Thank you for a wonderful rehearsal last evening. We made a lot of progress with Kurt Sander's Canon for the Theotokos, as well as the Exaposteilarion (both the Bulgarian Chant and Put' (Znamenny) Chant arrangements), and the Greek Chant Troparion for the feast. As it stands right now, we only have five rehearsals until our recording dates. There are still quite a few things that we need to review before March. Some of the pieces that I'm think of are: Glagolev's Polyeleos, Alfeyev's Beatitudes and It is Truly Meet, Kastalsky's Open Unto Us and St. Simeon's Prayer, Sander's Canon (yes, we still need to look at this yet), plus special melodies for stichera at Lord I Call and the Praises at Matins. In light of all this, it would be beneficial for everyone to have two rehearsals on a Sunday so that we're not crunched for time in the last rehearsals leading up to the recording.
In addition to our normal Wednesday rehearsals we will add two Sunday rehearsals on February, 17 and 24. Rehearsal will start at 11:50 in the choir loft and we'll plan to sing till about 12:35.
So, our updated rehearsal schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, January 30, 7 PM
Wednesday, February 6, 7 PM
Wednesday, February 13, 7 PM
Sunday, February 17, 11:50 AM
Wednesday, February 20, 7 PM
Sunday, February 24, 11:50 AM
Wednesday, February 27, 7 PM
After these two Sunday rehearsals Miho and I are inviting everyone to our house for fellowship. More information about this to come.
Please remember that our recording dates are:
Saturday, March 2 at 1 PM
Wednesday, March 6 at 7 PM
Saturday, March 9 at 9 AM
Male Singers:
There are at least two pieces that I'd like to sing in male arrangement for the recording: St. Simeon's Prayer (Trubachev) and the Praises at Matins. I'd like to rehearse with you for 15-20 minutes after our Wednesday rehearsals on the following dates:
January 30
February 13
February 24
Some singers have asked if I could print out recording music for them to take home and practice. Please let me know if you'd like me to do this. The music is accessible online at the following location if you'd prefer electronic copies: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OgXju0dYDYZqFSyPA9eIXBmrIM6Cgp_E
Last but not least, please make every effort to come to all scheduled rehearsals. St. Mary's Choir is a volunteer choir, and as such we make a commitment to participate in all aspects of choir life, both liturgical and other. This includes not just the weekly services, but also concerts and recordings. I'm not only depending on you, but every singer in the choir is depending you, too. We can only accomplish our goal with everyone's involvement! Please mark your calendar with these rehearsal and recording dates if you haven't already. See you this weekend.
