From Morna
How great to see and hear you all again! Thanks to all who helped make the rehearsal happen, including John C for music, Garnet and Nancy for setup and COVID safety, John S for the Zoom, and everyone else who stepped in to haul chairs, etc.
I think by now you all know that our wonderful, founding pianist, Ailsa Zaenker passed away 10 days ago. She was such a force in our choir and will be missed. Although she had serious mobility issues, she made it to our spring concert and was all smiles. We have been asked to sing at her memorial service on Wednesday, October 5 at 1pm at Pacific Spirit United Church. More details to come, at which time we will ask who is available to sing. Ailsa’s son, Peter, sent this lovely 3-minute video that includes a few photos of her with us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ2pc2tH6e0&t=25s&ab_channel=PeterZaenker
We are diving in with both feet this fall, and there will be additional music to pick up this Friday, so plan to arrive a few minutes early.
I particularly want to draw your attention to a beautiful new piece in your folders by Vancouver composer Katerina Gimon. Some of you might have heard an orchestral work by her in yesterday’s “In Performance” on CBC Radio, performed by the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Take This Thread will feature Evelyn with us on violin, and will be the main work on our November 20 concert. Please find time to read the introduction inside the score and have a listen to this virtual choir performance by some of the finest mixed choirs across Canada: https://youtu.be/o8gOlZnNcPw?t=201 The challenges will be the rhythms and the French, so the better prepared you are, the more easily it will come together. Divisi is pretty obvious, but there are a few places with 3-way splits, so please mark your score (“Top, Middle, Bottom” per this chart) https://enchor.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/EnChor-Roster-and-Divisi-Sept-2022.pdf.
- sopranos and altos: 23, 26, 27, 32, 33, 58
- tenors and basses: 33
Wherever there are 3 notes for women or men, this Top/Middle/Bottom applies only to moments with 3 notes. If it goes back to, for example, S and A only in the same bar, make the switch mid-bar. For this week, we will work up to letter D only on Take This Thread.
I am not sending you the weekly rehearsal grid until we settle on the music for Ailsa’s service on October 5. For this Friday, September 16, the rehearsal also includes Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Deck the Hall, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a couple of things you will get on Friday.
Have a good week! Thank you, Don Blake, for continuing to be our communications hub!
Morna
From Nancy
Information about Canada Strong Masks.
As we have mentioned, the 3-D singers’ masks that we have been providing are no longer available in black. I am enclosing a link to the Canada Strong website, where you can purchase a package of 10 CA-N95 Black Respirator Masks for $15.90 (plus shipping). They come in three sizes, small, medium or large and are made in Canada. The mask I showed on Friday was a medium. There is lots of good information on the website. https://canadastrong.ca/
From Sandra
There will be a brief meeting after our rehearsal to address a wardrobe concern that has been brought to my attention.
From BCCF
BCCF is very excited to be part of this unique event on September 24, and we look forward to welcoming participants from local choirs.
This is an event taking place outdoors at Brunswick Point in Ladner, and linked to ecology and nature, the First Peoples, myth, and light. It takes place during the Culture Days, and specifically on the Equilux, the day on which night and day have the same number of hours. People will be able to take part in various parts of the event – 1-8pm for the full afternoon / 4:30-7:30pm for the core Procession / 4:30-6pm for the Welcome (appropriate for people with mobility concerns).
For details, check the BCCF website at https://bcchoralfed.com/singing-opportunity-mothlike-silvery-blue-sept-24-in-ladner/
I hope that some of your singers will come to walk and sing and listen, and be part of the event. This will not be notated music, but improvisatory – less about virtuosity and more about community, and how sound is passed from one person or group to another. It will have elements of our pre-rehearsal warm-ups – vowel shaping, blending and departing from blend, pitch variance, and so on. There is a demo recording available through the BCCF website to give the general background of the project, and to help participants prepare. Non-singers – partners or family members – are welcome as well, to carry banners or just to be part of the experience.
Please log in at the BCCF website for further information if you want to take part in any aspect of the performance. We’ll look forward to having you be part of this beautiful and unique community event.
If you have questions, drop me a note at projectmanager@bchoralfed.com
Looking forward to having some of your singers with us
Brigid
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Brigid Coult
BCCF Project Manager