DEC. 10, THE UAB DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC PRESENTS
“CHRISTMAS AT THE ALYS,” FEATURING SEVEN CHOIRS
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Awaken the spirit of Christmas Dec. 10 with “Christmas at the Alys,” an annual celebration of Christmas music presented by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Music and area choirs.
Tickets are on sale now for the event, which takes place at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. S. Tickets are $12. Call 205-975-2787 for tickets.
A grand selection of old and new Christmas favorites are on the program. Performing are the UAB Concert Choir, UAB Women’s Choir, UAB Men’s Choir and UAB Chamber Singers, directed by Philip Copeland, D.M.A.; as well as the Jefferson State Community College Singers, directed by Jessica Hall; Hewitt-Trussville High School Choir, directed by Nick Cummins; and Shades Valley High School Choir, directed by Heather Cantwell.
Many Christmas favorites will be performed, including Vaughan Williams’ “Wassail Song, “Carol of the Bells,” “Fum, Fum, Fum” and “Silent Night.”
The choir, led by Copeland, will combine on Wohlgemuth’s “Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” an anthem based on a fourth-century chant. Copeland is in his sixth year of teaching at UAB where he is director of choral activities.
Last year’s UAB Concert Choir performed at the Southern Division Convention of the American Choral Directors Association, a first for a UAB ensemble. Copeland and the UAB Choirs also recently performed Mozart’s “Solemn Vespers” in New York’s Carnegie Hall. In July 2007, UAB Choirs will travel to Germany, Austria and Italy and compete in the 46th International Competition of Choral Music in Gorizia, Italy.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Monday, November 06, 2006
A busy few days, eh?
Hello again, choir.
It's been busy here since last week:
On Monday, the group was in Atlanta performing with another recent visitor to our blogsite, Pebblebrook High School. So, don't be surprised when we have guests tomorrow.
See you then!
It's been busy here since last week:
- I was gone to the NCCO convention Thurs - Saturday
- Opera performed Friday and Sunday (I loved what I saw on Sunday)
- I was at Montgomery Academy all day to day helping them
On Monday, the group was in Atlanta performing with another recent visitor to our blogsite, Pebblebrook High School. So, don't be surprised when we have guests tomorrow.
See you then!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
"Sing that again . . . "
Frostiana
In 1958, Randall Thompson was commissioned to write Frostiana for the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Amherst, Massachusetts. The town asked for a setting of some of Robert Frost's poetry as Frost had lived and worked there. Through family connections, Thompson and Frost had known each other for years and Frost admired Thompson's music. Thus, it was natural for the two of them to collaborate in selecting the poems to be set to music.
Frostiana was composed June 15-July 7, 1959, in Gstaad, Switzerland. Thompson knew that the choir that was to perform the work was going to be comprised of a women's and men's choruses (in those days the norm in American communities) "merged" for the event. Knowing that the choirs would have minimal rehearsal time together, Thompson composed most of the work for either men's or women's choir individually, with only the first and last poems to be sung SATB.
Both Thompson and Frost were present for the premiere performance on October 18, 1959. Thompson conducted and the choir was accompanied by piano, as it is tonight. At the conclusion of "Choose Something Like A Star," Frost rose spontaneously from his seat and bellowed, "Sing that again!"
In 1958, Randall Thompson was commissioned to write Frostiana for the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Amherst, Massachusetts. The town asked for a setting of some of Robert Frost's poetry as Frost had lived and worked there. Through family connections, Thompson and Frost had known each other for years and Frost admired Thompson's music. Thus, it was natural for the two of them to collaborate in selecting the poems to be set to music.
Frostiana was composed June 15-July 7, 1959, in Gstaad, Switzerland. Thompson knew that the choir that was to perform the work was going to be comprised of a women's and men's choruses (in those days the norm in American communities) "merged" for the event. Knowing that the choirs would have minimal rehearsal time together, Thompson composed most of the work for either men's or women's choir individually, with only the first and last poems to be sung SATB.
Both Thompson and Frost were present for the premiere performance on October 18, 1959. Thompson conducted and the choir was accompanied by piano, as it is tonight. At the conclusion of "Choose Something Like A Star," Frost rose spontaneously from his seat and bellowed, "Sing that again!"
