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 […]
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CJ Replay: Singing at Christmas
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 […]
Stick Time: Clever Concert Presentation II
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 […]
Director inspired by high school teacher
By Margaret Bikman BELLINGHAM, WA == Ryan Smit, who grew up in rural farming community of Churchill, Mont., is in his first season as artistic director of the Bellingham Chamber Chorale, which performs its first concert of the season (twice) at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church. For […]
54th Annual GRAMMY nominations featuring choral ensembles
The nominations for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards® were announed in Los Angeles last night, with the following five choral CDs nominated for “Best Choral Performance” – BEYOND ALL MORTAL DREAMS – AMERICAN A CAPPELLA Stephen Layton, conductor (Choir Of Trinity College Cambridge) BRAHMS: EIN DEUTSCHES REQUIEM, OP. 45 Patrick Dupré Quigley, conductor; James K. […]
Get rid of the conductor for real musical excellence
A Facebook friend pointed me to this article today: The Best Way to Improve an Orchestra: Get Rid of the Bloke with the Baton. An interesting proposition using a few orchestras as examples (or prototypes): Spira Mirabilis represent a transformative vision of what a symphony orchestra can be. They are a revelation, proof that […]