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Text and Sound, the “Top Ten” Show Week Edition

March 19, 2015

And now, in keeping with recent blogging tradition at VCS, we offer you the top ten things that happened this week.

  • Show week regular rehearsal—not to be confused with dress rehearsal—happens to fall on St. Patrick’s Day. Of course the word “shenanigans” is used.
  • The artistic director talks about performance energy and how to channel it—it shouldn’t be like “tweety birds around your head.”
  • She also gives us “full permission to be in full Frisbee mode*.” Yes, she uses the word “full” twice. In one sentence. That is followed shortly after by…
  • “This is a freaking hard piece!” This is rare strong language from one Ms. Rodgers. Unlike the executive director. Speaking of whom….
  • She’s already consumed an ungodly amount of caffeine. It’s only Tuesdayandsheisspeakingreallyreallyfast. Friday should be hilarious. By Saturday she’ll see noises.
  • In complete and utter contrast, our accompanist Greg Graf is so laidback he has his shoes off. Even traffic doesn’t bother him today.
  • That moment when one of the readers recites the text that we’re going to sing. It’s an incredibly moving, loving, and deeply affecting piece. We’ve rehearsed it for months. And yet, the room goes quiet.
  • O Vos Omnes—the spontaneous beat box rendition. No, that will sadly not be in the concert. Someday if we get to fund a Kickstarter short film on what goes into a show though…..
  • Artistic director and accompanist have a brief moment of discussion that delays the cut off for bases. So there they are, at about a low E for an extra 30 seconds, going “uhhhhh…..” It’s like standing next to a power plant.
  • Yes, this is a more grown up repertoire. Yes, there are still kid toys in play during the music. We can’t give away more than that. Come to the show and see what we mean!

Got tickets? We sing Text and Sound: When The Music Paints A Thousand Words at 7:30 pm, Saturday, March 21, 2015. Tickets are now on sale online . We’ll also have some at the door. Box office opens at 6:45 pm. Doors open at 7:15 pm.

* Frisbees, one of Jennifer Rodgers’ trademark vocal visualization exercises. Our singers are familiar with it, along with “snoopy vulture” and “muffin tins.” All three, and more, make several appearances during our summer vocal workshops. Send us an email at info@viennachoralsociety.org if you want us to tell you more in May.

Tagged With: shenanigans, show week, text and sound, vienna choral society

Text And Sound – How Does That Work?

February 20, 2015

Text_Sound_smallposterA post from our Artistic Director, Jennifer Rodgers

Text and Song – isn’t that a bit general for a choral concert? I mean, doesn’t every chorus present texts as songs? Well, yes. But we’re talking about the ultimate marriage of these two fundamental components. When a writer is inspired to put words down on paper, when a composer feels such conviction for a musical thought that the manuscript paper comes out – what are they trying to do if not describe a moment of life as exquisitely as they possibly can?

We experience huge moments in our lives – of joy, grief, mystery, anguish, hope and love – and we try to capture them so that we can live the experience again and again. Henry David Thoreau says, ” I want to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.” We do this by telling the stories, writing poetry and novels and memoirs, taking photographs, painting and sculpting. And often, we underscore these moments with music.

How many moments in your life have been accompanied by music that just precisely said what you needed. How many times does it seem like we get messages through music when we most (or least!) want to hear them. Love songs on a radio when you are falling in love…love songs on the radio when you are falling out of love. A Bach Chorale in a soaring cathedral that could not be more sublime. A song that makes you weep when you have not been able to.

When I come upon a text that so perfectly painted in the music, there is nothing more inspirational. Every piece in this program has been chosen because, in my mind, it is the perfect pairing of text and song. The music is utterly and completely inspired by the text that is being set and the text reaches dimensions that were unattainable before.

We will soar through those deepest of human emotions – grief to hope, joy to sorrow, isolation to complete love and connection – sometimes in a single piece!

This concert has been long in the making and you won’t want to miss it! Come with your whole heart and immerse yourself with us in these magical creations that come as close as possible to describing what it’s like to live our human lives.

We sing Text and Sound: When The Music Paints A Thousand Words at 7:30 pm, Saturday, March 21, 2015. Tickets are now on sale online or through choir members. 

Tagged With: jennifer rodgers, text and sound, vienna choral society

Thank You For A Great Winter Concert!

December 22, 2014

14-15_SeasonWow, was that some awesome music in a full house last weekend or what? We are so grateful to have worked with the Bridges Choir and the Jammers. And we are so grateful to you for being a fabulous audience! We’ll have photos and video up on our Facebook page shortly.

In the meantime, we wish you a wonderful holiday, and we look forward to seeing you again in March for our next concert. Save the date for an evening of Text And Sound, March 21, 2015, 7:30 pm, at Vienna Baptist Church.

 

 

 

Tagged With: text and sound

About

Welcome to VCS! We are a teaching, non-audition choir where all voices and skill levels are welcome. We invite you to learn more about who we are, what we do, and if there's a place for you in our choir.

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