Monday, July 9, 2018 by Brian Glosh | Uncategorized

Good afternoon Choristers and Parents,

The 2018 – 2019 Chorister Calendar has been placed on MyMusicStaff!You can now sync this calendar with your mobile devices and receive automatic updates to any changes to the calendar by clicking on Setup Sync in the upper right corner of the calendar.All Sunday and weekday evensongs are confirmed for the upcoming year for each specific ensemble.If there are any additional performances and events, we will do our best to inform you at least 2 weeks prior to the event.

Please give attention to Choir Camp August 23-29 ^th , Messiah and Christmas Season in December, Easter Season in April, and the end of the school year with Graduation performances and the two weeks of hold for any travel or recordings.

Post-Graduation Period

Certain activities (tours, recordings, etc.) cannot easily be scheduled during the school year. Thus choristers are required to be available for such projects for two weeks following NCS/STA graduations. The Music Office will inform parents of activities, if any, by the end of the first semester of that academic year.

GRACE DAYS – REQUESTS ACCEPTED AUGUST 1 ^ST !

Families shall be granted one grace day per year, to be taken at their discretion.A grace day may be taken on a weekday or a Sunday and will apply to the whole day.No grace day may be taken for a REQUIRED call, and no more than two girl choristers or one boy chorister may have a grace day on the same date.Grace days will be reserved on a first-come-first-served basis.Request for a grace day should be made by email to the Chorister Program Manager, or requested through MyMusicStaff at https://wncmusic.mymusicstaff.com/Grace-Day-RequestAn unexpected special service will void any requests for a grace day on that date.

I have also attached a list of Important Dates through the 2018-2019 school year.Most of these are special events that fall outside of the normal Sunday and weekday rotation.Events that are Bolded are considered required and Grace Days will not be accepted.To review specific ensembles:

Ensembles:

(SR) Senior Choristers are 9-12 ^th grade girl and A-Form II Boy

(JR) Junior Choristers are 7-8 ^th grade girl and C-B Form Boy

(GIRLS) Entire Girls’ Choir

(BOYS) Entire Boys’ Choir

Also, as a reminder from the Handbook:

Attendance Expectation:

Because the chorister program is part of each child’s academic curriculum, therefore, full participation in the program is a requirement. Choristers are required to attend all calls listed on My Music Staff including private lessons. Exceptions must be approved by the Music Office in advance using the My Music Staff ‘Grace Day Request’ procedure.Students should arrive to the given call 10-15 minutes early to prepare music, uniforms, and supplies needed before rehearsal or service.

If you have any questions, please let me know.Hope you’re having a great summer!

Friday, May 18, 2018 by Brian Glosh | Uncategorized

Schedule

May 20thGirls Sunday Eucharist (NO EVENSONG)

May 20thCCS Concert: Bernstein: Ode to Freedom

May 21stHomiletics Conference Evensong (See Below)

         Last Girls Only Evensong

 May 22nd   Last Boys Only Evensong (Bethlehem Chapel)

         ICI Dinner performance at 7:30 PM

 May 23rd   Last Girls and Men Evensong

 May 23rd    PCE: Music and the Cold War Concert

 May 24th   Valediction/Installation Evensong (Full Choir)

         Last Weekday Evensong

         Chorister Family BBQ (Hearst Hall)

 May 25th   Girls Texas Rehearsal 3:30—6:30 PM with adults

  Announcements

·Thank you to all the parents and volunteers who helped to create, produce, and sell cookbooks, cds, sachet’s.The Cathedral congregation was again so appreciative and supportive of this program and loves to see the choristers.THANK YOU! 

·Happy Birthday to Molly D and Kareen!!!

·As a reminder: Voice and Piano Juries on June 1st and 2nd.Piano aural and theory testing will occur during normal rehearsal hours the week of May 21st.

·Additional Texas Rehearsals have been added to your MyMusicStaff Calendar.These rehearsals are in preparation for the concerts and services that we will be performing in Texas.While we will begin to cover as much music as we can during normal rehearsal hours, it is essential that we have this extra time as we are also preparing for the many performances at the end of the year! Boys - May 11th, Girls—May 25th and June 1st.

·Monday, May 21st there will is a Homiletics Preaching Conference who has decided to attend the Last Girls only evensong.Because of the number of visitors we have moved this service to the Nave.If you plan on attending, please expect large crowds.We are currently expecting a slightly longer service due to more announcements.Release time is estimated to be at 6:30 PM.

·Tuesday, May 22nd the boys will be performing for a private event after evensong.There performance is schedule to begin at 7:24 PM.STA faculty have been informed of this performance and the later than normal release time.Boys will be provided dinner.Boys will need to have their Formal Blazer Attire for the performance.Release time around 7:40 PM.

·Thursday, May 24th is our Annual Valediction and Installation service.This is a full choir event and one the most important times of the year for the program.You should have received an invitation and Signup Genius about our potluck BBQ following evensong in Hearst Hall.BBQ will be provided by our very own Karl Hempel, who is a regular bass in the choir!

