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Well, here we are at last, ready to put all the pieces of the Stabat Mater together next Tuesday night with all of the participants. It promises to be an amazing experience, hearing the orchestra with all of its tonal colors, as planned by Dvorak.
I can't say enough about the difference these next two rehearsals will make toward the performance at the Elsinore. Being able to have our seated risers all set up for your use has made a massive difference in our effectiveness and enjoyment of the process. Most of you remember previous tutti rehearsals when you were all seated on the flat floor, trying to hear each other and the orchestra, right? It's so, so much better now.
But please know that having that improvement doesn't happen by itself: our own choir members have committed to the big job of setting up, and eventually taking down, that entire structure. We say it over and over that we are a self-presenting choir. That means our singers do it all, because we aren't owned or operated by some larger organization such as a symphony or university. We're audacious in that we are not beholden to anyone, and that has been true of FCO since the beginning. We ourselves are the shareholders, as it were, and that understanding assumes that our members will share the work as well as the rewards of presenting performances.
This is a highly unique way of doing things. I guess I've reiterated these facts too many times in the previous paragraph, so it's time to repeat the corollary to them. I'm going to say this in all caps, since it must go along with being proud of our unique, audacious style: BEING SELF-PRESENTING REQUIRES MEMBER PARTICIPATION! Since part of our unique character offers choir participation without audition, one way of showing gratitude for that is to offer time and energy in the running of things. That means sweat equity in helping with setup and takedown, but also offering time in volunteering to join the board. Our bylaws allow for a board of up to 13 people, all of whom fulfill many of the needs required in planning and presenting performances. It's wonderful to have two new board members, but there's room for more. Please consider that way of participating!
I think I'll be able to help you warm up just before the tutti rehearsal, if you can all be in place at the arrival time set for you. Instrumentalists will be setting up and warming up, so we'll need to make it quick, but I think, given the wide singing range of all the sections, that it would help.
Sopranos: one thing I need to add in regard to the self-selecting that helped that high descending chromatic line ( think you know which one): if you dropped out to let others handle that phrase's demands, please don't try to join back in in the middle of the phrase! Just skip the entire phrase, since trying to come in on the F or whatever really doesn't help, but instead throws the tuning off. I urge you to believe me about this.
OK, let's do this! See you on Tuesday,
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