Brighton

  I am in Brighton, England. 

  At long last I have made it over the pond and I am here to sing!

  I am here for the Brighton Early Music Festival, also known as BREMF. I am singing with a few different ensembles in an even larger number of different concerts.

  I arrived on September 15th and have rehearsed with all of my ensembles. Although the festival takes place in Brighton, the rehearsal venues vary from London to throughout Sussex and span a good part of the Southern coast.

   The festival is the second largest of its' kind and is quite spectacular. The main festival begins on Friday October 26th with the Tallis Scholars with "The Field of the Cloth of Gold - Celebrating a Great Treaty" (pg.5) 8pm at St. Bartholomew's Church and culminates with the International Baroque Players with the BREMF Singers with our "Celebrating Coronations -And a Diamond Jubilee" (pg.16) performance on Sunday November 11th, 7pm at St.George's Church.



  In one of the larger extravaganzas, we will be recreating a "1589 Florentine Intermedi" (pg 10) complete with aerial dancers at 5 and 9pm on November 3rd, 2012 at St. Bartholomew's Church.

Download the entire brochure or view it online.

Spring Is Here?

It's hard to tell.

It's still cold and, for the third year in a row, we are having an immense amount of rain. It is dark, gloomy, and very wet.

This makes feeling the passage of time considerably harder and makes deadlines rush up on you in a startling way.

April 5th begins the rehearsals for Purcell's "Indian Queen". I am the alto soloist and I have quite a bit of music to learn. Actually, I am almost there with the getting the music into my body aspect; that's never really an issue. The real issue here is memorisation. I have to memorise all of this!

I can't remember the last time I actually had to memorise my music. I know that I often do memorise, just from working intensely on a piece, but I always have the comfort of holding the music in my hands during the performance; even if I never look down at it.

My music, although incredibly familiar and becoming more and more polished, is not yet memorised.

But there is still a couple of weeks before the first rehearsal. :-)

Back to Work

Christmas has, overall, been fairly relaxing and like most people, I have not wanted to return to the impact of the daily routine. So even though I love to sing more than life itself, I wasn't necessarily thrilled that it was again time to return to having my time rigorously scheduled.

Rehearsals began for me on Monday. Fortunately, the group was pretty chill and the rehearsal went well without any stressful or tense moments. We read through several pieces, tried a few different keys and voice assignments, and have found 4 pieces that we know we would like on our next concert. I was asked to solo a Ciconia piece and I am hoping to solo (duet or trio) a couple more pieces (as yet undetermined) from the Cyprus Codex (compiled ca.1413 - 1422). I'm sure people will make proposals of pieces they'd like to do via email throughout the week and we'll read through those next Monday.

Tuesday evening, I go through the process again with another ensemble.

There is also daily voice work and practising other instruments. So much to do while the Christmas holiday continues.

Mid-Autumn

Friday November 16th, 2010

I can hardly believe that it has been 2 months since I posted last. Time gets away from me so easily.

I have been practising a lot more lately. I feel like I have really gotten into a groove with organising my practise schedule, and I am getting so much more done every day. However, in getting so much more organised, and therefore busier with my real life, my internet presence has suffered my limited on-line activities. And while I believe that a strong internet presence is important, I believe that actually living more life and reporting less is better than living less life and reporting more.

I have been investigating the Early Music scene in Europe more and continue to prepare for my extended trip there next Summer.

On Sunday November 7th, Coro had a lovely concert of the music I discussed in my last post. In addition, I performed a duet, "Qui N'a le Cuer" and a trio, "Aspre Fortune", both from the Cyprus Codex (compiled ca.1413 - 1422). I was not only extremely excited to be able to perform these 2 pieces, they, having been 2 of my favorite pieces since I first heard Ensemble P.A.N. perform them, but my own performance was extremely well received.

We will be repeating this concert on November 28th in West Marin.

Today, I have the first rehearsal for a "Messiah" performance. I will be the alto soloist.

7:30 pm

Friday, December 10th

Our Lady of Peace

Santa Clara, CA

I Have Returned!

Friday September 17th, 2010

After a couple of months away from the blog, I have returned!

The rest of my Summer was a busy one indeed. After my vacation in Santa Fe, I returned home to continue with appointments with my dentist and ENT. I had several visits with each. My teeth have been cleaned, dental work done, and I now have braces. I have had a tonsillectomy and have pretty much recovered.

Both the dental and ENT work were done to improve my appearance and general health. Both of which are important to my career.

Last week, I returned to rehearsals with Coro. I had received lovely e-mails from members of the choir while I was in the midst of all the medical and they were glad to see me upon my return. We had an excellent rehearsal.

This concert set includes:

Guillaume Dufay (August 5, 1397? – November 27, 1474)

"Missa Sine Nomine"

"Ma Belle Dame Souverainne"

"Alma Redemptoris Mater"

Johannes Ockeghem (1425-1497)

"Alma Redemptoris Mater"

"Salve Regina"

Antoine Busnois (c. 1430 – November 6, 1492)

"Votre Beaute/Vous Marchez"

3 different Kyrie's

Guillaume de Machaut (c.1300-1377)

"La Messe de Nostre Dame"

I think that I am doing a couple of pieces, as well. :-)

Keep you posted on that.