·Did you know: St. George’s Chapel choir, who will be singing at the upcoming royal wedding, is comprised of 23 boys choristers and 12 Lay clerks and founded in 1348!They will also be joined bySheku Kanneh—Mason, a 19 year old cellist, Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir, members of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Elin Manahan Thomas, and David Blackadder.Don’t forget the organists either, who will be Luke Bond, Assistant Director of Music at St. George’s Chapel.(Information found at https://www.royal.uk/music-st-georges-chapel-wedding-service)

Friday, May 4, 2018 by Brian Glosh | Uncategorized

Please let us know ASAP if you will be traveling or otherwise unavailable on June 1 or 2. Also, senior girls, please let Mr. Glosh know if you will be taking a makeup exam on Friday afternoon, so we can include you on Saturday’s schedule.

Juries are open to parents and other singers – please plan to support your children and colleagues! Instead of an outside adjudicator, Mr. McCarthy, Ms. Mondel and Ms. Stuart will provide written remarks for voice juries, and Ms. Suter and Mr. Straley will provide comments for piano juries. We may also give suggestions and offer technical or musical ideas in person. Repertoire requirements for all choristers are: 

VOICE

-Unaccompanied folksong, from memory 

-3 Repertoire selections as assigned by voice teacher, from memory 

PIANO

-3 pieces as assigned by piano instructor (not memorized)

For both juries, choristers will choose their first selections, and the panel will then request parts or all of the additional selections. It is quite possible that you will not perform each of your three pieces in its entirety. For voice juries, please be prepared to explain the meaning of each of your pieces in a sentence or two, and know the title and composer of each piece.

We are very pleased to have Andrew Jonathan Welch accompanying the voice juries. Although there will not be a rehearsal opportunity with Dr. Welch prior to juries, singers will be given a chance to set tempi before singing.

Aural skills testing, which includes sight-singing, as well as piano scales and arpeggios will be tested by piano instructors during regular choir rehearsals the previous week (May 21-25) and will not be part of the public presentations. 

Thank you for your preparation! We look forward to hearing you. 

Monday, April 9, 2018 by Brian Glosh | Uncategorized

Dear Parents and Singers,

Welcome back from Spring Break! We are now in preparation for year-end juries in both piano and voice, and we would like to get the date for these juries on your calendars. With the agreement of the schools, our policy beginning this spring and going forward will be to schedule voice and piano juries for all choristers at the end of Upper School Exam week.  It is essential that each chorister make a presentation of the skills he or she has learned so that we may direct his or her progress in the program, and exam week is the dedicated time in the academic year when such assessments are made. 

In accordance with this policy, voice and piano juries for all choristers will take place on Friday afternoon, June 1 and Saturday morning, June 2. Please keep both dates open. NCS has assigned us an afternoon exam block on that Friday, and it is our hope to schedule Upper School girls during that time. We are grateful for the school’s support in this matter. If a singer’s make-up exam for another subject moves to that Friday block, we will reschedule that student’s jury to Saturday.

There will not be an outside adjudicator this year, and juries will be open to parents. The juries will be conducted by the Cathedral’s individual instructors in piano and voice, and by Mr. McCarthy, with accompaniment provided by a professional pianist. Although we have very much enjoyed the perspectives of our excellent outside adjudicators in past years, the jury represents one of very few opportunities for individual evaluation of our choristers, and it is important that representatives of the Music Faculty hear them and offer constructive feedback.

The faculty will meet this month to draw up a schedule and to sort out details of grading, location, and logistics of voice, piano, and aural skills components. Please look for another email the week of April 23. In the meanwhile, please put a hold on your calendars for June 1 and 2.

Friday, March 16, 2018 by Brian Glosh | Uncategorized

Easter and Holy Week Schedule

Easter Rehearsal Wednesday, March 28 ^th 2018

• REQUIRED Boys Rehearsal from 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
• REQUIRED Girls Rehearsal from 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM

Maundy Thursday March 29 ^th , 2018

• REQUIRED Full Boys Rehearsal from 4:30 pm – 6:30 PM 
  • Dinner will be served before rehearsal by reservation only starting at 5:00 PM
  • Please respond if you would like dinner for your son!

• REQUIRED Full Boys Maundy Thursday Service 7:00 – 8:30/8:45 pm

Good Friday March 30 ^th , 2018

• REQUIRED Full Girls rehearsal from 9:30 – 11:30 am
  • Lunch is provided between rehearsal and the service

• REQUIRED Good Friday Service 12:00 – 3:00 pm

Easter Sunday April 1 ^st , 2018

• REQUIRED Girls call at 7:00 am
  • Services at 8:00 and 11:00 am
  • Breakfast will be provided between services

• REQUIRED Boys call at 2:45 pm
  • Evensong begins at 4:00 pm