Choose Something Like a Star
How one person felt . . . . . from the Accidental Christian (a blog).
. . . . And inside the music folder I was holding was Frostiana - Randall Thompson's choral song-cycle of Frost poems. I love each of the pieces, and sang them when I was in high school. But of all them, I have a special fondness for Choose Something Like a Star.
The choral director played a recording of Choose Something Like a Star so that the (philistine) parents could get a taste of this beautiful work of art. Being the weepy-gal that I've been lo these many weeks/months, I teared up as I listened. The poem itself is true dignity; married to Thompson's music, it is dignity incarnate . . . .
I see how I have taken blame too far. Now is the time to stand apart from the mob; to be centered and confident; to be content with who I am, even as I strive to be a more excellent and more authentic "me" each day; now is the time for a certain height.
Yes, we may choose something like a star to stay our minds on and be staid.
O Star (the fairest one in sight),
We grant your loftiness the right
To some obscurity of cloud-
It will not do to say of night,
Since dark is what brings out your light.
Some mystery becomes the proud.
But to the wholly taciturn
In your reserve is not allowed.
Say something to us we can learn
By heart and when alone repeat.
Say something! And it says, 'I burn.'
But say with what degree of heat.
Talk Fahrenheit, talk Centigrade.
Use Language we can comprehend.
Tell us what elements you blend.
It gives us strangely little aid,
But does tell something in the end
And steadfast as Keats' Eremite,
Not even stooping from its sphere,
It asks a little of us here.
It asks of us a certain height,
So when at times the mob is swayed
To carry praise or blame too far,
We may choose something like a star
To stay our minds on and be staid.
. . . . And inside the music folder I was holding was Frostiana - Randall Thompson's choral song-cycle of Frost poems. I love each of the pieces, and sang them when I was in high school. But of all them, I have a special fondness for Choose Something Like a Star.
The choral director played a recording of Choose Something Like a Star so that the (philistine) parents could get a taste of this beautiful work of art. Being the weepy-gal that I've been lo these many weeks/months, I teared up as I listened. The poem itself is true dignity; married to Thompson's music, it is dignity incarnate . . . .
I see how I have taken blame too far. Now is the time to stand apart from the mob; to be centered and confident; to be content with who I am, even as I strive to be a more excellent and more authentic "me" each day; now is the time for a certain height.
Yes, we may choose something like a star to stay our minds on and be staid.
~
O Star (the fairest one in sight),
We grant your loftiness the right
To some obscurity of cloud-
It will not do to say of night,
Since dark is what brings out your light.
Some mystery becomes the proud.
But to the wholly taciturn
In your reserve is not allowed.
Say something to us we can learn
By heart and when alone repeat.
Say something! And it says, 'I burn.'
But say with what degree of heat.
Talk Fahrenheit, talk Centigrade.
Use Language we can comprehend.
Tell us what elements you blend.
It gives us strangely little aid,
But does tell something in the end
And steadfast as Keats' Eremite,
Not even stooping from its sphere,
It asks a little of us here.
It asks of us a certain height,
So when at times the mob is swayed
To carry praise or blame too far,
We may choose something like a star
To stay our minds on and be staid.
Ouch.
Professor of Faith writes to Student of Faith:
Dear Christian Student,
As one person of faith to another, might I make suggestion? If you go to a Christian concert and write about how much your faith matters (not that this was part of the assignment, mind you), could you also remember the Eighth Command? Because, you see, plagiarism is a form of theft.
more here.
Professor of Faith writes to Student of Faith:
Dear Christian Student,
As one person of faith to another, might I make suggestion? If you go to a Christian concert and write about how much your faith matters (not that this was part of the assignment, mind you), could you also remember the Eighth Command? Because, you see, plagiarism is a form of theft.
more here.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Halloween 2006
Show and Tell:
Caroline and Uncle Russell:
Claire and Friend:
Catherine Enthralled with Halloween:
Neighborhood Ghost:
Caroline and Uncle Russell:
Claire and Friend:
Catherine Enthralled with Halloween:
Neighborhood Ghost:
Friday, October 27, 2006
Company Choirs in Other Nations
Read about it here.
