A New Season, A New Theme, and New Friends...

I am so fired up for the new Lincoln Choral Artists' 2016-17 Season. We start rehearsals tonight!
Our Season theme is "Sowing the Seeds of Music in Nebraska." We celebrate the state of Nebraska's Sesquicentennial, 150 years!

Our first concert, "A Capitol City Choirs Concert," will feature the unique "voices" of three Lincoln Choirs; the Lincoln Choral Artists, the Lincoln Lutheran Choir, and the Sacred Arts Home School Choir. The concert is Nov. 6, 3pm, at College View Church in Lincoln!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1072096339493762/

Our Gala event "Crooners Over Lincoln" will feature music from the 1940s and 50s. We will soar in the sky above Downtown Lincoln at the Nebraska Club. This concert and fundraiser will be on March 3rd, 2017!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1732809080318112/

Our final concert shares the theme of our Season "Sowing the Seeds of Music in Nebraska" and will feature guest community choirs from around the region!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1643500542644843/

Audition fun!

Well I had a very fun and successful night of Auditions on Thursday of last week. Hearing singers from all different backgrounds, of all different ages, and differing singing experiences make the process so enjoyable. I get to have conversation with people who are excited about singing in a choir. 

Some of them don't know what to expect and haven't had a lot of group singing experience. Some have been singing in choirs for their entire lives, or nearly. But the great thing is the spirit of joy in their voices and on their faces, even has they may struggle with sight singing or making it through a phrase. I am so excited to hear all our new singers and all our returning singers as we begin the 2016-17 Season this week! 

Come Join our Friends from Abendmusik in a two night community sing event! Elijah!

This is going to be fabulous!

Lincoln Choral Artists singers will be joining in the fun! Jason Horner, LCA Artistic Director, will be sitting in and singing with the Tenors at both performances!
Come and Sing Elijah!

First Plymouth, Lincoln, Wednesday

https://www.facebook.com/events/1730224957267084/

To the noble artist who, when surrounded by the Baal-worship of the false, has, like a second Elijah, employed his genius and his skill in the service of the true; who has . . . won [our ears with all] that is harmonious and pure — to the great master who has held in his firm control and revealed to us not only the gentle whisperings of the breeze, but also the majestic thundering of the tempest. — England’s Prince Consort Albert, in a note to Mendelssohn

Trinity Episcopal, Omaha, Thursday

https://www.facebook.com/events/591240087707113/

Great Performances! Check out the videos.

Friday night was a great success! The choir sang incredibly well with artistry and power. Denis Plutalov gave a stellar performance of the Beethoven. Our guests, Becky Shane and Kurt Knecht, added so much to the event.

Here are a few clips from the night!

Beethoven Choral Fantasy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhCc0xTD4X0&feature=youtu.be

Music begins at 2:17



Brahms Requiem Mvmnts. I, II, IV, VII

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DavPItMsE0&feature=share








Keep You Hand on the Plow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWL9XvTvm5M&feature=share 

Songs My Mother Taught Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GJoGlTG9Ug&list=PLdc9tll7N4o4NOv9yC3yleuRr_CIZU5jJ&index=15

Friday Live at the Mill Interview, May 6

Friday Live at the Mill 
Interview at 14:56
Enjoy!

Friday Live at the Mill, May 6, 2016

Art-Link Interview, Friday Live at the Mill performance, and 10/11 First at 4

We are advertising like gangbusters for our final concert. 

Today, Charlie Brogan interviewed me for the Art-Link update on KFOR. 

https://youtu.be/8PRS3StC75o 

On Friday we will be Live at the Mill with host,

Genevieve Randall. 

This will be  special interview and live performance by Rebecca 

Shane and Denis Plutalov, performing Antonín Dvořák's 

"Songs My Mother Taught Me."

 

Finally, Margaret Beech, Board President, and I 

will be on 10/11 News First at 4 on Monday, May 9.

Details, details, details... choir director's prep for a concert

I am such a detail person. I just wish I was as organized as I am detailed. You'd think those would be mutually exclusive. But somehow I manage to keep lots of details in my head, but don't necessarily get them all out on  paper, communicated clearly, or planned to avoid conflicts.

So I am currently finishing up my program notes for Beethoven and Brahms, communicating with our host location, St. Mark's On the Campus, emailing furiously our guests musicians, finalizing details for piano deliveries, and on and on and on....

I'm not complaining, in fact I'm reveling! The work of getting a performance up and off the ground is exciting to me. I know that I have colleagues who don't enjoy this kind of detail work and yet they pull off the most incredible performance events. We all work in different ways, but hopefully our goals are similar. We want to inspire, inform, and entertain our audiences. We want great  and memorable experiences for our singers and musicians. We want to come off the podium exhilarated and hopeful for the future!

So my personal goals are to slow down a little, keep focused on the big picture needs for our upcoming concert, communicate clearly and thankfully to everyone involved, and come away with a greats sense of joy! Now I just gotta figure out how to do all that!