Dear Ensemble and Vocalise singers and families,
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have all enjoyed a delicious meal/time with your family and loved ones.
Below is your Holidays With Cantabile concert week schedule, and your final set of detailed practice instructions!
Concert Week Schedule
Monday, December 1 Dress Rehearsal #1 at Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, San Jose
Aria: 4.30 pm Call Time / 7.45 pm Release Time
Vocalise: 5.00 pm Call Time / 7.45 pm Release Time
Ensemble: 6.00 pm Call Time / 8.30 pm Release Time
Please note: All call times listed are the times that you are to be seated in the church ready to go on stage. Please allow extra time for traffic/parking/drop-off.
Wear: wear Cantabile concert uniform and soft-soled shoes
Bring: concert shoes, water bottle, music, snack, coat, musicianship book if in Ensemble
Sign in: with the Choir Parent at the curb - Cantabile volunteers will walk your child into the church
Sign out: singers sign out with the Choir Parent in the Vestibule - Cantabile volunteers will walk your child down to the curb to meet you.
Reminder: There is not a long break scheduled on this evening so please make sure that you have a big, hearty snack before arriving. Don't arrive hungry - arrive with lots of energy!
Wednesday, December 3 Dress Rehearsal #2 at Cathedral Basilica, San Jose
Call time for all singers: 4:30pm in the pews ready to go on stage
Release times: 8:00pm for Ensemble, 8:30pm for Vocalise, 8:45pm for Aria
Wear: NO uniforms - wear WARM clothing and soft-soled shoes eg. sneakers (bring a coat)
Bring: coat, water, snack, homework/something to do during the break. Ensemble has a 25-minute break and Vocalise has a VERY LONG break. You will want to spend this time going over your concert music if needed, and/or doing another silent and productive activity.
Sign in: with the Choir Parent at the curb - Cantabile volunteers will walk your child into the church
Sign out: singers sign out with the Choir Parent in the Vestibule - Cantabile volunteers will walk your child down to the curb to you.
Saturday, December 6 Holidays With Cantabile concert at Cathedral Basilica, San Jose
Bravi Call Time: 9.45 am
Aria Call Time: 10.00 am
Vocalise Call Time: 10.30 am
Ensemble Call Time: 10.45 am
Uniform: arrive wearing Cantabile concert uniform, make-up and hair done - there will not be time or space to change
Sign in: with Choir Parent at the curb - Cantabile volunteers will walk your child to Parish Hall
Sign out: in Parish Hall with Choir Parent - at the end of the concert, please follow the choirs to Parish Hall. Ensemble, Vocalise & Bravi Upstairs will be signed out from the upstairs room.
Reminder: This is an exciting, but long day that demands complete focus and lots of energy for many hours. Please make sure that you have a big, hearty breakfast before arriving for your call time!
O Sifuni Choreography
Click HERE to see a choreography video I made for O Sifuni. Please note that to make it easier, I’ve recorded the moves as a mirror image of you, so when I move left, you move right. :)
Ensemble Practice Recordings
Recordings have been emailed to you. I
have also placed all recordings in a google drive file available for download
at any time. Click HERE to access the files. NEW: O Sifuni recordings for all parts that
go from the second verse through that tricky key change section and to the end.
Please download your own part:
Soprano 1 in two and three parts: "O Sifuni Ensemble S1"
Soprano 2 in three parts, Soprano in two
parts: "O
Sifuni Ensemble S2/S"
Soprano 2 in three parts, Alto in two
parts: "O
Sifuni Ensemble S2/A"
Alto in two and three parts: "O Sifuni Ensemble Alto"
--> my last two notes got cut off - sorry! - but I think you know them
:)
Please
download and listen to these (and the other practice recordings) as many times
as possible. That key change section in O Sifuni is tricky but you will
nail it with a few listens. Please make
sure that you are practicing all those English interjections that I am singing
in your recordings - you will need to sing them, too!!
Ensemble Musicianship
Please bring your musicianship books (along with your music binders) on Monday, Dec. 1st. I will be collecting them to see how you’re doing. (Do not complete additional pages between now and Dec. 1st – any extra time should be spent on your repertoire.) Books will be re-distributed at the first rehearsal after the winter break; however, if you are interested in keeping your book over the holidays, please email cassie@cantabile.org and we can easily arrange a pick-up.
Concert Repertoire List/Order
In approximate order:
O Sifuni Mungu (All Choirs)
Prep 3 and Intermediate pieces
Cool Yule (Intermediate and Ensemble)
Inflammatus (Ensemble)
Vois Sur Ton Chemin (Ensemble)
Jesus Child (Ensemble)
Magic Prayer (Ensemble)
Bravi pieces
INTERMISSION
Aria pieces (tba)
Wie Lieblich (Vocalise)
Carols and Lullabies 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9 + Fum, Fum, Fum
It’s the Most Wonderful Time (Ensemble, Vocalise, Bravi)
Star Carol (All Choirs)
Silent Night (All Choirs)
Ensemble Rehearsal Notes
Pieces that need work on memorizing text: Star Carol, Jesus Child, Silent Night
Pieces that need work on securing notes: Magic Prayer, O Sifuni page 11-end,
Pieces that need careful review and diligent practice: ALL! :)
O Sifuni Mungu – REVIEW PAGE 11-END
- Learn ALL English “interjections”
- For the key change section: altos review your notes at the key change (bottom of pg. 11), and come in on “Let all things their creator bless” along with P3 and Int. Sopranos stay on your held “D” in measure 110. All voices sing the English interjections again (including sopranos) starting on “And worship Him in humbleness”. Both parts please review your pitches on page 12 – they are different than all other “O Sifuni Mungu” lines!