Santa Fe

Just sitting here in the library in Santa Fe, New Mexico using the internet.

It has been rather hot until today, which was beautiful, breezy, and mild. The altitude is a bit of an issue for me this time and I am taking it easy. So far I have been resting quite a bit, which of course, was the whole point.

I have been investigating art and having cocktails and will be increasing this activity over the days to come. Nothing like sitting on the porch at el Ferol and doing a little tourist watching! ;-)

They have been playing Early Music on period instruments on the sound system everyday that I have been here to the library. Very nice. Makes me wonder why they don't do that at the libraries at home.

Taverner Concert

Later today I will be performing in the Taverner "Western Wind Mass" concert set at the Berkeley Early Music Festival.

I've not been to this venue before, so I need to leave a little extra early to make sure I find parking. I've heard from fellow singers that the room in which we'll be performing is quite lovely and that the acoustics are nice. We'll have a bit of a pre-performance rehearsal and then the excitement begins.

After the concert, I'll be changing out of performance garb and traveling to another destination for a rehearsal for Friday nights' "Trecento" concert. It will be a very full day of singing.

Thursday through Saturday, the venders will be set up at First Congregational Church to offer their services and wares. I need to get a bow rehaired and I am curious to see what exciting music A-R Editions will be bringing.

A New Experience

I got a facial yesterday. I've never had one before and it was a very different experience. I really like the woman who gave it to me. Actually, it was because I liked her at a chance meeting that I originally scheduled it. Overall, it was rather enjoyable. She is very kind and interesting.

The only downside was the music.

Although her cd was of the "classical" variety, it was essentially "classical musics' greatest hits". You know the one. It has been produced over and over again with only minor variations regarding the pieces included. A prepackaged bundle of over played pieces for the non-musicians of the world who choose to not risk listening to anything else. After all, it might not be safe.

To make matters worse, it was played in the muzak style. Do "Air on a "G" String" or "Gymnopedie" really need the muzak treatment for non-classical music listeners to be able to safely remain in the room?

I assured her that there is plenty of beautiful Early Music that is extremely well suited for a relaxing atmosphere without offending the sensibilities of the musicians that utilise her services.

By the way, it's Wednesday and the concert is a mere 4 days away.

Invited Back To Coro Ciconia

Well, it was a very busy concert season. My last post in November was the last time I really had an opportunity to devote any time to the blog endeavor. I couldn't believe that the performance season began so early for me this year. And that I was so terribly busy.

I have been invited back to sing with Coro Ciconia. It seems to be a good fit, thus far. My greatest appreciation for this group is their overt appreciation for having a real alto. Throughout my career, I have witnessed an enormous amount of dismissive attitude regarding altos and alto lines, in general. It has only been in rare circumstances that groups acknowledge the importance of this line and the importance of having a real alto singing it. The real kicker is that most of the time when acknowledgment is given, the alto line and singing voice is only given any real recognition when a man is is singing it.

Coro Ciconia's next concert is on Sunday April 11th; a mere 12 weeks away. I have already received 10 of the pieces. I think there will be about 16 of them. We will be singing Ciconia, of course, along with Jocopo, Landini, Firenze, and other 14th century Tuscan composers.

We will reprise the concert set a couple of times, in addition to a completely different concert program, for the Berkeley Early Music Festival in June. I am really looking forward to this experience.

Coro Ciconia Concert

I had a lot of rehearsals and concerts over the past 10 days.

I increased my obligations this month by adding another singing ensemble. It is an Early Music ensemble. Our Autumn concert was Sunday night (night before last).

It was a fortunate that we were using a huge hall that doesn't have installed seating, because we had more than a full house and had to bring in more seating. The room is mostly wood and very lovely for singing. The house lighting was off and we sang by candlelight.

Our program included works by Josquin des Pres (1440-1521), Johannes Ciconia (1373-1411), Francesco Landini (1325-1397), Vincenzo da Rimini (14th century), Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474), Jacopo da Bologna (ca, 1355-1370), and 2 selections from the Llibre Vermell de Montserrat (ca.1399).

Alto Pride

In polyphony of the Early Music periods, every line is important. Altos were featured greatly. Many of the lines in Early Music polyphony that are marked as soprano lines today, were actually alto lines. The re-labeling of these parts beginning to occur during the Classical era.

Once we entered into later periods, particularly starting in the Classical era, the alto line in choral music became more like what seems "an after thought" for many composers. Creating parts that are terribly boring, or conversely, alto lines that "fill in the gaps" of the chordal and/or rhythmic structure without having much of a line of their own, that verge on the unmusical. The "catch-all" line.

You know the joke: "Altos are just sopranos who can read."

Well, no.

Yes, there are a few modern composers who write real lines for us, but altos have never really regained their position in choral music in any kind of widespread way.

However, now, alto sections are littered with the remains of sopranos who have been "demoted" because they have lost their high notes, or who never trained to have any.

Yes. I said "demoted". That is the word I have heard used time and time again in regard to this common practise. It's negative propaganda. As if being an alto is somehow, a lesser position, rather than a voice type. And that negative propaganda has certainly led to that widespread mindset and perpetuation of "after thought" alto lines in compositions. And that propaganda has certainly effected the numbers of altos who are putting it out there.