Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Friday, November 2, 2012
One month until Christmas...concert!
The Medicine Hat College Conservatory of Music and Dance is proud to present this year's annual Choral Christmas Concert! The MHC Children's Choir, Girls' Choir, and Adult Choir will be featured in this upcoming concert. We are also proud to be accompanied by the MHC Academy Orchestra in presenting Camille Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio. Read on to learn a bit more about the Academy Orchestra's and Adult Choir's upcoming performance.
Born in Paris, France and best known for his composition Carnvial of the Animals, Saint-Saëns quickly learned music theory, piano, several languages, math, and various other academic subjects. After his intelligences were discovered, his teachers were quick to help nurture his abilities. Saint-Saëns soon became friends with many other composers such as Liszt and Fauré. In addition to his many natural abilities, Saint-Saëns supposedly also had perfect pitch!
What is perfect pitch? The best way to explain this gift is to imagine how fresh (or un-fresh) your brain is in the morning. If you were asked to sing or identify a 'G' right after waking up, most people would not be able to produce the correct answer. However, a select few are able to do this without any trouble. Identifying or producing a pitch is as natural and easy as identify or producing a commonly spoken English word. It is important to consider this talent in light of the morning because many people have something called relative pitch. Relative pitch means that once you know that you have successfully identified a note, you are able to successfully identify every note you hear afterwards. This means that at any point during the day you can relate the pitch you already know to the pitch you are hearing and you are then able to identify it. When you wake up in the morning however, you have nothing to refer to thus making it impossible to identify a pitch without a prior reference point.
Saint-Saëns is rumored to write his Oratorio de Noël, or Christmas Oratorio in less than ten days in order to meet pressures from his employer. It includes a small string orchestra, organ, harp, soloists, and choir. Because there are no harp players who live in Medicine Hat, we will substitute some sort of keyboard instrument for the harp. Also, in order to allow the choir (and audiences) maximal enjoyment, the majority of the solo, duet, and trio parts will be sung by the entire choir. Saint-Saëns modeled several movements after the most famous (even at his time) Johann Sebastian Bach, including the initial Prelude and movements echoing the same theme. Written in 6/8 time, these 'pastoral' movements are reminiscent of shepherds in their fields who played instruments like flutes and recorders while tending their sheep.
Perhaps the most famous movement of Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio is the last movement. Familiar to most choral music fans, it is a strong, triumphant, and fitting end to the joyous re-telling of the Christmas story.
We look forward to you joining us at this joyous concert! Join us on Sunday, December 2 at 3pm at Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church to hear some glorious music!
Merry Christmas!
Born in Paris, France and best known for his composition Carnvial of the Animals, Saint-Saëns quickly learned music theory, piano, several languages, math, and various other academic subjects. After his intelligences were discovered, his teachers were quick to help nurture his abilities. Saint-Saëns soon became friends with many other composers such as Liszt and Fauré. In addition to his many natural abilities, Saint-Saëns supposedly also had perfect pitch!
What is perfect pitch? The best way to explain this gift is to imagine how fresh (or un-fresh) your brain is in the morning. If you were asked to sing or identify a 'G' right after waking up, most people would not be able to produce the correct answer. However, a select few are able to do this without any trouble. Identifying or producing a pitch is as natural and easy as identify or producing a commonly spoken English word. It is important to consider this talent in light of the morning because many people have something called relative pitch. Relative pitch means that once you know that you have successfully identified a note, you are able to successfully identify every note you hear afterwards. This means that at any point during the day you can relate the pitch you already know to the pitch you are hearing and you are then able to identify it. When you wake up in the morning however, you have nothing to refer to thus making it impossible to identify a pitch without a prior reference point.