- All parts review notes (chords) on page 14 (“All men, all creatures, etc”) – these chords are different than the first time you sing this chorus on page 8-9!
- Review notes on last page, measure 152-end
- Watch choreography video and practice with it!
Cool Yule
- Remember gestures we added at the end
- Thank you to everyone who tried out for the solo. You all TRULY did a fabulous job and made my decision almost impossible! Any one of you could have performed the solo easily. My final decision was based not only on your individual audition performances, but also on how well certain voices blended with others to form our two solo groups. The soloists, as mentioned in our previous rehearsal, will be: Lara Babu, Liya Land, Jasmine Pao, Mary Shenouda, Abigail Caine, Kristin Cheung, Karuna Dharan, Laura-Ann Moore, Riva Rubin, Sarina Singh, Ishita Sood, Sophie Wang.
Inflammatus
- Measures 14-17 (your first 4 measures): Long vowels --> “iiiin fla”, not “innn fla”
- Measures 18-19: lean into “di” and then come off (“in DIIIiiie, juDIcici”)
- Measures 20-23: start quietly and build over the four measures, with a crescendo-diminuendo inside each of those measures (i.e. “inflammaAAAtus et acceEEENsus…” etc.)
- Measure 24: tiny forte-piano on “di”, then a slow, exciting crescendo through to the third beat of measure 25, and a final diminuendo in measure 26 on last two notes
- Measure 30: strong alto entry, lots of “f” and “c”
- Measure 32: sopranos come in strongly to match the altos
- Measure 34: good “C” on “CConfoveri”
- Measure 36: another good “C”, and a long vowel (“CCooon-fo-ve”, not “coNNN-fo-ve”)
- Measures 37-40: slow crescendo lead by the sopranos, altos follow
- Measures 41-42 and again in 45-46: subito piano, crescendo-diminuendo on “cooon-fooo-VEEE-re”
- Measures 43-44 and 47-46(end): forte, good “C”, and a crescendo-diminuendo on “CCooon-fooo-veeeEEEERI GRAaaatia” :)
Vois Sur Ton Chemin
- “de” sounds like “duh”, not “deh”
- Listen to practice recording of spoken text (sent via email)
- Watch conductor for tempo so this doesn’t drag
Jesus Child – MEMORIZE WORDS
- Light, excited, like telling a story to little kids
- Crescendo into the choruses strongly
- Watch conductor and be ready for tempo changes in measures 33-35, 39-41, and at the end
- Altos review all pitches
- Memorize the dynamics of EACH verse and chorus. In general, the verses get louder as we go from beginning to end (if we sing them all at the same volume this piece will get boring!)
Magic Prayer
- Legato, gentle, soaring like a bird in flight
- Make sure you’re solid on your pitches – practice finding them after those long instrumental interludes
- Memorize DYNAMICS – especially on the last page. Be ready for all crescendos/diminuendos and the final crescendo on the last phrase. Cresc. all the way through the final note to the last beat!
The Most Wonderful Time
- Altos: please review your pitches!!!
- All: careful of the text on the verse “with those holiday greetings…”
Star Carol – MEMORIZE WORDS!
- “See his star shining bright in the sky this Christmas night” all in ONE breath
- “Hurry to Bethlehem…” is soft, light, energetic, and with a big “H” on “Hurry”!
- All verses memorized except “See he lies…” (measures 28-36), which is sung by Prep 3 and Intermediate. Come in again at measure 38.
- The chorus in measures 38-46 is legato and gentle (different from the other more spirited ones)
- Final verse (“Let us all…”) and chorus are BIG – sing out!
Silent Night
- Verse 1 in two parts, verses 2 and 3 in unison
- Bravi boys sing your Bravi part
Vocalise Rehearsal Notes
Please note that you are no longer performing Gloria at the concert.
O Sifuni Mungu
- Learn ALL English “interjections” in case we add you to P3 and Intermediate
- Review your pitches on page 12 – they are different than all other “O Sifuni Mungu” lines
- Review notes (chords) on page 14 (“All men, all creatures, etc”) – these chords are different than the first time you sing this chorus on page 8-9
- Review notes on last page, measure 152-end
- Watch choreography video and practice with it!
- If you’re interested in any of the solos, please prepare them for next week
Wie Lieblich - Click HERE for a recording
- Memorize all dynamics
- Measure 12: lean into LIEB-lich
- Measure 18: like a march
- Measure 37: more insistent as each part enters in imitation, cresc. all the way to 49
- Measures 70-72: A good “fp”
Carols and Lullabies - Click HERE and HERE for recordings
- Carol #1: this one needs the most work on memorization – it’s not as easy as it seems!
- Carol #2: Know how many measures of piano are between each verse. Light second syllables!
- Carol #3: Those interested in solos be prepared to sing them next week
- Carol #4: Watch Elena carefully for breaths and phrasing
- Carol #6: Straight to the “ng” in “ding” or “dong”. Those on the first, fourth, and fifth staves on page 49 measure 59: practice your accuracy on those quick “ding dongs”
- Carol #9: Light, a rocking motion (rocking the Baby King to sleep). Review dynamics/accents. Make sure you’ve looked at and memorized the slower sections.
The Most Wonderful Time
- Careful of the text on the verse “with those holiday greetings…”
Star Carol
- All verses memorized! Know your notes on the “Ahs” at rehearsal letter C
Silent Night
- Verse 1 in two parts
- Verses 2 and 3 in three parts – NO Vocalise singers on the melody
Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Practicing!