An excerpt:
“It’s well known that Estonians love to sing. Quite a big percentage of Estonians sing in choirs. We have one million people here, and 33,000 are in choirs. Every four years at the song festival, we have 150,000 people there for the celebration.” The Baltic nations are marked by song. They demonstrated their desire for independence by gathering to sing the prohibited national songs, their own special form of non-violent resistance.
An excerpt:
“It’s well known that Estonians love to sing. Quite a big percentage of Estonians sing in choirs. We have one million people here, and 33,000 are in choirs. Every four years at the song festival, we have 150,000 people there for the celebration.” The Baltic nations are marked by song. They demonstrated their desire for independence by gathering to sing the prohibited national songs, their own special form of non-violent resistance.
In the decades prior to the Singing Revolution, Estonians undertook similar protests each week in the offices and factories in which they worked. By coming together as a choir, they circumvented the laws which banned public demonstrations and political gatherings, and hid their message of discontent within the songsheets they passed around. “The company choir is something from the Soviet times, because in those days almost all factories and offices had a choir or at least an ensemble,” explains Tanner, “It was almost compulsory to join. But it was also popular. After work, people had nothing to do. There was no shopping, you couldn’t go abroad, but after work you had to do something. So it became very popular to gather in choirs.
“It was one of the few possibilities for people to meet each other, because other organized meetings were suspicious. But the choir was a legal form of gathering, and it was also a kind of protest. After the required communist songs, we could sing our own songs.Thursday, October 26, 2006
Today
The sustained applause felt good, didn't it?
Seeing the choir in the balcony rooting for us was wonderful, wasn't it?
I was very pleased with today. It wasn't a perfect performance, but it had heart . . . it had spirit . . . it had passion. We were not, in the words of John Dickson, just another boring choir. We sang with soul. It seemed to me that you felt the way that one should feel when they sing great music and the audience responded the way they are supposed to respond when they see a group of people aggressively pursue their art. Congratulations.
Some random positive notes:
I'm a lucky man, I get to keep directing you. I'm a lucky man, we'll continue to get better. I'm a lucky man, we can take a day off tomorrow. Enjoy.
Seeing the choir in the balcony rooting for us was wonderful, wasn't it?
I was very pleased with today. It wasn't a perfect performance, but it had heart . . . it had spirit . . . it had passion. We were not, in the words of John Dickson, just another boring choir. We sang with soul. It seemed to me that you felt the way that one should feel when they sing great music and the audience responded the way they are supposed to respond when they see a group of people aggressively pursue their art. Congratulations.
Some random positive notes:
- I'll have to watch it when I get inspired before an already inspired choir--the result can trend towards overwhelming!
- I would swear that some of you mirrored my stance on the women's "Sicut erat" music in the Nunc Dimmittis. I gave you powerful looks and you responded with your own powerful looks! Congratulations, I thought you really stepped up in passionate singing.
- Joshua was fabulous. Soloists did a great job and I think Tyler sings a great tenor solo.
- Nunc had some great moments. Opening page had some exquisite sounds and beautifully pure singing. At times, I wanted to just stop and say "wow, it really sounds great in here."
- I agreed with some of what Dr. Baird said; we oversang in places. I also disagreed with her about some things, especially in regards to Nunc being an introspective work. It is in places, but quite extroverted and dynamic in sections.
- Opening chord of Kyrie didn't settle. We must listen to pitch, think our note, sing with presence. That hadn't happened before--I think it was because we were having trouble containing our excitement after Nunc.
- I heard some women singing occasional notes sharp, especially when switching to higher sounds (head voice). We must be able to control every note
I'm a lucky man, I get to keep directing you. I'm a lucky man, we'll continue to get better. I'm a lucky man, we can take a day off tomorrow. Enjoy.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Randomness
Random thoughts on a Wednesday latenite:
1. I fear for my Table PC. Something loud happens from time to time underneath the keyboard of the notebook computer. That can't be good, can it?
2. A vacationing family makes for a quiet house. I'd rather it be full of my wife and kids.
3. I have "Jauchzet dem Herrn" ready for tomorrow--that's the mass choir piece. If you've sung it with me before, I'm going to designate you the small ensemble from our choir. That means you'll sing the 8-part divided section on p. 3. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry about it.
