"I can feel it coming in the air tonight..."

Sunday, Don't Miss Out on a cool concert event!

It's been a minute...

Yes this is the name of a popular podcast and outdated cultural phrase, but seriously it's been a minute since I wrote on this blog. So much has happened in the choir and world over these weeks. We have had some personal tragedies, we have had some excellent guest conductors, we have grown and shared as an ensemble. We have all struggled with larger events in society; shootings, politics, and trying to figure out how to care for each other. I've said before this choir is made up of individuals who come together to create something larger than themselves. Over the next week as we make final preparations for our concert, I am reminded of the journey we go on each and every concert series, season, and over the life of this ensemble.

Singing, and singing well, has been a driving motivation for the group as well as focusing on being active members of the community. I have done one interview so far for this upcoming concert. More are coming. And I keep the idea of moving from Darkness to Light at the forefront of my mind. Really, this group moves from change to change, which can feel like Darkness, but hopefully it reflects a light and joy that comes uniquely from singing together. I am excited for tonight's rehearsal. I can wait for next week's energy and joy as we make final preparations and bring this music to life for the community.

Tickets

Feb. 8 Guest Clinician Rehearsal: Amanda Stevenson

I am so excited to have Amanda Stevenson come rehearse with LCA next Thursday. Having different faces, voices, and talent in front of the choir only enhances our performance. Amanda's experience with community singing, children's voices, and community development brings a different but very relevant set of ears to our sounds.

I have been lucky enough to serve on the Nebraska Choral Director's Association Board with Amanda during the past year. And I have been closely following the development and performances of the Omaha Children's Choir. Amanda and I have had multiple opportunities to "talk shop" about singing, community organizing, and social impact of arts on society. I can't wait to have her in front of the choir next week as we prepare for the March 4 Concert Fundraiser at the Royal Grove.

Below is Amanda's Bio and videos from the Omaha Children's Choir!

Amanda Stevenson Bio

NEW POSTER and a renewed focus for our Fundraiser Concert

I am blessed to have a board and group of singers who always want the best for the organization. All groups, families, friends, coworkers, etc. can have conflicts and issues arise. As we went through a sudden venue change a thought to refocus for this year's major fundraiser (previously called Gala) concert has helped me and the whole organization understand the goal of this event! It is to celebrate! We celebrate all of our journeys as individuals. We all go through times of darkness, but hopefully we come out into the light! We also celebrate the joy of singing and art in our community! This concert is going to be NEW in so many ways!

Check out the new poster!

So what is an EDM Opera?: Doing a Virtual Choir piece from Eric Whitacre's Paradise Lost

On our upcoming Concert on March 4 (A Choral Continuum: Prospective, Bash!) we are featuring the piece "Fly to Paradise" by Eric Whitacre. Whitacre has become the Choral equivalent to a rock star. He even has the hair to prove it ;) 

Whitacre created a Musical Theatre/ Operatic style piece called "Paradise Lost" in 2007. This composition includes the use of EDM (electric dance music) in collaboration with classically trained soloists and choral singers to engage in a musical style fully staged theater production.

Since 2007 the song "Fly to Paradise" was adapted as a part of Whitacre's YouTube video collection, the Virtual Choirs. Here's a great video describing the process of creating this work.

Creativity and Connection: The Humanism of Technology - Eric Whitacre, at USI

As we move ahead and rehearse this piece, LCA will have a visual component playing during our performance of the piece. It takes imagery from "Paradise Lost" and channels the concept for

                                          Prospective:  Music that Envisions the Future

Lincoln Choral Artists presents

Into the Light BASH!

I hope you will join us in this unique concert event and bring lots of friends!

A Choral Continuum Prospective: Music that Envisions the Future Lincoln Choral Artists presents Into the Light BASH at the NEW Royal Grove

New Year Ideas and a book...

I consistently find that the week following New Year's Day I get very productive. Or at least I feel productive. Much of it is due to the fact that the concert season and music festivals are gearing up during this time of year. But some of it was having drive time during the Holidays to reflect and think ahead.

Much of my driving time is filled with podcasts. I had the joy of hearing an interview with Daniel Pink. He is the author of a new book called When: The Science of Perfect Timing.

Amazon Ordering Link

I am very excited to read this book. Not only that because brain science interests me, or because the LCA theme "A Choral Continuum" deals with time and space, but also because Pink does dedicate portions of this book to the benefits of Choral Singing. I will do a review of the book and overview of his thoughts on Choral Singing when I finish reading. But for now I am simply excited to explore something new in the new year!

Tonight begins our rehearsals at LCA for our 2018 Gala with all it's fun and challenges. And yes, as usual I need more Tenors and Basses ( #firstworldchoralconductorgripes ). But I am also excited that the new year brings new ideas and new energy to music making.

Long time listener, first time caller...

Ok, so that title was just a little bit of click bait. But in all honesty I try to be a good listener and I have been trying to be a good listener for a long time. Sometimes the hardest thing for a singer, or really just a person, to do is listen. I was reminded of this just last night as one of my choir members asked if she was the "issue" with a problem she was hearing in the section. In all honesty, I had only noticed the facial expressions on the singers and the lack of clarity in some of the music. I hadn't heard this particular concern. In the mix of the ensemble, amidst a busy rehearsal, maybe I wasn't listening. But she was. We spent a little time playing around with some ideas to resolve the concern and have an action plan to move forward, hopefully successfully.

What is it about listening that makes it so hard? I think we all want to be heard, singing, speaking, when we are happy or upset. But I also think we truly want to hear from and about others. So many things can get in our way. Some of which we can control, other things we cannot.

We have now entered that time of the year where it seems like there is no time for anything. This is when i find myself needing to listen even more closely. I need to focus on what is been said and sung. I need to stop the internal monologue and focus my energy on reaching out to others.