Singing to the Earth

WWW.CCMSINGS.ORG FALL 2010 VOL. V, NO. I ccm looks ahead… HÄNSEL AND GRETEL With the Chesapeake Chamber Opera WHO Selected CCM Students WHEN Saturday, October 30, 7:30pm Sunday, October 31, 3:00pm WHERE Memorial Episcopal Church, 1407 Bolton St., Baltimore VOICES OF LIGHT CCM’s 35th Annual Holiday Concert WHO ALL CCM STUDENTS WHEN Sunday, December 5, 3:00pm WHERE The Gordon Center for Performing ABOVE: With the real André Rieu. BELOW, RIGHT: With his doppelgänger. Arts, 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave., Owings Mills MY FAVORITE THINGS Singing to the Earth CCM’s 35th Anniversary Spring Concert WHO ALL CCM STUDENTS WHEN Sunday, May 1, 3:00pm n Sunday, June 13th, 31 CCM students sang Michael Jackson’s WHERE The Gordon Center for Performing Arts, 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave., Earth Song at the First Mariner Arena with André Rieu and Owings Mills hisO Johann Strauss Orchestra. It was an unforgettable experience! Accompanied by a full orchestra, we sang with soloist Carmen Monarcha, and (despite our original thoughts) we were at the front of the stage! Although all of us had performed in concerts prior to this event, nothing could have prepared us for the unbelievable difference we experienced. Instead of a few instruments accompanying a song, there were sixty. Instead of normal stage lights, there were brilliantly colored lights that moved and changed throughout the song. Instead of three or four hours of practice the day of the concert, there were seven hours. In addition, eight people were chosen to wear a headset that amplified their voices while they were singing, and that certainly added to the experience. So yes, it was different, but wonderfully so! We were required to be present seven hours prior to the concert. (No, it is not a typo. It actually was seven hours.) Although originally, the news of this time span was rather daunting, and many of the CCM participants expected boredom, we found ways to have fun throughout the entire afternoon. When we were not practicing, we sang songs, played cards, explored, read books, and took pictures touching the violin on the life size cardboard cutout of André Rieu. Many of us also found it amusing to walk by the German stage crew or orchestra people speaking the lyrics of “Wir Eilen Mit Schwachen” as fast as we could. (We got some interesting stares.) The seven hours passed by in a blink, and we were on stage performing “What about us, ahs, oohs” and simple choreography. The entire experience was unbelievable and as we walked off the stage, it was clear that the grins on all of our faces were 100% genuine. So thank you André Rieu for giving us this wonderful opportunity, and thank you CCM for making our days brighter song by song. —Shaelyn Rhinehart, Solfa III 2 in tune: the newsletter of the children’s chorus of maryland vol. v, no. i the birthdays october director’s note 1 Chloe Ennis 4 La’Mya Flowers 10 Phyllis Jean Lehman Thirty-five years ago… 11 Meghan Ward • The Toronto Blue Jays get their start. 16 Madison Cote • The Apple Computer Company is formed! 22 Alyssa Platt • Wide-legged, flared jeans abound. 24 Annie Fairall • The $2 bill is reintroduced. Meredith Pepin 26 Nina Feliciano • The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is formed when North and South Korea unite. november • The Viking I and II spacecrafts successfully land on Mars. 1 Mateo Lopez • Jimmy Carter becomes president—the first candidate from the Deep South to 2 Charlotte Lorden win since the Civil War. 3 Maija Dixon • Fred Savage is born. 4 Annie Newton • Six children led by a visionary, warm young woman get together twice weekly 6 Nick Auen to sing, play, and become musically literate. Jason Sutton 11 Nina Jones Thirty-five years later… 13 Carrie Couch • 17 hardworking, musical children join Chesapeake Chamber Opera in a Hailey Russo production of Humperdinck’s Hänsel and Gretel. 18 Julia Parker • 35 energetic, song-birds join Francisco Nuñez (of the Young People’s Chorus of 19 Jesse Plank NYC) in a 5 day trip to Niagara Falls, Canada. 26 Abigail Lo • 31 young musicians join Andre Rieu in his Baltimore appearance at the First 30 Leon Kowalczyk Mariner Area for a performance of Michael Jackson’s Earth Song. december • 23 Concert Choristers sleep outside in tents, drink hot chocolate by the gallon, 3 Marissa Thobe and gorge themselves on s’mores. And, oh yes, attend rehearsal! 7 Kayla Kurtz • Over 1400 people benefit from their years of education with Children’s Chorus 8 Amy Nackeeran of Maryland. 