Saint John Passion

As staged by the CCM Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra and CCM Chamber Choir this past fall at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Cincinnati. Earl Rivers conducting.

So much went into this from the conducting students. Our conducting seminar for the whole fall semester had us all conduct, play continuo, and sing the all parts of the complete piece. We accompanied staging rehearsals of the soloists. And, of course, we are in the choir.

Happy New Year and Bach on.

Note: the embedded video above is not supported on all devices. Link to the same video is here: 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K7btnm7SPho&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DK7btnm7SPho

It's beginning to look a lot like finals week....

Pre-Bach German and Italian choral lit. And a train set.

Charming

Dinner and dessert?

First one, then the other:

This week at CCM

I conducted both my first premiere and my first choral/orchestral piece on the podium.

In case you've forgotten why academia is such a fun setting to be in...

It's this. This is why.

Keep Calm

And Bach on.

Thanks liner notes!

Multitasking: the CCM way

I was also drinking coffee at the same time.

Chamber Singers 2

In which I will sing my first CCM voice solo:

Wednesday at 5pm in Werner Recital Hall, CCM.

Chamber Singers, last year

We just got to this in Choral Lit.

Colleen Phelps conducting

Terence Teow on piccolo

Allen Otte on percussion

Self Promotion Slip Ups

Accidentally forgetting to put your name on your own poster. Oops. But... Haydn!

The motto of the church musician

Christmas is always tomorrow:

Which, I guess, means that it's always Christmas Eve! Yay!

Upcoming Events

Now that the year at CCM is in full swing, North Bend UMC has started its program year, and Women in Song starts next week, here is a calendar of what is coming up this semester:

Wednesday September 18, 2013

Werner Recital Hall, CCM, 5pm

CCM Chamber Singers presents Haydn's Theresienmesse

I will be sharing the podium with a colleague and directing student soloists for one of Haydn's exciting late masses. It is the first concert by CCM Chamber Singers, who have the privilege of performing the most varied repertoire of any ensemble in the school.

Sunday September 22, 2013

Corbett Auditorium, CCM, 2pm and 7pm

CCM Choirs and Orchestras presents Verdi's Don Carlo

I will be in the chorus for a concert production of the full version of this masterpiece, in the original French. First and second halves are separated by a dinner break.

Sunday November 3, 2013

Christ Church Cathedral, 5pm

CCM Chamber Choir presents Bach's Johannespassion

I will be in the chorus for this staged performance of Bach's Saint John Passion with student soloists and instrumentalists from CCM's Philharmonia Orchestra.

Saturday and Sunday December 7 and 8

Corbett Auditorium, CCM, 5pm both days with 2pm matinee on Sunday

CCM Choirs hosts A Feast of Carols

I will sing in the choir, and also perform with visiting groups as a percussionist for this spectacle of holiday music. Each performance is different, and some are already sold out!

Sunday December 15, 2013

North Bend UMC, 4pm

Christmas Concert

North Bend welcomes guest choirs around the area, and features our own Congregational Choir for this Christmas performance, which is a homegrown favorite of this congregation.

This is aside from additional Chamber Singers concerts throughout the semester, and possible recital opportunities, so stay tuned for additional dates. CCM keeps us busy, and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Bring a Friend Night

Have a friend who wants to sing SSAA repertoire?
Bring her to:

Women in Song's
Bring a Friend Night

Tuesday September 6, 2013 7:30pm
Saint Jude School Music Room
5924 Bridgetown Road
Cincinnati, OH 45248

Women in Song: Causing treble in Cincinnati since 2005.

Liber Usalis

I want other publishers to take the hint and perfectly place vowels under notes.

Usalis indeed.

It might be disproportionate

But I'm awfully proud of this syllabus.

I wanted to add, "If you convince a tenor to join I will give you an automatic A." But faculty wouldn't let me.

Choral Auditions 2013

It would be odd and inappropriate for me to show evidence, but the main thing I learned running choral auditions is that CCM students take *literally* the most attractive i.d. photos I've ever seen.

No Opera Allowed

Art song and oratorio only, please. We'll make it up to you by doing a complete concert performance of Don Carlo almost immediately.

This November

A Staged Saint John Passion:

Awesome. Except that I ordered a full score. And this is a piano/vocal score. I've been had by amazon.com.

Chamber Singers 2013: Concert 1

September 18, 5pm

Time to break out the colored pencils.

The Best of 2012/2013: Women in Song

It was a good year for women. We collaborated with the Voices of Cincinnati Ensemble (VOCE), welcomed pianist Jiaying Gan, accompanist Jan Corrothers, and soprano Allison Kaufman. We sang Wagner at a historic church downtown. But it didn't get much better than drinking tea and singing English music this June at our Spring Gala: Inspired by Downton Abbey.

Elgar. Vaughan Wlliams. Daisy Bell. Pearls. Fascinators. And tea.

Lots and lots of tea.

The Best of 2012/2013: CCM edition

Year 1 of the MM in Choral Conducting included the following:

Singing:
Faure and Verdi's Requiems
Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass
Britten's Spring Symphony
a memorial concert for Dr. Elmer Thomas
my fifth Feast of Carols

Conducting (in performance):
Songs and Sonnets of Shakespeare by George Shearing
Now is the Month of Maying by Thomas Morley
Selections from Akhnaten by Philip Glass
Va Pensiero by Giuseppi Verdi
and Set Me as a Seal by Rene Clausen

Workshops with CCM Orchestral Studies and Chorus America,

Coaching by:

Duain Wolfe

Rollo Dilworth

Leon Fleisher

Mark Gibson

and Neil Varon

Being coached by Neil Varon in CCM's orchestral workshop: Conducting Beethoven.

Conducting William Mathias's Learsongs for Duain Wolfe and Rollo Dilworth at the Chorus America workshop: Conducting Children's Choirs.

Acknowledging guest musicians who volunteered to play for my first Chamber Singers concert.

Balcony view of the Feast of Carols dress rehearsal. Look closely and you can see Santa Claus (beard, no suit).

Music Circus poster.

Eurhythmics study guide. Valuable rhythm workout for us all.

Final tally-

Major Works: 4

Recordings: 2

Performances Conducted (at school): 2

Music Circuses Participate in: 1

Needs more music circus.