From Brigid: mid-November

Hi, people

Lots of feedback from people who enjoyed singing through the Faure last Tuesday. Please hold on to your copies – we’ll worry about getting them back in the New Year when we retrieve the red folders. It might be that you’d like another Faure evening before we gather them in....

In view of what we’re hearing from Dr Bonnie, I’ve made the decision that we won’t even think about caroling outside unless the COVID numbers take a downward turn. I do think that singing outside and separated is possible, and safe – but I am also more coming to a place where I feel that we all have to do more to NOT push the boundaries, and to model safe behaviour. Who knows, it may happen that we can flatten the curve again... And we all desperately want for things to be normal again, and for Christmas to be “traditional”. But the most important thing right now is to stay safe. So much as we’d like the promo, and to be singing publicly, I’m putting the brakes on. We’ll get as much carol-singing as we can in our Tuesday sessions.

Emily, from Phoenix Chamber Choir, has just sent me the video with score of “Silent Night”.- https://youtu.be/BVTLAJaGyjE I have put a pdf of the score in the music files as well, but singing off the screen gets your heads up and your faces more engaged! Sopranos barely need to rehearse, but you might find it a good challenge to sing alto or tenor, for rehearsal, anyway. Notice the staggered breathing, which will feel very odd, singing on your own. Brad (the sound engineer) says that the most important thing is that you don't leave out a whole note, but rather start the note and then drop out. He can extend your note to fill the space, but he can't create a note out of nothing. That means that you should try to stagger on the longer notes so that you can start the note, breathe, and then get back in for the next note. Final consonants on a syllable will actually belong to the beginning of the next syllable.

We’ll plan for some sectional time on Tuesday.

So (crossed fingers) Tuesday 17th will be something like

• warmup and vocal reminders

• let’s fish out the Back To Zoom Choir round

• we’ll do some rhythmic work on Woodsmoke & Oranges, and see if we can get the rest of this sorted – notes are not difficult. Perhaps sing against recording....

• I’m going to suggest we take some breakout room time in random groups to talk about the fact that the Food Bank has been a beneficiary of ROCA for the last few years, but we can’t do a concert for them this year – is there anything we can do?

• Break

• sectionals on Silent Night

• bring it together with Phoenix recording

• reminders about what’s needed if you decide to do the Virtual Choir thing

We talked a bit at St Mary’s staff meeting last week about the difference between online ritual and ritual online – that we can’t expect to pick up a pattern and have it transfer into a different format. It’s very much what I’m trying to do with ROCA rehearsals – we can’t expect to have things continue the same, but what we do need to do is use the online resources in a way that we couldn’t have done in an in-person format (like last week!). I’ve heard from a few choirs recently who are on hiatus because “online doesn’t work for us”... I feel sorry for them, because I suspect that they’ve just tried to move their usual patterns into Zoom, and it’s not worked. I’m grateful to all of you for moving outside your comfort zones and trying new things and new ways of being at this difficult time.

See you Tuesday

Brigid

From Brigid: Thanksgiving edition

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone – in a year of such upheaval, we have indeed got much to be thankful for – not least that we are still a community that loves each other and shares music in whatever way we can.

Tuesday 13th, we had hoped would be our first try at a hybrid rehearsal, but with no Nic available for sound at Fraserview, we’ve put it off to the following week. So this week will be 7pm for a mixed bag of rehearsal stuff, and the following week (20 October) will be 7:15pm arrival at Fraserview (for the live-rehearsers) and a 7:30pm start for all.

Kate is going to set up some pick-up places for folks to collect music – specifically, the Faure Requiem, which we’ll sing through on November 10, and the carol-folders for anyone who might be carolling. The Faure is available online (though not the Rutter edition, so there are a few variants) and you’re welcome to sing it from there, but I think most of us like to have the music in our hands – especially if it’s the copy you used last time!

With carolling in mind, I’ve set up a December 2020 file on the website. I need to know

  • (A) who is not willing to carol under any circumstances

  • (B) who is willing to carol if we are outdoors and spaced; masks recommended

  • (C) who is willing to carol indoors in a SMALL group (so you’d need to be able to hold your own part) and with all protocols enforced.

Indoor spaces I could see working include the Cooney Road foyer, with lots of space; perhaps City Hall. I don’t really want to do malls – too much competing sound. Other suggestions?

