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April 21, 2017 #15
Admin Issue
GHC, HNC, SOUNDINGS & CCLT
Choir Community Newsletter
> Quick Reminders!
GHC CHOIR SECTIONAL
Alt/Bas Apr 24, 25 & 27 ~ Sop/Ten May 1, 2 & 4
Details in the GHC News & Business section
Soundings Sings Canadian
May 27 & 28
Details in the Soundings News & Business section
For access to all current and archived issues please go to:
http://www.gettinhigherchoir.ca/choir_life/newsletters.php
Admin Team Notes
GLORIA
I’m really loving the songs we are doing for these June concerts. I’ve just finished doing the ‘books’ for the Caia Connection for 2016 and we really made a huge difference to the lives of our friends In Mozambique. It will be hard to top, but lets give is a try as we encourage our friends and associates to support the good work we have already done. I encourage you to check out the video’s in the Concert Beneficiaries section of this newsletter. I’m also looking forward to singing with Coco Love.
~ Gloria
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BILL
The energy is rising. I’m at the point in the season when the words, notes and rhythms are starting to sink into my body and brain.
For those of you who are new to the choir and, perhaps are having some hesitations about getting it all together, I say hang in there. You will be amazed at how it all comes together by concert time.
Being one of anywhere from 150 to 200 fellow choir members on stage singing our wonderful songs to very appreciative audiences is great. Knowing that doing so generates huge benefits for worthy causes in Mozambique while we having so much fun makes it all even Grrrrreater. Tony the tiger…look out…here we come!
~ Bill
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Gettin’ Higher Choir Info
GHC News & Business
Choir Sectionals
"What's a sectional?"
Mark your calendars there will be Alto and Bass sectionals all three nights the week of Apr. 24, 25 & 27 from 6:45 to 7:30.
Please be there a bit early so we can warm up and be singing repertoire starting right at 6:45.
The week of May 1, 2 & 4 will be the Soprano and Tenor sections' turns.
Special Note: Start thinking about whether you would like to host a home sectional for your section sometime between the above choir sectionals and the concerts (ie May 8 to June 1). See "What's a sectional?" and feel free to call me with any unanswered questions. ~ Bill
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Practice CDs (almost done)
If you one of the few people who have been unable to pick-up their practice CDs so far, or you still need pay for one that you did pick-up, I will be at choir all three nights this coming week. I may leave early so please make sure to take care of business with me before choir or at the break.
Also…I still have a small number of extras for some sections that I will announce at break time.
If it isn’t practical for you to pick yours up, or pay for it, then you are welcome to have a choir friend do it for you.
You are also welcome to contact me to make alternate arrangements at or 250-920-4160
If you decide to pay by cheque please make it out to my company name of Intentional Community Projects.
~ Bill
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GHC News & Business (cont.)
Singing “Off Book”
(a repeat for those who missed it last time)
Most of you know that we sing “off book” in our concerts.
For any new folks who may have missed hearing about that…we do so because when we sing confidently from our hearts in concert, without our books between us and the audience, we maximize both our joy in singing and our audience’s joy in listening!
We are now passed the half-way point of the season. This is a good time to start weaning ourselves off our sheet music. As we do so we will enable ourselves to focus on the feel and dynamics of our songs so that we get them solidly into our hearts along with the words and notes.
While we may not have learned, let alone memorized, every bit of every song at this point it is a good idea to put our sheet music down periodically to try singing without it.
By doing so we will:
a) learn what we don't know so that we can focus our memorization efforts on those bits
b) learn our parts more quickly by ear than by staring at the little dots
c) free our eyes to focus on Shivon & Denis' directing to get the timing and dynamics of each song
d) find that we can often get lyrics we are missing by watching them mouth the words (but sometimes different sections have different words or timing so be careful)
e) most importantly the more we can sing without looking at our book for the words or the notes the more joy we will get from the singing from night to night as well as at the concerts!
The above information is an excerpt from a more detailed document that can be opened by clicking on:
How To Make The Most Of Your Concert Experience.
~ Bill
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From the GHC Web Site’s:
Choir Life: Riff Buddy Page
(a concert run-up reminder)
A free audio player created by Dale Shpak, GHC Monday Tenor
~ A great way to learn songs from our parts files or other digital music files! ~
This free audio player allows us to play any section of any MP3 file (also wav and some other audio files) repeatedly. Any bar, any group of bars, any verse, the chorus, the intro, the coda…whatever ...you can pick it with "Riff Buddy".
Having trouble singing (or playing) the notes in a particular 3 bar section? No problem! Find where that section begins (listen through or use the slider) and click on “Now” (next to the Start Time). Find where it ends and click on “Now” (next to the End Time). Click the play button and sing it ‘til you’ve got it!
You can download Riff Buddy to your computer now at www.YellowDogSound.com
To use it for playing your parts files from our Current Singers Only section, or to play other audio files accessed from the internet, you will need to download the files to your computer first. If you need help with that please check out our site’s Choir Life: How To Play and/or Download Files page.
Have fun!
If you would like to give Dale some feedback on your experience with the program to help him improve it please email him. He would appreciate it.
~ Bill
Other Info About Our
Community Of Choirs
High Noon Choir
News & Business
High Noon Choir….
