Liz Garnett talks about changing your vocabulary regarding dynamics so that your singers don’t get that unsupported, airy sound when singing soft. I have been developing a vocabulary of expression to substitute for words like ‘loud’ and ‘soft’ for some time, depending on the repertoire I’ve been working with: intimate, conspiratorial, introspective versus joyful, triumphant, […]
Others
Distraction of the Day: Choral Polka
h/t ChoralNet user marija peljhan
Another a cappella opera
The Wall Street Journal reviews an a cappella opera premiered by Opera Memphis and Playhouse on the Square, which has a sort of pit-orchestra consisting of singers, for which they use the Bobby McFerrin-invented word “voicestra”: [Michael] Ching’s remarkably inventive opera is a celebration of what voices can do and still, with the exception of […]
Planning Ahead: Google Calendars for ACDA Chicago
If you are a choral conductor who likes to plan ahead (and is relatively tech-savvy), check out these two google calendars for ACDA Chicago: Gold Track here in iCal format. (XML format here) (updated 3/8/2011) Scarlet Track here in iCal format . (XML format here)
How was the performance?
Liz Garnett articulates a problem I often have: what to say to singers who ask how the performance went. I never know what to say, and it’s not always because I don’t want to admit it was awful. Often I just don’t know. Liz explains why: It’s not surprising, then, that directors find it hard […]
An Ancient Profession
Not long ago and in a country far away, I attempted to explain to a taxi driver taking me from the airport to a conference location why I was there and what I did for a living. After explaining I was a choral conductor and I was visiting to hear choral performances at a choral […]