Outdoor spaces might include garden courtyards at the Hospice or some of the seniors’ residences (not going indoors), the City Hall plaza or outside the Centre for Active Living, on the Boardwalk in Steveston or other places. I’m not certain I’d want to do the Singing in the Snow event – outside, but a bit too crowded. Other suggestions?

Are there a couple of people who would be willing to be carolling coordinators?

For this Tuesday evening, make sure that you have Yabban, Yamman and Rise Up My Love accessible for a little sectional time – we will be spending time with them in the hybrid rehearsal on October 20. And we’ll be using the Brahms “Wiegenlied” in warmup – you may want to print that off (from the Covid-season file).

Is there someone willing to be Doorkeeper on Tuesday?

Looking forward to singing with you soon

Brigid

PS – I just need to let you all know that Paul & Susan Ohannesian have had a sad loss this week – Paul’s Mom, Irene, died on October 8. She was in a care home in Seattle, and Paul and Susan had been unable to visit her since February. All your Chorus friends are thinking of you, Paul & Susan...

From Brigid: Here goes October!

Hi, folks

Well, we’ve survived our first month of rehearsals – let’s see what October will hold for us!

Reminder: Please change my address to BrigidatROCA@gmail.com for any ROCA biz – that will help me stay slightly more organised!

Thanks to the people who did the Phoenix recording – bravo to Adele, Amy, Laura, Elizabeth, Don and Charles! I was hoping that we might tackle our own Virtual Choir project in the spring, but now I’m thinking not, with so little participation in this one :(

Tuesday’s session is all-Canadiana. We have more than 100 Canadian repertoire pieces in the library, and I’ve only chosen fourteen of them, so if your favourite is missing, perhaps it’ll be a “next time” thing. Tuesday’s Canadian rep is a folder within the folder, and I have numbered the pieces in the order I think we’ll do them. It’s up to you to decide what you want to print (if anything) or whether you can read from pdfs. If you want to read from pdfs, you may need to listen on your phone and read from your computer, or watch on your computer and read from a tablet – whatever works. Don’t leave your decision too late, though – it’s a lot of music, if you decide to print it.

I’m still thinking about October 13 and what to do with it ...

October 20 will be our first hybrid rehearsal – I’ve put the pods map in the folder. We only have an hour, and I plan to do
• Sing for Joy (with Susan at the piano)
• Rise Up My Love – from the Canadian collection – some of us know it, and this should certainly get copied if you’re live-singing
• something from the Justice Choir collection – tba
Live-singers should plan for masking – it doesn’t need to be a formal singers mask, but it should be something you feel comfortable in. Susan O is making her own masks and has offered to do one for anyone who needs. Personally, the new one I have from Barbra Bradshaw is the most comfortable I’ve had for wearing for long periods. But every face is different, and you need to find something you can be comfortable in for an hour.

October 27 will be rehearsal /AGM / rehearsal
I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again – I understand and appreciate that most of you come to choir as an escape from other things, and an opportunity to relax and make music together.
But an organisation like ROCA cannot exist without governance, and that means that somebody has to step up and make that happen. Several people in the Chorus have given generously of their time – I need to offer special thanks to Cathy Bayley for her years as President – though there are several other folk who have also served on the Board. Currently Bernie (President) and Susan S (Marketing) are Chorus Board members; Robert Bridson from the Orchestra is Secretary, and all our other Board members are community members. The latter is good – but we need to know that you have a strong voice.
Please consider carefully whether you would be prepared to serve on the Board, and if you’re not willing to commit to Board membership, whether you might help as part of an ad-hoc committee.
Please talk to Bernie!
As you will have guessed, this is not a good year, financially, and we have to look carefully at chasing sponsorships, donors and the like. Bernie is willing to do that – but not AS President. If someone’s prepared to step up and take the chair, he will tackle sponsorship; if not, we’re going to have to bug you all a lot more to help chase money.

Is someone willing to be Doorkeeper this Tuesday, please? - stay on top of the Waiting Room, check folks off (and give me the list afterwards), monitor Chat, etc.
Reminder: 7pm start – so I’ll open up around 6:40pm.
At the end of the rehearsal anyone who wants can get themselves a drink and stay around for an Afterglow at a virtual O’Hares....