4. No choir on Friday.
5. More later.
1. I fear for my Table PC. Something loud happens from time to time underneath the keyboard of the notebook computer. That can't be good, can it?
2. A vacationing family makes for a quiet house. I'd rather it be full of my wife and kids.
3. I have "Jauchzet dem Herrn" ready for tomorrow--that's the mass choir piece. If you've sung it with me before, I'm going to designate you the small ensemble from our choir. That means you'll sing the 8-part divided section on p. 3. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry about it.
4. No choir on Friday.
5. More later.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Collegiate Choral Festival 2006
I've made a change in our programming, believing that this repertoire will be our best foot forward:Nunc dimittis No. 2
Vytautas Miškinis
b. 1954
Kyrie, from Mass in Eb Major
Josef Rheinberger
1839-1901
Joshua
arr. Norman Luboff
(1917-1987)
REMINDERS: The festival is at Canterbury Methodist this year. Directions are here in this previous post.
Here's the schedule. All are required to be there for the first choir.
| | Warm-Up (In Chapel) | Performance (In Sanctuary) |
| 9:35 – 10:00 | | |
| 10:00 – 10:25 | Samford | |
| 10:25 – 10:50 | | Samford |
| 10:50 – 11:15 | Montevallo | |
| 11:15 – 11:40 | | Montevallo |
| LUNCH/REHEARSAL 11:40 – 1:10 | | |
| 12:50 – 1:15 | | |
| 1:15 – 1:40 | UAB | |
| 1:40 – 2:05 | | UAB |
| 2:05 – 2:30 | | |
| 2:30 – 2:55 | | |
| 2:55 – 3:20 | | |
| COMBINED CHOIRS 3:20 – 4:00 | | |
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Spread the word . . .
No choir rehearsal tomorrow. Nothing. Nada.
To be specific:
No Concert Choir.
No Women's Chorale.
No Chamber Choir.
You've earned a day off; enjoy it!
To be specific:
No Concert Choir.
No Women's Chorale.
No Chamber Choir.
You've earned a day off; enjoy it!
Reverberations
Dr. Reynolds left this word to us on my cell phone:
It was a gutsy program for October that you pulled off with great finesse.
What a nice thing to say! Thanks, Dr. Reynolds for your kind words and great support.
It was a gutsy program for October that you pulled off with great finesse.
What a nice thing to say! Thanks, Dr. Reynolds for your kind words and great support.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
We did it. Congratulations, everyone!
I was extremely pleased with tonight. As a whole, I think that it was one of the most impressive concerts we've given in my time at UAB. My early thoughts:
1. Men's Choir: Fantastic. Charles Henry did a tremendous job working with the men on Brother's Sing On. I heard the piece for the first time tonight, actually, but I never was worried because I have that kind of trust in Charles and saw the confidence the men had in him. "God Be In My Head" was terrific and I was the weakest link. Congratulations, men, for an outstanding performance.
2. Women's Choir: all three pieces went extremely well. Processional worked very well, way to go on the solos, girls. On Examine Me, The B-choir (formerly the "ah" choir) did their best job yet with the sustained notes. The women on the words held pitch extremely well; it was our best performance of that piece that we've done. Way to go. The last work was very different from the previous two--a great contrasting piece. You sounded like WOMEN and Sarah did a terrific job.
3. Concert Choir: Way to go. Nunc, except for the solid "K" on the very first sound, was outstanding. ('fess up--who thought we were starting with Kyrie?) I heard sustained applause for the first piece--it is a superb opener. Kyrie went well. The Bach piece had two issues and TEMPO was one. I was afraid that piece was going to run away but we held it together. Second sopranos gave me a scare near the beginning but recovered nicely.
4. Chamber Choir: very good singing. I didn't get to prepare you well prior to the concert; I'll try to do a better job of that next time. Great job to Jackie on "David" and hat's off to Maggie for "There Will Never." That piece was really kicking at the end.
5. Deep River--very fine but we can do that piece better. Lauren was wonderful. Once again, I didn't go over Joshua and I don't deserve for that piece to go as well as it goes without any rehearsal. That says alot for our quality work on it back in August, eh?
