Through

Rehearsal Agenda for Monday 9/30

1) Bruneau - Wartime Christmas Please, be sure that you have the latest, correctly edited version.

2) Fraser - This Christmastide

3) Mangum - I Saw Three Ships

4) Bruneau - Sweet, Heavenly Light

5) Higgins - Christmas on Broadway

6) Vivaldi - Magnificat in g - Measures 1-14, Measure 211 a Fine

9/6/2024

LET'S START THE SEASON ON A HIGH NOTE!

https://youtu.be/6gHjetp4dkw?si=PrnAF3ZvgVsvG6By

9/5/2024

Greetings to all,

I'm very much looking forward to seeing you on Sunday 9/8 at Hope Palm Desert and beginning our rehearsals on Monday 9/9 at St. John's. FYI, I'm planning to launch our rehearsals a bit differently this time around. Rather than making an attempt to read through the entire program at our first rehearsal as we usually do, we'll do some concentrated, in depth work on a few of our more difficult pieces.

At our first rehearsal, September 9th, please, be prepared to work on:

Bruneau - Sweet, Heavenly Light

Vivaldi - Magnificat - Choruses only

Hayes - Hodie Christus Natus Est

Bruneau - Wartime Christmas

Fraser - This Christmastide

On Monday, September 16th, we will look at:

Mangum - I Saw Three Ships

Caccini - Ave Maria

Higgins - Christmas on Broadway

Yarrow - Light One Candle

AND

We will revisit:

Hayes - Hodie Christus Natus Est

Bruneau - Wartime Christmas

See (and hear) you all soon.

T.B.

8/14/2024

Hey, Everyone,

Here's the first installment in the famous Tim's Notes series. It's here that you'll find all information regarding rehearsal agendas and guidance. I look forward to working hard together to create great concerts for our patrons and joyful collaboration for one another.

STILL LEARNING THIS GOOGLE STUFF! 🙃

2/5/2025

Good evening, fellow singers,

I was realy heartened to learn that many of you felt that the last two rehearsals Bruce lead were positive and helpful. I think we all ought to be grateful for the skill and positive energy he brings to our collaboration. Hence, I offer...

A LIMERICK ODE TO BRUCE MANGUM (#1)

Skilled lad at piano was he,

And he most often found the right key,

Commiting an error

Did not cause him terror,

Instead, impish giggles with glee.

On Monday 2/10, Please, be prepared to sing anything which is in any way, shape or form about positive energy and human, animal and spiritual connection. I guess all of our current repertoire qualifies as such. I'm guessin' that Jesus might show up a time or two. If my 2nd grade teacher, Sister Dorothy, was telling us the truth, Jesus lives inside everyone of us. Bring Him along to rehearsal, please.

DEFINITELY,PLAN ON:

Seeger – If I Had A Hammer

Whitacre -Seal Lullaby

Depuit – Let Me Fly

Martin – Ride On, King Jesus

Leavitt – Steal Away

Dawson – Every Time I Feel The Spirit

Sheer - American Anthem

As always, looking forward to being with you again on Monday,

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