Latest Blog Posts

Long time ChoralNet member David Topping gives us this holiday cheer:    

One of the sonic goals that some conductors work toward is what is commonly called a pyramid of sound.  They strive to have a large bass foundation that tapers upward through the tenors, altos, and sopranos, respectively.  It’s a challenging sound to achieve, if for no other reason than male singers are a somewhat rarer […]

The final moments of 2011 are fading fast.  Don't forget to register for your ACDA Divisional Conference! (Listen to the entire performance of this work)

Composer and former member of the King's Singers, Bob Chilcott, presents his Upper Voice music and discusses the motivation and creative processes behind his compositions.

The Who down in Who-ville      Liked Christmas a lot.           But the Grinch,                Who lived just north                     of Who-ville,                          Did NOT!   "Dr. Seuss did not say so, but I am sure the Grinch was member of the American Civil Liberties Union. Every December, they crawl out of the woodwork, Grinchy […]

One of the great traditions of the Christmas season is the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, sung by church choirs large and small” in every part of the English-speaking world. The model upon which this nativity event is based is the service which takes place annually on Christmas Eve at 3:00pm in the Chapel […]

People love to sing at Christmas. Not just choirs or madrigal ensembles, but all the people. Those same folks who can’t make it through Happy Birthday at a restaurant will stand in the snow to sing carols outside a shut-in’s door. With far less group singing during the other eleven months—do school children still sing […]

Since the Alfred Burt Christmas Carols were first recorded and published in the 1950s, they have resounded through a score of countries in many languages. This music is one of the twentieth century's great contributions to the celebration of Christmas. Alfred Burt was the son of Emily May Bailey and the Reverend Bates Burt, an […]

Today, let’t look at a blending of performance practice and entertainment.  Here, we see a choir that performs not only with fabulous musicality, but also presents the selection in a manner that is engaging on multiple levels.  With so many performances taking place at this crazy-busy time of year, how could you add just a […]

Love the variety of percussion instruments used here (what’s the difference between the red mushroom and the green one?) and the, um, subtle facial expressions. Any of you ever used a Christmas present as a percussion instrument?      Link for the embedded-impaired: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5ZwnmJgC-g