Saint-Saëns is rumored to write his Oratorio de Noël, or Christmas Oratorio in less than ten days in order to meet pressures from his employer. It includes a small string orchestra, organ, harp, soloists, and choir. Because there are no harp players who live in Medicine Hat, we will substitute some sort of keyboard instrument for the harp. Also, in order to allow the choir (and audiences) maximal enjoyment, the majority of the solo, duet, and trio parts will be sung by the entire choir. Saint-Saëns modeled several movements after the most famous (even at his time) Johann Sebastian Bach, including the initial Prelude and movements echoing the same theme. Written in 6/8 time, these 'pastoral' movements are reminiscent of shepherds in their fields who played instruments like flutes and recorders while tending their sheep.
Perhaps the most famous movement of Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio is the last movement. Familiar to most choral music fans, it is a strong, triumphant, and fitting end to the joyous re-telling of the Christmas story.
We look forward to you joining us at this joyous concert! Join us on Sunday, December 2 at 3pm at Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church to hear some glorious music!
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Back to School, Back to Singing!
It's time to start gearing up for another year of fantastic music making! Here are some reminders and some information about the upcoming season:
First Rehearsals
MHC Adult Choir - Tuesday, September 11, 7pm
MHC Girls' Choir - Wednesday, September 12, 7pm
MHC Children's Choir - Wednesday, September 12, 5:45pm
Reportoire
MHC Adult Choir - Christmas Oratorio (Oratorio de Noel) by Camille Saint-Saens. Check out some info on Saint-Saens, and listen to a sample here.
MHC Girl's Choir - A selection of music composed by Canadians including an a cappella Latin Mass by Stephanie Martin, We Rise Again which was made popular by the Rankin Family, and two modern motets about being female, Sisters and This Morning by Gwyneth Walker
MHC Children's Choir - a bunch of fun yet challenging stuff, just like always!
Concert
All three groups will share a Christmas Concert this year. Sunday, December 2, 3pm, Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church
First Rehearsals
MHC Adult Choir - Tuesday, September 11, 7pm
MHC Girls' Choir - Wednesday, September 12, 7pm
MHC Children's Choir - Wednesday, September 12, 5:45pm
Reportoire
MHC Adult Choir - Christmas Oratorio (Oratorio de Noel) by Camille Saint-Saens. Check out some info on Saint-Saens, and listen to a sample here.
MHC Girl's Choir - A selection of music composed by Canadians including an a cappella Latin Mass by Stephanie Martin, We Rise Again which was made popular by the Rankin Family, and two modern motets about being female, Sisters and This Morning by Gwyneth Walker
MHC Children's Choir - a bunch of fun yet challenging stuff, just like always!
Concert
All three groups will share a Christmas Concert this year. Sunday, December 2, 3pm, Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Adult Choir - Fall 2011 - Gustav Holst
Hi All! I hope you are having a fantastic summer! Just looking ahead to the Fall semester and our Christmas concert and thought I'd give you some advanced info! So, for all you keeners, you can check out the following links of Gustav Holst's Christmas music, which of course, we will be featuring in our 2011 Christmas concert.
Christmas Day, A Choral Fantasy on Old Carols - Score! - Listen!
Lullay my Liking - Score! - Listen!
Four Old English Carols - Score!
1. A Babe is Born - Listen!
2. Now Let Us Sing
3. Jesu, Thou the Virgin Born
4. The Saviour of the World is Born - Listen!
Personant hodie - Score! - Listen!
Psalm 86: To my humble supplication - Score! - Listen!
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence - Score! - Listen!
This is not an exhaustive list of reportoire for our concert, but it should give you keeners a good start!
Looking forward to seeing you all Tuesday, September 13, 7pm at the Cultural Centre!
Christmas Day, A Choral Fantasy on Old Carols - Score! - Listen!
Lullay my Liking - Score! - Listen!
Four Old English Carols - Score!
1. A Babe is Born - Listen!
2. Now Let Us Sing
3. Jesu, Thou the Virgin Born
4. The Saviour of the World is Born - Listen!
Personant hodie - Score! - Listen!
Psalm 86: To my humble supplication - Score! - Listen!
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence - Score! - Listen!
