Rehearsal Blog Update 02/28/2014

Dear Ensemble and Vocalise Singers and Families,

We’re just over a week away from our fourth annual Cantabile Festival for Young Voices: An African Celebration! The celebration begins with our Composer-In-Residence sessions. (Rehearsals for Vocalise on Monday, March 3rd and for Ensemble on Wednesday, March 5th take place as usual!)

Thursday, March 6th Composer-In-Residence Session 1: Ensemble, Bravi, and Intermediate

Time: 5:00-7:00pm

Location: Foothills

Friday, March 7th Composer-In-Residence Session 2: Vocalise

Time: 5:30-7:30pm

Location: Foothills

Please be prompt for these sessions, and come ready to sing and dance your African repertoire! All festival repertoire must be memorized!

Saturday, March 8th Festival For Young Voices

Call Time: 10:00am

Release Time: 3:30pm

Location: First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto, 625 Hamilton Avenue

Drop-Off Times and Locations

All singers must be dropped off on time at their designated area:

Ensemble: 10:00 am at church car park entrance on Byron St

Bravi: 10:00 am at church car park entrance on Byron St

Vocalise: 10:00 am at church main entrance on Hamilton Ave

Look out for a sign for your choir indicating your drop-off location.

Arrival

Singers will sign in with their choir parent and receive a nametag. Please write your name on the tag and wear it throughout the day – with over 300 participating singers, it is imperative that Artistic Staff can identify each child. Choir Parents will show each choir to their personal Green Room where singers will drop off their bags and be chaperoned to their first activity. 

Attire

Singers are to arrive in the following uniforms:

Ensemble: Cantabile t-shirt & blue jeans (change into concert attire before concert)

Bravi: Cantabile t-shirt & blue jeans (change into concert attire before concert)

Vocalise: Cantabile t-shirt & blue jeans (change into concert attire before concert)

                                                                                                                

Food/Drink

All singers and chaperones/volunteers must bring their own snacks, lunch and water bottle (with their name clearly marked). Singers will eat their lunch outside - eating is not permitted inside the building.

What Singers Must Bring

All singers must come with 1 bag containing:

Their sack lunch

Named water bottle (full)

Additional snacks

A sweater

Green Rooms will not be locked – you are strongly discouraged from bringing expensive items like cell phones and electronic devices. You will be responsible for any lost or stolen items.

Concert

The goal of the festival is to reach out to the wider singing community, giving school children opportunities to hear each other in a non-competitive environment and to work with outstanding choral conductors from North America and beyond. In keeping with this goal, we welcome the families of our guest choristers to share the joy of music making at the final performance of the festival, and ask that Cantabile families kindly leave the limited seating to them.

Pick-up

We expect pick up to be around 3:30 pm, but due to the number of children needing to be signed out, it could be later than that (up until 4:00 pm). We appreciate your patience and flexibility as we release over 300 children to their families. All singers must be collected from their designated collection area:

Ensemble: Church car park entrance on Byron St

Bravi: Church car park entrance on Byron St

Vocalise: at church main entrance on Hamilton Ave

Volunteer Opportunities

From setting up and packing up the African drums for the drumming workshop, to welcoming our guest choirs, chaperoning our own singers and helping during the concert - there's a role for everyone! Click here to sign up!

What To Practice

ALL pieces must be memorized for the concert! Click on the titles below to watch videos of the pieces, and practice with them. 

VOCALISE ONLY:

Libertango (no video)

Sipiri

Tshotsholoza

VOCALISE AND ENSEMBLE:

Zulu Mama

Shumayela 

Kaana Kameme version 1 and Kaana Kameme version 2
Three African Folksongs: Pembela, Nomali, and Mambo Jesu 

ENSEMBLE ONLY:

For the May concert, we're working on A Little Jazz Mass. Click on the title to check it out!

Musicianship

Ensemble A: Up to page 29 is due next week.

Ensemble B: No homework this week.

Happy practicing!

Rehearsal Blog Update 02/14/2014

Dear Ensemble and Vocalise Singers and Families,

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Next week is Ski Week, so there will be NO REHEARSALS; however(!!!!), it’s extremely important that you practice over the break the repertoire for our upcoming Cantabile Festival on March 8th. We only have three weeks until the performance!

Festival Details (extensive info will be posted in a future blog – stay tuned!)

