I'll be preparing a chorus of 56 good adult amateur singers for a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (in German) with a professional orchestra.  I'm seeking advice on how much rehearsal time I should schedule for the choir (not counting the rehearsals with orchestra).  I will ask the singers to know their parts before the first rehearsal, but we'll probably need to do some note crunching during the rehearsals.

I was thinking of scheduling three rehearsals of two hours each, but perhaps I should schedule four or even five rehearsals (two hours each)?

If anyone has experience preparing this work with a good amateur adult choir, I would welcome your thoughts.

Thank you!

Clyde Thompson