Overall thought: Great Success. Dividing the concert choir into different choirs had some bumps along the way, but we pulled it off. We'll do things a little differently next time and do even better. Way to go singers. Thank you to the seniors and other leaders. A special thanks to Charles and Ms. Dale Reynolds and my great friend Dr. Denise Gainey.
I'm a lucky man.
1. Men's Choir: Fantastic. Charles Henry did a tremendous job working with the men on Brother's Sing On. I heard the piece for the first time tonight, actually, but I never was worried because I have that kind of trust in Charles and saw the confidence the men had in him. "God Be In My Head" was terrific and I was the weakest link. Congratulations, men, for an outstanding performance.
2. Women's Choir: all three pieces went extremely well. Processional worked very well, way to go on the solos, girls. On Examine Me, The B-choir (formerly the "ah" choir) did their best job yet with the sustained notes. The women on the words held pitch extremely well; it was our best performance of that piece that we've done. Way to go. The last work was very different from the previous two--a great contrasting piece. You sounded like WOMEN and Sarah did a terrific job.
3. Concert Choir: Way to go. Nunc, except for the solid "K" on the very first sound, was outstanding. ('fess up--who thought we were starting with Kyrie?) I heard sustained applause for the first piece--it is a superb opener. Kyrie went well. The Bach piece had two issues and TEMPO was one. I was afraid that piece was going to run away but we held it together. Second sopranos gave me a scare near the beginning but recovered nicely.
4. Chamber Choir: very good singing. I didn't get to prepare you well prior to the concert; I'll try to do a better job of that next time. Great job to Jackie on "David" and hat's off to Maggie for "There Will Never." That piece was really kicking at the end.
5. Deep River--very fine but we can do that piece better. Lauren was wonderful. Once again, I didn't go over Joshua and I don't deserve for that piece to go as well as it goes without any rehearsal. That says alot for our quality work on it back in August, eh?
Overall thought: Great Success. Dividing the concert choir into different choirs had some bumps along the way, but we pulled it off. We'll do things a little differently next time and do even better. Way to go singers. Thank you to the seniors and other leaders. A special thanks to Charles and Ms. Dale Reynolds and my great friend Dr. Denise Gainey.
I'm a lucky man.
Cajun food in Birmingham
I grew up in Natchez, MS . . . right across the river from Louisiana, where the world is different. At the time, I didn't realize how influenced I was by the Cajun flavors in food. There aren't many places to find Cajun food in Birmingham, I've discovered.We found some fantastic Red Beans & Rice last night at Jubilee Joe's, right off I459 at the Hwy 150 exit. There's a review here. We got gumbo and the redbeans, and we both thought that the bean dish was one of the best we'd ever had. Highly recommended.
Why is this appearing on my choir blog? I don't know. Maybe it's the need to tell my students about something I like or a place in Birmingham that they may not know about. I'm resisting the urge to make a joke about another possible relation between singing and beans.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
New Church Position Opening, Highlands Methodist
From Rick Philips, Highlands MethodistDear Friends:
I have several choir openings in my church choir at Highlands United Methodist Church. The responsibilities are Wednesday night rehearsals from 6:30 -8:30 p.m. and one service on Sunday morning at 10:45 a.m. The pay scale is $30.00 a rehearsal and $30.00 a service. If you have anyone you could recommend, please send me their name and phone number and I will be happy to contact them. Or if you wish, give them my name and phone number. My cell number is 910-3540 and the church number is 933-8751. Hope all of you are doing well. Thank you for your help.
Blessings,
Rick Phillips
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Sickness attacks next Copeland
Well, the second child and third member of the Copeland household just came down with the latest bug circling Birmingham. It started with Catherine, moved to wife Leigh, and now lies with Claire.Caroline and I, with the superior O negative blood, have resisted the latest plague.
Or does our fate lie waiting, about 2:30 into our incredible performance of Bach's first motet?
Monday, October 16, 2006
Movement notes, upcoming concert
Movement notes for upcoming choir concert:
1. Men will gather in the Hulsey and enter stage from Stage Right.
2. Women will line up in the back of the ASC, taking care to leave enough room for . They will come down both aisles of the lower level to take the stage, coming down two-by two in both aisles singing “Cantate Alleluia.”