A daytime community choir
Join us for the Spring Session of HNC - Runs until Tuesday June 13.
Orientation for new singers - Tuesday, March 28 - 11:30 - 12 noon
When: Tuesdays 12 noon – 1:30 pm
Where: Church of Truth 111 Superior St. (James Bay)
This is a non-audition choir, all are welcome.
Siobhan Robinsong, Director and Gloria Hansen, Registrar
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Soundings News
& Business
Soundings Sings Canadian!
I hope you will be able to come to our Soundings concert on either May 27 or 28. The flyers that we have been distributing in choir say it all.
Here is a link to the poster
Great songs, great harmonies, a great and well-honed group to sing them -
what more could you ask for!
~ Denis
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Admin Team
Special Announcements
Chorfest 2017
Join your voice with 200+ singers who will converge on Victoriathe 2017 May 19th to 21st long weekend!
Chorfest is the BC Choral Federation’s flagship event and has been held annually each May for almost 40 years. This year’s theme is a very special one for our province and country:
United in Song!Celebrating Canada’s 150th.
Victoria is honoured to be hostingBCCF Chorfest 2017!
– our provincial capital will be celebrating Victoria Day
– Canada will be celebrating its sesquicentennial
– Victoria has a rich choral singing tradition boasting nationally,the most community choirs per capita
The weekend of activities will include outstanding clinicians for every age group, featuring Canadian and international works representing our theme, United in Song – Celebrating Canada’s 150th. There will be wonderfulperformance opportunities including a major concert at the UVic Farquhar Auditorium.
~ and ~
The BC Choral Federation is thrilled to announce the participation of the Victoria Symphonyat BCCF Chorfest 2017!
Full details
~ Denis
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Admin Team Special Announcements (cont.)
Earth Day workshop
"Becoming Intimate with the Earth"
Pauline le Bel is a storyteller, singer/songwriter, novelist, and author of "Becoming Intimate with the Earth".
11-1pm Art Room, Royal BC Museum
Tickets $15:
· Lyle's Place (770 Yates Street)
~ or online with additional information at ~
· http://creativelyunited.org/event/panels-workshops/
(use 'Leadership' for the promotion code and a $5 discount).
~ Bill
(time sensitive info that missed out on last week’s community issue from of Pashta MaryMoon, HNC, and ex-GHC, tenor)
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HNC Member
Dana Lynn Seaborn
I just learned that Dana will be performing on the Open Stage at tonight's Oak Bay (United) Bring-It-On Cabaret (Friday Apr 21st). Everyone's welcome! $5 cover. 7:30 pm.
Dana jumped in at the last minute to accompany those of us who sang “Water Is Life” at the UVic Maude Barlow event recently. She is an accomplished singer/songwriter and I have heard her play some of her tasty-to-the-ears songs at song circles hosted by GHC members Cathy Baker and Dick Jackson. I particularly like her song “Invited to the Show.”
For more info about her check out her website SeabornSong.com
Due to prior commitments I can’t get there but I recommend that you check her, and whoever else is performing that night, if you like musical variety and surprises.
~ Bill
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GHC Guest Artist
Updates
Ann Mortifee
at: Creatively United for the Planet
Five time GHC Concert Guest Artist Ann Mortifee will be hosting an event titled " Forests and Communities for the Future"
For the festival’s full events list click here and for an overview of the Creatively United for the Planet Society & its Earth Day Festival click here.
Pass-along festival flyer
The GHC performed at the festival in its first two years and one of those performances was with Ann. Those of you who have been to this festival in the past know that it is a great way to spend a Spring day. If you aren't already aware of it, or are aware but haven't been to it, I highly recommend that you go!
Hopefully we will run into each other there and exchange some big fat smiles.
Sing, Earth Day, be and do in joy
Bill
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GHC Beneficiaries Info
THE CAIA CONNECTION ~ MOZAMBIQUE
(Updated since the last Admin Issue)
The Gettin' Higher Choir has produced Benefit Concerts every year since 1999 for development work in Mozambique. We started out helping the village of Kapasseni get back on its feet after 30 years ofwar, and since then have expanded into other projects in nearby communities.
To see why we got involved, and what the results of all these benefit concerts have been, be sure watch the on-line videos “Journey To Kapasseni,” “Kapasseni Update 2003” & “Return To Kapasseni.”
The first and third of these videos where produced by Siobhan’s husband Bill Weaver from video footage taken by Ben Fox (visual artist, Raincoast Conservation Foundation supporter and son of long time GHC Soprano Heather Fox).
The 2nd one is a video collage created by Ben after his second trip to the village.
Seeing these excellent videos will add substantially to your joy in singing in our upcoming concerts.
The Caia Connection (TCC) is a Registered Canadian Charity committed to raising funds in support of these projects in theCaia District of Sofala Province, Mozambique.
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Guatemalan Scarves & Weavings Sale
On May 13 we, the Guatemalan Scarf team, whom the choir community has supported so heartily over the years, is very excited as we are going to have a very special sale in the artist, Carole Sabiston’s, beautiful Rockland home and studio.
This is a wonderful opportunity to bring your friends to see our scarves and other weavings and learn more about our project.
For more details and photos please check out this “flyer,” and, of course, our blog. Kindly share this message and the links with all your friends.