See you Tuesday

Brigid

From Brigid: end of September

Hi, folks

Can you believe that this is the fourth Zoom rehearsal? I am hoping that I’ve got some of the frustrating tech sorted, and this week will go more smoothly. Reminder to everyone – check Zoom for updates; there’s been a recent one. I hear that the next one will include the ability for people to choose their own breakout rooms!

Address change: my google email is getting swamped with many things, and I’m setting up a new address for ROCA stuff only. Please change my address to BrigidatROCA@gmail.com – that will help me stay slightly more organized!

Phoenix - “Part of this World” - can you drop me a line if you plan to record a track (or two) for this? They are due to Phoenix by next Sunday afternoon, so I think you should aim to have them in my electronic possession by next Sunday evening. I am going to set up a Dropbox folder, and will send links to the people who have contacted me. Please do not try to email them to me – probably too big a file for email, I would think.
Reminder, you need to play the track on one computer/tablet/phone, using headphones, and sing into another computer/tablet/phone. Your phone, if it dates from the last few years, will have a perfectly good microphone for this purpose.

“Sing for Joy” - I have posted part-predominant recordings, if you want to use them. We’ll do a bit of sectional work on Tuesday, so they may not be essential, but your choice.

I’m working on our October 6 cross-Canada musical tour, with some singing and some listening. I’ve had some requests; any more should come in to me by this Wednesday, please. There’s a lot of prep work involved in this! There will be copies of most of the music in pdf; you need to start thinking about whether you’re going to print off pages and pages (which should all, technically, be destroyed afterwards!) or whether you will save it to computer or tablet. With most pieces I’ll be offering you video-performances, so you will have the option to watch or to sing (some of you will probably do both!)

We’re still aiming for a hybrid rehearsal on October 13, with some folks in-person at Fraserview, and some being livestreamed at home. Bernie and I are trying to get into the church this week, and to get a copy of their protocols. Just a reminder: there were a few people who said “maybe” and I need to know for sure if you’re an at-home or a sing-live person: HeatherK, Kate, Chris ...

Barbra Allen Bradshaw’s masks – you need to ask specifically for the choral mask, not the 3-D. The 3-D will work, but the choral one has more depth.

Is someone willing to be Doorkeeper this Tuesday, please? - stay on top of the Waiting Room, check folks off (and give me the list afterwards), monitor Chat, etc. Both Wendy and Christy have done it. Doris has offered to be ready...
Sectionals this week – probably after the break, so I have time to set up the breakout rooms....
Reminder: 7pm start – so I’ll open up around 6:40pm.
At the end of the rehearsal anyone who wants can get themselves a drink and stay around for an Afterglow at a virtual O’Hares....

See you Tuesday

Brigid

From Brigid: lead-in to rehearsal 3

Hi, folks

Nothing radically different this week (other than this whole Zoom-world is new!). I did a BCCF workshop on Saturday which we labelled as Zoom 101, for choir-director newbies on Zoom (I call them Zoom virgins), and the whole process of writing it out and working out what needed to be covered codified for me many of the things we’ve been finding in our first couple of sessions, mainly:
• Zoom rehearsals cannot be standard rehearsals, and if we expect that, we’re bound to be disappointed - but....
• Zoom sessions can enable us to do all sorts of things that we could probably never get to doing in the regular way, and we need to make the most of that.

There is information out about a platform called JackTrip which holds much hope for dealing with the latency issue. However, it’s not available yet, it will probably need that everyone has new software, and possibly hardware, and though they talk about it costing very little, I’m not holding my breath!

Phoenix - “Part of this World” - there is no click-track; Nicholle wants us to work with the track we have, and trust to instinct! I understand that that’s scary for some people, and it’s quite OK to decide not to do the recording – but we will spend some time on it this week and next. Think of it as karaoke; you sing karaoke, not aiming for perfection, but to give a good imitation of the song you know. As Don said last week, repetition is key in this situation. The great schools of music training – Orff, Kodaly, Suzuki and Dalcroze – are all based on “do it again!” We are asked to sing what is printed, and not Emily’s mistake. However it’s all very tonal, and if you make a mistake, it probably won’t show.

New music: I have a few things from an organization in the UK called Choir Community – very much geared towards helping community choirs, especially in this “sing at home” time. We’ll take a look at “Sing for Joy”. In the interest of less copying, I’d suggest you print off the Choir-Only version, but I’ve given you the full score as well, for those who have to see the accompaniment. We’ll work it a bit on Tuesday night, and then I’ll post part-predominant recordings for you so you can work on it by yourselves. It’s a bit schmaltzy, but there’s some good singing technique to apply.