3. In the middle of the women’s set, Charles and Andrew will be in charge of moving the piano on to the stage for the women's 3rd piece with open lid facing women and Dr. Gainey's stand behind keyboard.
4. After last song, Women's Choir will exit the stage STAGE RIGHT and sit in that dress circle.
5. Charles/Andrew will flip piano (reverse it) for Dr. Pomfret's set.
6. After Dr. Pomfret’s set, Concert Choir will gather and line up in the lower lobby. Women will go to lower lobby via backstage, not crossing in front.
7. Concert Choir will enter from STAGE LEFT and sing their first set.
8. Chamber Choir will peel down after Concert Choir set; Concert Choir will exit to Dress Circle STAGE LEFT.
9. After Chamber set, Concert Choir will join Chamber Choir on stage by getting on risers first, chamber will get in places once choir is set on risers.
1. Men will gather in the Hulsey and enter stage from Stage Right.
2. Women will line up in the back of the ASC, taking care to leave enough room for . They will come down both aisles of the lower level to take the stage, coming down two-by two in both aisles singing “Cantate Alleluia.”
3. In the middle of the women’s set, Charles and Andrew will be in charge of moving the piano on to the stage for the women's 3rd piece with open lid facing women and Dr. Gainey's stand behind keyboard.
4. After last song, Women's Choir will exit the stage STAGE RIGHT and sit in that dress circle.
5. Charles/Andrew will flip piano (reverse it) for Dr. Pomfret's set.
6. After Dr. Pomfret’s set, Concert Choir will gather and line up in the lower lobby. Women will go to lower lobby via backstage, not crossing in front.
7. Concert Choir will enter from STAGE LEFT and sing their first set.
8. Chamber Choir will peel down after Concert Choir set; Concert Choir will exit to Dress Circle STAGE LEFT.
9. After Chamber set, Concert Choir will join Chamber Choir on stage by getting on risers first, chamber will get in places once choir is set on risers.
College of Charleston singing here Nov. 7
On Tuesday, November 7th the College of Charleston will be presenting a concert at South Highland Presbyterian Church at 7:30 p.m.
If possible, I'd like you to attend and it's likely that I'll give you a forgiveness or two on tardies if you show up.
Please, do your best at promoting their concert as well as ours on Saturday!
Their program:
I.
Praise to the Father in Heaven
Chesnokov
Prayer to the Father of Heaven
Ralph Vaughan Williams
II.
Jubilate
David Maves
III.
The Gentlest Thing
Trevor Weston
Two Sayings form the Tao in the Form of a Scherzo
David Maves
IV.
English secular selections -
C of C Madrigal Singers
V.
Three songs from Chanson Francaise
Francis Poulenc
1. Margoton va t'a l'iau
2. La Belle se sied au pied de la tour
3. Pilons l'orge
VI.
I'm gonna move when the spirit moves in my heart
Moses Hogan
What Wondrous Love is This?
Parker/Shaw
Steal Away
Hogan
Hark! I Hear the Voice Eternal
Parker Shaw
If possible, I'd like you to attend and it's likely that I'll give you a forgiveness or two on tardies if you show up.
Please, do your best at promoting their concert as well as ours on Saturday!
Their program:
C of C Concert Choir Repertoire
Fall 2006
Fall 2006
I.
Praise to the Father in Heaven
Chesnokov
Prayer to the Father of Heaven
Ralph Vaughan Williams
II.
Jubilate
David Maves
III.
The Gentlest Thing
Trevor Weston
Two Sayings form the Tao in the Form of a Scherzo
David Maves
IV.
English secular selections -
C of C Madrigal Singers
V.
Three songs from Chanson Francaise
Francis Poulenc
1. Margoton va t'a l'iau
2. La Belle se sied au pied de la tour
3. Pilons l'orge
VI.
I'm gonna move when the spirit moves in my heart
Moses Hogan
What Wondrous Love is This?
Parker/Shaw
Steal Away
Hogan
Hark! I Hear the Voice Eternal
Parker Shaw
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