Jsu Choral Activities Newsletter

JSU CHORAL/VOCAL ACTIVITIES NEWSLETTER August 2014 From Dr. Patricia Corbin, Director of Choral Activities Room 205a Mason Hall (256) 782-5544 [email protected]

Hello new and returning JSU singers! This is an informal newsletter to answer any questions you may have and to let you know about upcoming events in JSU Choral/Vocal Department for the 2014-2015 academic year. (Please excuse, as always, the typos… I am in summer mode!).

Start spreading the news….we’re leaving in March… Cappella Choir members to sing at Carnegie Hall in March

In March, members of Cappella Choir will travel to New York City to join other singers to perform Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall, on Sunday, March 22nd. (See info at the end of this newsletter) This is a great opportunity for our students and we want as many to go as possible.

This trip will cost each student around $1750 and is paid in installments, which have already begun. The second installment is due Tuesday, August 19th. Any student who missed the first payment may catch up at this time. This is your last opportunity to secure your spot for this trip.

YARD SALE FUNDRAISER – Saturday, August 23, Sav- A-Lot Parking lot, Jacksonville (across from Winn Dixie), 8:00 a.m. -? Please come and support the students as they raise money to travel to NYC. Donated items will be gratefully accepted and may be dropped off at the site that morning. We will also be having a book sale during Homecoming, later in the semester. Please contact Dr. Corbin for any further information.

CHOIR INTERVIEWS It’s not too late to participate in a choral ensemble for the fall 2014semester. Interviews for Chamber Singers and A Cappella will be held Monday & Tuesday, August 18th & 19th, or by appointment. Please sign up for a choir interview time on the signup sheet located on my office door. All students will be asked to sing a few vocal exercises and to do some sight-reading. If you are interested in being in Chamber Singers, you must sing a classical solo song from memory. Please bring the sheet music along with you, recorded accompaniments are not acceptable. Community members who wish to participate in Civic Chorale may come to these interviews if it is convenient, or they may wait to sing for Dr. Corbin privately on the first night of rehearsal to be placed in the proper section (which is an option most people do.)

1 Former members of A Cappella Choir who received a B or better as a final grade need not re- interview for A Cappella Choir. All students, new or returning, who are interested in Chamber Singers, must sign up for a choir interviews. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that former members of Chamber Singers will be in it in the fall. If your scholarship indicates that you must be in two ensembles, please make certain that your schedule will allow you to be in A Cappella choir and either Chamber Singers or Civic Chorale (“Chorus”). If this presents a schedule conflict, please contact Dr. Corbin prior to choir auditions so that scholarships may be adjusted accordingly prior to the beginning of classes. If you are interested in the Gospel Choir, please contact Dr. Myrtice Collins (256) 782-5545. For information about Encore! Show Choir; please contact Dr. Renee Baptiste, (256) 782-5559.

CHORAL SCHOLARSHIP I may have a limited amount of choral scholarship money available in the fall to fill key positions in A Cappella Choir, Chamber Singers and Civic Chorale. If you are interested in being considered, please schedule an audition with me during the above times. You must sing a solo song from memory and do some sight reading.

A CAPPELLA CHOIR WINTER CONCERT WITH ALEXANDRIA HIGH SCHOOL

On Sunday, November 16, 2016 A Cappella Choir will join forces with Alexandria High School Choir, under the direction of Ms Cathy Spence to perform a Winter Concert at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels in Anniston. The mandatory dress rehearsal will be Saturday, November 15th from 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon.

All A Cappella Choir members will be loaned music for the semester. Women will be responsible for renting choir dresses ($10) and men must wear a classic tuxedo.

A Cappella Choir (MU 218/418) meets Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. in the Performance Center of Mason Hall. Rehearsals will begin rehearsals on Wednesday, August 20, 2014. , A Cappella Choir members will also participate in the Madrigal Dinner, Friday and Saturday, December 5th – 6th. (See below

CHAMBER SINGERS ANNUAL MADRIGAL DINNER WITH WHITE PLAINS HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR

On Friday and Saturday, December 5th and 6th the JSU Choral Activities area will perform its annual Madrigal dinner, featuring the Chambers Singers, assisted by A Cappella Choir, and with guest singers from the White Plains High School Choir under the direction of Ms Kelly Lenard. For those of you unfamiliar with the Madrigal Dinner, it is a dinner theater event with music and drama. All members of A Cappella Choir and Chamber Singers participate in the Madrigal Dinner and must 2 obtain the appropriate Renaissance costume at their own expense .A Cappella Choir members are dressed as Renaissance peasants and the Chamber Singers are dressed as Renaissance nobility. The Drama Department has a limited amount of costumes available for rental. It will be best to wait until the start of the semester to get your costume so that you will know your character and can dress appropriately. Tickets will be available for sale in October. Please note that the peasant costumes for A Cappella Choir can easily be made out of regular clothing, it isn’t necessary to rent a costume.

Chamber Singers (MU 162/362) meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. in the Performance Center of Mason Hall. Chambers Singers are the main performers in the Madrigal Dinner and will begin rehearsals Thursday, August 21, 12:45 p.m. in the Performance Center of Mason Hall

Important rehearsal information: We have extra rehearsals scheduled for the week of the Madrigal Dinner. All members of Chamber Singers and A Cappella Choir must attend evening rehearsals as follows – Sunday, November 30, 2014, 6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. (Chamber Singers only MANDATORY) Monday, December 1, 2014 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Leone Cole Auditorium (Chamber Singers only) Tuesday, December 2, 2014 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Leone Cole Auditorium (Chamber Singers only) Wednesday, December 3, 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. (With A Cappella Choir) Thursday, December 4, 2014, (DRESS REHEARSAL) 6:00 p.m. -10:00 p.m. (Chamber Singers & A Cappella Choir) Friday, December 5, 2014 OPENING NIGHT, 5:30 p.m. report time. Show opens 7:00 p.m. (Chamber Singers & A Cappella Choir) Saturday, December 6, 2014, 5:30 p.m. report time. Show opens 7:00 p.m. (Chamber Singers & A Cappella Choir)

MADRIGAL DINNER SCRIPTWRITERS WANTED!

It’s time to write our script for the Madrigal Dinner. If you are a veteran member Chamber Singers and wish to help write the script (usually Fridays after A Cappella Choir) please contact Dr. Corbin. WASSAIL!!

CALHOUN COUNTY CIVIC CHORALE BEGINS REHEARSALS The Calhoun County Civic Chorale will begin rehearsals on Monday, August 25, 2014. The Chorale will be performing J. S. Bach’s Cantata 140, “Sleepers Awake! (Wachet Auf!) in English and Vivaldi’s Gloria, in Latin. Rehearsals will be held in the Performance Center of Mason Hall from 7:15 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. Our concert is scheduled for Sunday, December 7th at 3:00 p.m. at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels in Anniston and the mandatory dress rehearsal will be Saturday, December 6th from 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon. We will be accompanied by a small ensemble of instrumentalists including a string quartet. This first rehearsal will be our usual “New Member Open House” where interested community members may come and participate in the rehearsal to see what it is like, without further obligation. If you

3 bring one new person who joins the Chorale, your dues will be waived! (A new member is defined as not having sung with Dr. Corbin.) For the first rehearsal we are asking all returning members to bring a dessert or appetizer to share. It would be helpful if some of you could bring pre-wrapped snacks that we can save and serve throughout the semester. The community member dues are $35 and I anticipate the cost of the music to be about $13-$18.

EDITIONS It has been a surprising challenge to decide on which editions to use for this concert, for a variety of reasons, especially pertaining to coordinating with the orchestral parts for our instrumental ensemble.

At this point we will be using the G. Schirmer edition of the Vivaldi Gloria, edited by William Hermann (see picture), which is a different edition from the one we used 10 years ago. This edition is listed at $8 currently. We hope to provide you with our own downloaded copies of Cantata 140 which will cost around $5, unless we run into problems with that and in that event, we will go with a commercial version which would cost between $7-$10 a copy.

This is all subject to change and will be finalized by our first rehearsal and copies will be available for sale then. If you plan to purchase music from your own vendor, that is fine, just please double check with me before purchasing in case anything changes. We all must sing from the same editions.

JSU students may participate in the Chorale as enrolled students or as community members. If you wish to register for this class, the number is MU 162/362. Enrolled students may only miss one Chorale rehearsal (not including the dress rehearsal or performance) without academic penalty. Music will be loaned to enrolled students.

SOLOS There are some wonderful and accessible treble solos and duets in the Vivaldi Gloria that I would like members of the Chorale to sing, so if you are interested in auditioning for one of those solos, please start working on that at your earliest convenience. Auditions will be held towards the end of September. The solos in the Bach Cantata will be sung by guest soloists, Dr. Nathan Wight and Ms Teresa Stricklin (Tenor soloist, TBA).

There are many “lurking” singers in Calhoun County who would enjoy singing with us. Please help get the word out! Talented high school singers recommended by their music teachers are also welcome. Great prospective singers should: 1. Have voices that blend well with others… 2. Be able to learn their parts from written music. 3. Enjoy singing choral masterworks.

Please note that the Chorale will not meet on Labor Day, Monday, September 1, 2014.

ALABAMA ACDA COLLEGIATE CHORAL FESTIVAL

4 A Cappella Choir will participate in the 2013ACDA Collegiate Choral Festival which will be held on Thursday, November 6, location TBA. This is an all-day event and we will leave campus quite early. More information will be forthcoming.

IMPORTANT Attention New Voice Students APPLIED VOICE HEARINGS FOR NEW STUDENTS All new music students wishing to take applied voice for the first time are required to sing for the voice faculty at the Applied Voice Hearing, Tuesday, August 19th from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

. At this hearing the voice faculty will decide whether the student is ready to start private voice lessons, or if they should begin their voice study in Class Voice. Any student who does not sing at this hearing will be placed in Class Voice until the voice faculty deems you are ready for private instruction. This hearing will also count as a choir placement hearing for A Cappella Choir, Chamber Singers and Civic Chorale. There is no need to also sign up for an additional choir interview. A paper sign up list will be posted on the bulletin board next to Dr. Wight’s studio, across from the Music Office.

You will need to sing a prepared song and this hearing can also be combined with your Chamber Singers/Choral placement audition. Please bring the sheet music with you and one of the music faculty members will play for you (recorded accompaniments are not acceptable). You may sing the same song you sang for the spring scholarship auditions, if applicable. All new music majors must also take the Theory Diagnostic Exam that will be given online. After evaluating the results of the hearing and the theory exam the voice faculty will decide your voice level placement, either primary applied, secondary applied, or class voice. Please sign up for a Voice Hearing in the Music Department Office. You may be temporarily assigned to a voice teacher during the summer to facilitate your registration, but that assignment is not final. If you have a preference for a voice teacher, please send your wishes in writing to that teacher by August 14th and we will try to honor it. (See new student registration information below).

CHOIR PERFORMANCE ATTIRE Men involved in A Cappella Choir, Civic Chorale, Chamber Singers and Encore! Show Choir need to have classic black tuxedos (with white tuxedo shirt, black bow tie, black cummerbund) for all performances, with the exception of the Madrigal Dinner (see below). It’s a good idea and more economical to purchase your own tuxedo, because renting one costs about $50 for each rental and you will need to wear one several times in each semester. Check out local thrift stores or formal wear stores to find good purchase deals on used tuxedos Women involved in A Cappella Choir and Chamber Singers must wear one of the Choir dresses that we have in the department. We will have dress fittings during the first week of classes. The cost for the dress

5 is $10 per semester. Civic Chorale women must wear dressy floor length solid black dresses or solid black tops and floor length solid black skirts. Dress pants are not encouraged but may be worn (if you insist!). Both men and women must wear black shoes and hosiery as part of the performance attire.

Voice Students need Accompanists All singers taking applied voice will need to hire an accompanist at their own expense. This can be anyone of your choosing who will be able to come to your lessons every week, rehearse with you on a regular basis, and who will be available to accompany you for studio class and/or Concerts and Recitals on Friday afternoons from 1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Your accompanist should be comfortable with reading music and playing classical literature. Getting a good accompanist is very important and is often a challenge. A good accompanist will be your best ally in your progress as a voice student. There are students who will accompany other students and even some faculty who may do some accompanying. However, you need to make your arrangements with your accompanists as soon as possible. Please understand that every singer and instrumentalist in the music department will need an accompanist and the more experienced accompanists often will have filled schedules by the first day of class. The longer you wait to hire one, the worse it will be for your voice study. Also, please understand that you will have to pay your accompanist. If you are not ready to assume that financial responsibility, then please wait to register for applied voice until you are. You will need your accompanist for the entire semester, so please plan ahead. Also keep in mind that when you hire a student accompanist, they are students just like you and are easily overloaded as the semester progresses. Make certain that you choose an accompanist who will have time to work with you during the semester.

6 If you are looking for an accompanist, please come to the Music Department as soon as you arrive on campus. Many accompanists put up signs listing their availability and the piano professors, Dr. Gail Steward and Dr. Wendy Faughn, may also have some recommendations. If you are an accompanist looking to work with singers, please post a sign regarding your availability near the voice studios.

SECTION LEADERS/STUDENT WORKERS I am happy to announce that the following students will continue to be section leaders for the Choral area next year: Debra Mantua, Soprano, Anna Stuart, Altos, Chris Serrano, Tenors, and Matt Palmer, Basses. Madison Baldwin will continue to be Choral Activities Student Worker. There will be a section leader meeting (lunch provided!!!) at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday August 19th in Dr. Corbin’s office.

ALABAMA ALL STATE CHOIR AUDITION PREP CLASS

On Saturday, October 18th, the JSU Choral area is offering an All State Choir Audition Prep Class to help assist area students as they begin preparing for the upcoming 2014 All State Choir auditions. The purpose of this is to jump start the audition preparation process and we expect to start from the very beginning and cover as much of the music as we can. The cost per student is $5 and there is no limit to the amount of students a choir director may bring. Please spread the word about this event to your high schools. All Choral/Vocal scholarship students must assist with this event. It will begin at 8:00 a.m. and will be finished by around 2:00 p.m. Please mark your calendars.

APPLIED VOICE MUSIC BOOKS All students taking applied voice will be asked to purchase several vocal repertoire books as part of their applied voice study and should plan on spending $20-$30 on voice books per semester. Purchasing repertoire books is mandatory for applied voice study. All additional books recommended by the applied teacher must be purchased by the second week of classes. The library also has many voice books available for loan. Photocopies are not acceptable for lessons. If you cannot afford to purchase these books, please wait to take applied voice until a later date.

Vocal/Choral Scholarship Recipients If you are a new student on scholarship from the Vocal/Choral Department you must register for certain classes in order for your scholarships to be loaded into your student account. I am listing some information here to help you register this summer. Please understand that assignments to voice teachers and certain choral ensembles will not be definitively decided until you arrive on campus at the end of August and sing either at the Applied Voice Hearings or the “Choral Scholarship” auditions listed earlier. If a change needs to be made, we can do that internally within the Music Department during the first week of classes. Make certain that you leave room in your schedule for courses to be added, if necessary. All new voice students must sing at the Applied Voice Hearing on Monday, August 27th in order to be placed into an appropriate applied voice studio. Any student missing this hearing will be placed into Class Voice and will have to wait until spring semester to begin applied voice lessons. Many of your scholarship contracts indicate that you need to be enrolled in A Cappella Choir and another ensembles (Chamber Singers or Civic Choral) or Choral Department service. You will be placed in 7 Chamber Singers or Civic Chorale dependent on your choir interview or applied voice hearing during the first week of classes Until the final decision is made after your audition, please register for A Cappella Choir and Civic Chorale (Chorus). Please make certain that you observe all appropriate deadlines so that the scholarship may be awarded in a timely fashion. You may lose your scholarship if you register late. After a few days into the semester, unclaimed scholarships will be reclaimed by the university and will not be returned. Please contact Mrs. Kim Cooper, Music Department secretary for further information and help with registration (256) 782-5559.

All entering music majors need to register for the following:

1. 101 Music Theory 3 credit hours.

2. 111 Aural Skills, to be taken with 101 Music Theory (p. 20), 1 credit hour. If you have been placed in MU100, (Intro to Theory) it will be best to wait to take Aural Skills until you take MU 101. Please talk to your advisor.

3. Music 134 -Primary Applied Voice (first semester, new voice students who have sang at the August 20th Applied Voice Hearing and who have been approved for applied voice study by the JSU Voice Faculty) – Please sign up for one following voice teachers. You may be switched to another teacher after your applied voice hearing on September 1st. (These course numbers are not listed in the course schedule booklet) 2 credit hours.

4. A Cappella Choir 218, call number 2136 - Freshmen and Sophomores A Cappella Choir 418, call number 2193 - Juniors and Seniors (who have participated in A Cappella Choir before)

5. If your scholarship contract specifies that you need to be in another ensemble, please sign up for “Chorus” Chorus (Civic Chorale) 196, call number 2123, or Chorus (Civic Chorale) 396, call number 2184. (It is best to sign up for this section), 1 credit hour, p. 21

If you are not music major but were awarded a scholarship to sing in A Cappella Choir, then you only need to register for A Cappella Choir.

ALL CHORAL/VOCAL SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS MUST BE REGISTERED AND MAINTAIN REGISTRATION FOR THE CLASSES SPECIFIED IN THEIR CONTRACT BY FRIDAY, AUGUST 16TH. IF YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED FOR THE CORRECT CLASSES YOUR SCHOLARSHIP WILL NOT BE APPLIED TO YOUR ACCOUNT.

Attention Fall 2014 Advanced Choral Conducting students Requirements: You must enroll in A Cappella Choir for the Fall semester You must join the American Choral Directors Association as a student member. Student membership is $35 for one year. Please go to the ACDA website (acda.org) for membership information. You must become a member by Friday, September6, 2013. No book will required

8 CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to Dr. David Dempsey, associate professor of Mathematics and Civic Chorale member, for receiving the Earlon & Betty McWhorter Outstanding Teacher Award.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE EVENTS IN THE SPRING!

Saturday, January 18, 2014 High School Voice Day

Saturday, February 1, 2014 Children’s Honor Choir Festival – “A Super Celebration of Music Education!”

Clinicians Becky Halliday, University of Montevallo Blue Choir, Grades 1-2

Jeffrey Caulk Bagley and Corner Schools AL ACDA R&S Children's &Youth Community Choirs Chair Green Choir, Grades 3-4

Vincent Oakes, Chattanooga Boys Choir Red Choir, Grades 5-6

Thursday, February 27, 2014 District 4 Solo and Ensemble held at JSU

Music Theory - From Dr. Woodward, Theory Professor

All incoming freshmen music majors must complete the JSU Online Music Theory Placement Survey. This survey provides the JSU Music Theory Faculty a better understanding of the knowledge and skills of our new students.

To complete this survey, follow these steps: 1. Go to www.ssodb.com and read the instructions. 2. Fill out the form with your information and click 'submit'.

9 3. Enter the username: Marching and the password: Southerners (case sensitive) 4. Complete the survey and then click 'submit'.

From Dr. Wendy Faughn, Piano Professor

CLASS PIANO INFORMATION

Students who have no piano experience should enroll in MU169, Basic Piano Skills.

Students who have prior piano experience may enroll in MU170, Class Piano I, and plan to take the Piano Diagnostic Exam during the first class session.

Visit www.jsu.edu/music and choose "Student Resources" and "MU169 Diagnostic Prep Guide" to determine the right class for you.

10 A Cappella Choir’s Trip to Sing Maurice Durufl é ’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall, March 19, 2015 – March 23, 2015

Members of A Cappella Choir will join singers from all over the country to perform Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem with orchestra

Agency Organizing this Trip: Mid America Productions (midamerica-music.com)

Dates of the Trip; Thursday, March 19th – Monday, March 23

Trip Itinerary: Full Concert Residency Package

Thursday, March 19 - (Depart from either Atlanta Airport or Birmingham Airport, (TBA) Arrive NYC and check-in Grand Hyatt Hotel, Manhattan or other comparable hotel (no other events are planned for that day) Sightseeing in NYC (Empire State Building, etc.) Friday, March 20 - 1/2 day rehearsal (either morning or afternoon) Saturday, March 21 - 1/2 day rehearsal (either morning or afternoon) ***one day will have a morning rehearsal and the other an afternoon rehearsal) Sunday, March 22 - Dress, Concert, after Concert Cruise (this is not a day that would allow for extra activities...unless you skipped the cruise) Monday, March 23 - depart NYC (no other events are planned for that day) Cost: $1349 per person which does not include airfare but includes:

4 nights lodging at Grand Hyatt or similar hotel, based on quadruple occupancy. Post-Concert Celebration Reception Cruise All tips, gratuities and baggage handling at the hotel (one bag per person, not including early check in). All Rehearsal and concert related bus transportation An entrance coupon ticket to the Empire State Building’s Observation Deck Non-performers who take the full Concert Residency Package will receive a complimentary ticket to the concert Each Person receive a Macy’s gift coupon Discount coupon for Bloom’s Deli and other restaurants in midtown Manhattan.

Airfare: We will be looking for the most reasonable group airfare package we can get. Mid America Productions uses Tzell travel to arrange airfare and if we use them then if something goes wrong (bad weather delays, etc.) they will be able to help us. If we use another agency, or try to do it on our own, we will be alone if there are any problems. At present, many of the discount airlines (Southwest, JetBlue, etc.) are not even booking flights that far in advance. I will keep you posted on this, but estimate $350 additional for airfare.

ATTENTION NEW ACAPPELLA CHOIR MEMBERS! If you have not been in A Cappella Choir before and wish to go on this trip, you are welcome to join us, but please make an appointment with Dr. Corbin FIRST before making any deposits. We want to make certain that A Cappella Choir is the right fit for your abilities and that this trip is the right thing for you!

11 Collection of Fees for the Full Concert Residency Package

We are already behind making deposits and we need to catch up to secure the best hotel and to have our affairs in order. Please note that airfare will be done separately. Estimate $350 for airfare.

Here is our Deposit timetable: Please note that deposits are nonrefundable! Please make checks payable to: “JSU Music Department/Choir” WE MUST RECEIVE YOUR DEPOSIT BY THE FOLLOWING DATES:

Deposits for Hotel and Performance (Airfare not included) Based on 4 people in a room Date (RECEIVED IN Minimum Special Instructions THE MUSIC Amount (you can pay DEPARTMENT more) First Deposit Tuesday, July 1, 2015 $250 Please send to: JSU Choirs/NYC, Attn: You must make this deposit Dr. Corbin in order to be eligible to Music Department, participate in our fundraising events Jacksonville State University 700 Pelham Road North, Jacksonville, AL 36265

2ND Deposit Tuesday, August 19th $250 Choir Garage Sale Fundraiser Saturday, August 23rd 3rd Deposit Wednesday, October 1st $250 4th Deposit Wednesday, October 15th $250 Homecoming Book Sale Saturday, November 1st 5th Deposit Monday, December 1st $250

Final Lodging & Airfare Payment Tuesday, January 6th $450 (This may be (approximately) broken up) Total for trip $1700 (approx.) March 19th DEPARTURE!!!!

Parents and Adult Chaperones are welcome; they need to pay the same price plus an upcharge for a private room. If your parent is willing to share the room with you, please find other friends who will be comfortable sharing the room with you.

Extra charges: Please be aware that you may have to pay a fee for checking a bag and no meals are included. You will have to pay for your own (wonderful!) meals and any sightseeing or transportation outside of our performance itinerary.

If you are interested in buying tickets in advance for a Broadway show, your schedule will be free Friday, March 20thh – Saturday, March 21st. It is also possible to purchase half price tickets for Broadway shows on the day of the show a few hours before the show.

Eligibility: To participate in this trip you need to be a registered member of A Cappella Choir in the Spring 2015th semester.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at the numbers listed above. I will be in and out the month of August I know that I have left something out of this newsletter so I may be mailing you all addendums…

. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Dr. Corbin