15 Maya Conneally th Tobias Garver HAPPY 35 BIRTHDAY, CCM!!! Sasha Howard 16 Noelle Hargrave 18 Mari Wetherington 25 Owen Pereira 23 Margaret Kelly CCMERS IN NIAGARA FALLS, NY AND AS PART OF EARTH SONG january 3 Nicolas Su 5 Kate Halushka 11 Ellen Nikirk 17 Eli Lehman 19 Brian Lee 22 Christopher Plimpton 24 Veronica Voskoboynik vol. v, no. i in tune: the newsletter of the children’s chorus of maryland 3 ccmers (and parents) speak out Retreat Weekend Niagara or Bust! Brings Out the Stars n a dark July morning, 4:00 am, 35 choristers and 8 chaperones ents of all shapes, colors, and eras boarded the bus excited but sleepy. went up at Betty’s apple farm on We were going to Niagara Falls, Canada, Labor Day Weekend for the third O I rarely get one-on-one time like that. I to participate in the Niagara International Tannual Concert Choir retreat. This was my wanted to hear about their goals for the year. Music Festival. daughter Jenna’s third retreat, and I knew Some of the kids just want to sing with their We arrived in the early afternoon. After she had enjoyed the previous ones, but I friends and that’s fine. Some want to work dropping off our luggage, we went to Ridley asked Mairee and Ramona about their toward solos this year. I got a little more College to meet Francisco Nuñez and the retreat goals. Surely, I thought, they didn’t go idea of where each of them is coming from, other choirs participating in the festival. The through all of this just so the kids could have and then they sang for me and showed their Signal Hill Alumni Choir from Trinidad fun singing around the campfire. range. Some voices change over the summer. and Tobago gave an exciting concert on the Mairee offered, “Most of our kids go to It was wonderful to listen to each of them.” first night, astounding everyone with their different schools and once the normal While Mairee interviewed and listened, strong voices and fun choreography. schedule of rehearsals begins, there is a lot of others were relaxing—either hanging by We performed every night. At the first two work and little social time. We have a Solfa the pool, chatting in tents, apple tasting, or concerts, each choir sang its own pieces. I class that is entirely new to the group, napping. Austin said her favorite part of the Every morning Mr. Nuñez directed us in the and, at the same time, we have new Solfa retreat was the downtime. songs we were going to sing together at the III and IV students who are going to be last concert. Mr. Nuñez directs a chorus in stepping up to take leadership. So bringing So a day that was both full and laid back got a charge from a little visitor named Mercy New York. Because his choir was competing the group together in order to begin shaping in a contest, they couldn’t be in the festival. themselves into the new Concert Choir is a Joy. While she was ecstatic to see mama big part of the weekend.” Mairee, she had a When I sang with the other choirs, I noticed grand time with that every choir had a different style. Mr. Betty Bertaux’s farm is many hands ready Nuñez was different from Ms. Mairee, but perfect for the retreat. to hold her and play. he was also very good. He told us that when The wide-open acres we sing in a throaty way, our larynx rubs When evening accommodate the tents together, making our voices hoarse. And approached, and offer enough space between for some when we sing with our larynx too wide, we the barn light went out, and that night’s privacy for the parent chaperones. (Thank lose too much air. He also taught us a warm- singing and s’moring was illuminated by the you parent volunteers!) The apple trees were up where we hold a note for a long time, brightest stars many of the kids had ever loaded with fruit and one group of kids on singing the note strongly throughout. Saturday picked a bunch of them to cut into seen. It was like a show just for CCM. And Each afternoon we went sightseeing! We and sample. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that as voices came together again around the went up the Skylon Tower, where we could Betty’s place also has a pool and patio. The campfire, it was clear the new Concert Choir see the falls and everything. The next day, weather did its part to showcase the farm was already better than the night before. a boat called Maid of the Mist took us and set the stage for song. Fires have a way of searing in a memory. into the horseshoe of the falls! It was all so Choristers were asked several weeks later, On Friday, singing around the bonfire and amazing.

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