September 22 & 29 are “regular” (whatever that is), then October 6 will be a cross-Canada musical tour, with some singing and some listening. Fingers crossed, I hope we may be able to do a hybrid rehearsal on October 13, with some folks in-person at Fraserview, and some being live-streamed at home. There are still things to be worked out for this – protocol details, tech issues and so on. We have established “bubbles” (people who see each other regularly, and don’t need to distance) of
• Bill, Rick & Anna
• Brian, Anne & Anne H
• Susan & Paul
• Amy & Roxanne
I need to know if there is anyone else wanting to rehearse live who already “bubbles” together. Once those groups are established I will plan to set up 5-6 “pods”. A bubble doesn’t need to distance from each other, but a pod does need to distance – and a pod might be made up of a bubble (sitting together) and 3-4 others (sitting at min. 2 metres distance). I need to know if there is anyone with whom you want to pod. Bear in mind that these groups will remain the same anytime we rehearse in-person. I am not going to try and vocally balance pods; we have only 3 tenors and I’m not going to break them up. Pods will probably mostly be one section – sopranos with two pods, altos with one – and just a little mixing. So again, time to think about whether you’d like to be with a mix or just with your section. A few people said “maybe” to live rehearsal - Wendy, HeatherK, Kate, Chris – can you let me know? Just be comfortable with your decision, because I’d rather not move folk in and out....

I have been asked about masks – specifically about Singers Masks, which have more space in front of the mouth, and are kept in place by some sort of stiffening – zip-ties or horsehair or wire or whatever. You can talk to Kate, Susan O and Cathy B, all of whom have made masks, using the pattern created by Joan Fearnley in Ottawa. There are a series of YouTube videos, but I think it’s Joan’s Version 3 that has been most successful - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UNTP-m_K4E

You’ll also find extensive discussions on Facebook under Masks for Performers. It’s a private group – let me know if you have problems getting in, and I’ll contact Joan.

There are a couple of commercial variants:
MyMusicFolders sells The Resonance Singers Mask:
https://www.mymusicfolders.com/product-category/covid-19-supplies/
The Broadway Relief Project has a similar one:
https://www.broadwayreliefproject.com/singersmask

If you don’t want to make one yourself, and you don’t want to pay US prices for the commercial ones, you could try the 3D Mask made by one of the singers in Phoenix Chamber Choir – it’s not as wired as the others, but it has the fullness that allows for singing space. https://masksforsale.paperform.co/
Barbra makes three styles – it’s the 3rd, the 3D, that you want. All her proceeds go to support an Abbotsford food bank program.
Fabiana Katz swears by the little plastic/silicone face bracket that can be worn under a mask, over mouth and nose – I think they probably come from China and you have to order them from Amazon or Etsy.

Is someone willing to be Doorkeeper this Tuesday, please? - stay on top of the Waiting Room, check folks off (and give me the list afterwards), monitor Chat, etc

Susan O & Elizabeth: Likely no sectionals this week – but probably Sept 29....

Reminder: 7pm start – so I’ll open up around 6:40pm. At the end of the rehearsal anyone who wants can get themselves a drink and stay around for an Afterglow at a virtual O’Hares....

See you Tuesday

Brigid

Quick reminder...

Hi, folks I wasn't going to do this, but just in case there are any of you who haven't yet signed up for the Members' Blog or aren't checking the Members section of the website.... (hint, hint - please do!)

The rehearsal this week is at 7:00pm - by request.

We'll do it for a few weeks, and if it's too hard for people to be there at 7pm, we'll switch back. I'll open the Zoom Room at 6:40pm.

Sad to tell you that both Kevin Yue and Andrew Blackmore have stepped back - I suspect they're over-Zoomed, with work...

A reminder to get your music ready this week - how you do it is up to you: save it for posting on a separate tablet or screen, or print it off for putting in a binder - whatever works. We will take a first look this week at the piece for Phoenix's Virtual Choir. You do NOT have to do the recording, but we'll use the music for some work on reading skills together - lots of little rhythm things to sort out!

See you for singing on Tuesday

Brigid

We gratefully acknowledge our partners and sponsors for their generous support: