I'm moving this topic up because of a new comment about choral music in Philadelphia. Feel free to comment on anything else that's on your mind.
I saw the opening performance of Holiday Pops this past week and although as a whole the show was incredibly entertaining, a lot of patrons in my section commented on how poor the sound quality was when it came to the choir. I was sitting in the Orchestra, Row R, so I am not sure if it was just our section, but the "Community Choir"'s singing was not received well where we were sitting. The Gospel Choir could have been heard in the heavens, but the Community Choir's selections were not picked up as well.
The facility is beautiful, and the sound from the Pops was great, but I just thought I would pass that other information along.
I am looking for tickets to the holiday show @ the kimmel on December 17. Please help.
So enjoyed PhillyPops on Sunday.
However, the center really, really needs more elevators.
The upper tiers have them full for so long, I eventually had to walk down all those stairs to the garage, in spite of have a very, painful hip.
(we had to keep moving due to another appt.)
We were on Tier 1.
There are a few holiday shows at the Kimmel Center on December 17th--The Philadelphia Orchestra, PA Ballet's Nutcracker, The Holiday POPS, and PHILADANCO's Xmas Philes.
If you visit the Kimmel Center's website (there's a link on the blog's homepage), you should be able to check ticket availability for all of them.
Is it just me or did others rejoice at the news from baseball today. A series featuring all-star teams from around the world looks like it is coming to close to becoming reality. The series will pit countries with great baseball traditions - Japan, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Cuba, the US - against each other. Many major leaguers have signed up. The odd thing is that we already have a "World Series" every fall. What will the baseball brain trust call the new touranment?
Monty Python's John Cleese once said of the World Series, "In soccer we have the World Cup but at least we have the good manners to invite the rest of the world to participate."
Lets call the new baseball tournament the World Series and rename the fall classic well...the Fall Classic has a nice ring to it. Furthermore, can we now stop NBA champs and Superbowl winners from calling themselves world champions unless they actually play team from somewhere outside the 50 states?
btw - you never hear Stanley Cup winners refer to themselves as world champs. The cup is enough for Canadian boys, Norwegians, Russians, Slovaks, Czechs, Finns, Swedes and even Americans.
I am praying for the Cuban baseball team to go far. Recent defections prove that Fidel has developed a pool of talented players. But wait! What will our baseball savvy President do when Cuba applies for 30 visas for the players? Will he dare treat them like he does Cuban musicians who have been de facto banned from the US since 9/11? (You were wondering what the hell any of this had to do with music... But I digress...)
I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank the employees of TicketPhiladelphia for their excellent work in getting me tickets to 2 "Broadway at the Academy" shows... unfortunately, I didn't get their names, but both times I experienced friendly, knowledgable service in a quick manner.
A very pleasant buying experience (well, until I had to shell out the money for 5 tickets - that hurt a little!)
I just want to spout off a bit on the subject of Choral Music in Philadelphia (actually in the United States in general). It is increasingly difficult to find serious singers who can actually read music. As a result, choral groups are forced to "dumb down" their programs. Those who refuse to do so are facing a real shortage of singers.
I am currently trying to recruit singers for The Music Group of Philadelphia, a chamber ensemble since 1978 deicated to performing great choral repertory from all musical periods with emphasis on new, seldom performed and virtuoso works. I welcome suggestions on the recruiting process. I don't want the philadelphia choral scene to be dominated by only a few groups performing all the same music.
Thanks for your time.
Well good to go for Music Group. I think the biggest problem in choral music is the bad singing that goes on. Many choral directors seek to stifle good vocal production by inducing strange habits and practices in their groups. I sang for Music Group some time ago and remember good and bad things from that experience. If you are recruiting you should post a URL or email to contact. You should also have serious auditions that are not so easy to pass.
I agree with some of your points, but the last sentence I think perpetuates the problem. The core of the problem is early education. Choral programs are becoming obsolete because educational institutions in the US do not actually teach musicianship. The only choral musicians left are over 50. The timbre of the voice at a particular age begins to detiorate. Choristers as a group (not individually) are an instrument and individuals need to be taught to be a part of the instrument. We need fresh, young voices for that exciting choral sound.
So where do you get these people if they are not taught? They are not going to prepare for a traditional audition; they have to be invited and cultivated. If the schools aren't going to teach, then we have to. If we are willing to invest the time and effort, the reward is priceless.
So, I've had some success crossing genres; bringing in young people with an interest in a capella doo wop, musical theatre, rock, folk, etc. These people want to sing serious choral music, but they don't know it or they've never had the opportunity.
The sound of a young group of voices...not 100% straight toned, but with a restrained string-like vibrato...that's the sound we want in a chamber chorus. Successful recruiting requires "thinking outside of the box". Gone are the days when experienced singers come to you.
Sure, I'll include a URL, but this discussion was not merely recruiting. I'd like some feedback on this. Thanks.
Great reading, keep up the great posts.
Peace, JiggaDigga