What: Fourth Annual Cantabile Festival for Young Voices

When: Saturday, March 8^th, 2014

Where: First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto, 625 Hamilton Avenue

Who: Intermediate, Ensemble, Vocalise, Bravi, and four guest choirs

Call time: 10:00am - drop-off instructions coming soon

Pick up: Around 3:30pm – pick-up instructions coming soon

Parents and families: please look out information coming from the office on how you can volunteer at the festival. With eight participating choirs, two guest artists, and one big concert, we need your help! Parent volunteers and chaperones play a crucial part each year in the success of this huge event. (And remember: this can count towards your 10 hours of Cantabile volunteer time!)

What To Practice

ALL pieces must be memorized for the concert! Click on the titles below to watch videos of the pieces, and practice with them. Please note your memorization deadlines beside each title.

VOCALISE ONLY:

Libertango (no video) is on the program so keep that fresh in your mind!

Zulu Mama: memorized by Feb. 24^th (first rehearsal back after break!)

Sipiri: memorized by March 3^rd

You will start this next week. Please watch the video below and start learning it on your own at home.

Tshotsholoza: memorized by March 3^rd

VOCALISE AND ENSEMBLE:

Shumayela memorized by Feb. 24^th for Vocalise and Feb. 26^th for Ensemble (first rehearsal back after break!)

Kaana Kameme version 1 and Kaana Kameme version 2: memorized by Feb. 24^th for Vocalise and Feb. 26^th for Ensemble (first rehearsal back after break!) 

Three African Folksongs: Pembela, Nomali, and Mambo Jesu memorized by March 3^rd for Vocalise and March 5^th for Ensemble. Remember to learn all of the verses in Mambo Jesu!

Musicianship

Ensemble A: Most of you have handed in your books to me for review over the break. If you missed this opportunity, PLEASE bring me your book at our next rehearsal. Up to page 25 must be completed.

Ensemble B – Cassie’s group: At your next rehearsal you will receive a quiz on key signatures and intervals. Please study the sharp and flat “boxes” I drew for you and make sure to memorize ALL key signatures of up to 7 sharps or flats. You are allowed to write the sharp and flat box on your test, so make sure you know how to re-create it – it will help you!

Happy practicing!

Gala Update 02/07/2014

Dear Ensemble and Vocalise,

The Cantabile Venetian Carnevale Gala is tomorrow - Saturday, February 8th! Please read carefully all information below:

The Details

What: Annual Cantabile Gala

Date: Saturday, February 8th

Location: Stanford Faculty Club, 439 Lagunita Drive, Palo Alto

Aria call time: 4:00pm inside the Stanford Faculty Club

Ensemble/Vocalise/Bravi call time: 5:30pm (sharp!), drop off is outside the Stanford Faculty Club (singers go downstairs and into the dining room to sign in)

All Choirs Rehearsal: 5:40-6:35pm

Voc/Ens/Bravi Performance: 7:10-7:30pm

Pizza, crafts and movie in green room for all singers (except Aria) following the performance.

Aria Performance: 7:50-8:00pm

Release time: 9:30pm for all singers in green room - the black student association building across the courtyard/at the corner of Lomita Dr. and Santa Teresa St.
Attire: Formal concert uniform. Hair tied back/off the face. No distracting jewelry. Girls: please wear concert make-up.

Repertoire – FULLY MEMORIZED

Time To Say Goodbye (All Choirs): Please review your notes carefully with a piano and make sure you’re comfortable with the text. Remember that “T”s are soft or “dental” – almost like a “d” – and not “wet-sounding” like in English. Also, “io” has the emphasis on the first vowel sound. The tempo will be flexible so please watch the conductor at all times!

Funiculi Funicula/A Merry Life (All Choirs): Please memorize the structure of the piece below.

Neapolitan Verse 1: sung by soloist(s), echoes by choir

Chorus 1: all voices in unison on melody

Neapolitan Verse 2: sung by soloist(s), echoes by choir

Chorus 2: all voices in unison on melody

English Verse 1: sung by choir or soloist (please have fully memorized either way)

Chorus 3: all voices in four-part harmony

English Verse 2: sung by all voices 

Chorus 4: repeated TWICE, all voices in four-part harmony. First time a cappella, second time with jazz trio. "Fancy” ending used (last chord held for 8 beats).

Libertango (Vocalise only): Go over your part slowly to make sure that all notes are in tune. Remember to sing all the accents and staccatos – that’s what gives the piece its “fire”! Know when you have the melody and should sing out, vs. when you are accompaniment and should pull back. Use the fact that you love this piece to help you pump it full of energy during the performance!

That’s Amore (Bravi Only)

Aria Repertoire: One Fine Day, Over The Rainbow, Chili Con Carne

Musicianship

No homework this week!

This year, the gala is in honor of Elena Sharkova on her tenth anniversary as Artistic Director of Cantabile! Wish her congratulations when you see her! :)

See you tomorrow!