This is not an exhaustive list of reportoire for our concert, but it should give you keeners a good start!
Looking forward to seeing you all Tuesday, September 13, 7pm at the Cultural Centre!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
MHC Christmas Concert
Tuesday, December 14: 7pm
College Theatre
Tickets $5/$10 at Cultural Centre or at door
Join the MHC Adult Choir, Girls' Choir, Children's Choir, and Junior Children's Choir in a choral celebration of Christmas! Hear Christmas carols old and new, and from near and far! This will be a sold out show, so get your tickets early!
Merry Christmas!
College Theatre
Tickets $5/$10 at Cultural Centre or at door
Join the MHC Adult Choir, Girls' Choir, Children's Choir, and Junior Children's Choir in a choral celebration of Christmas! Hear Christmas carols old and new, and from near and far! This will be a sold out show, so get your tickets early!
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Vivaldi a HUGE Success!!!
4 ensembles
100 performers
500 in the audience
--------------------
1 fantastic concert!
A huge thank you to all the performers, parents, and teachers that made last nights concert a smashing success! It is a special opportunity to have a concert that spans the generations; we had performers and listeners of all ages, 5-75!!! It was also wonderful to have such a full house of excited and attentive listeners!
Thank you to the MHC Adult Choir, and Girls' Choir; I appreciate your dedication and hard work, they have surely reaped reward. Thank you to the Junior Orchestra, your hard work certainly paid off - you sounded fantastic. And thank you to the Academy Orchestra; your professionalism and focus take our music making to the next level.
And finally, a huge thank you to all the faculty and staff who made this concert possible - I have very much enjoyed working collaboratively, and look forward to our next project, whatever that may be!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:13-14
100 performers
500 in the audience
--------------------
1 fantastic concert!
A huge thank you to all the performers, parents, and teachers that made last nights concert a smashing success! It is a special opportunity to have a concert that spans the generations; we had performers and listeners of all ages, 5-75!!! It was also wonderful to have such a full house of excited and attentive listeners!
Thank you to the MHC Adult Choir, and Girls' Choir; I appreciate your dedication and hard work, they have surely reaped reward. Thank you to the Junior Orchestra, your hard work certainly paid off - you sounded fantastic. And thank you to the Academy Orchestra; your professionalism and focus take our music making to the next level.
And finally, a huge thank you to all the faculty and staff who made this concert possible - I have very much enjoyed working collaboratively, and look forward to our next project, whatever that may be!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:13-14
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Adult Choir Christmas Concert 2008
Hello Adult Choir! I am glad you enjoyed the recordings so much! Because of your enthusiastic response, I have posted the entire concert recording here on my blog. I am glad you are interested in listening to yourselves! It can be an invaluable educational tool to listen to yourself, and then respond accordingly! Here is the Concert:
- Jubilate Deo
- Our Soul Waits
- E'en So Lord Jesus Quickly Come
- Thou Shalt Know Him When He Comes
- Alle von Saba
- Toccata
- Three Choral Preludes
- Dialogue
- Gloria I
- Gloria II
- Gloria III
Thank you for a fantastic first semester! I am pleased with what we accomplished in such a short time, and am very much looking forward to the winter semester! Bach here we come! (by the way, make sure you check out the other posts on this page - lots of Bach info, and recordings for you to listen to!)
Also, thank you to all the instrumentalists who played! Excellent job! It was great fun to do such a majestic concert with Organ, Timpani, and all the Brass!
Girls', Children's, and Junior Choir Christmas Concert 2008
Hello Choristers! The following tracks were recorded at the Girls' Choir, Children's Choir, and Junior Choir Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 14, 2008 at Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church. Some of you asked if you could re-listen, or listen to specific parts of that night. Please enjoy listening to the sounds that you made!
Carols of the World
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- Orion
- Iroquois Lullaby
- Hand me Down My Silver Trumpet
- Inscription of Hope
- Born This Christmas Day
- Louez le Seingeur
- Three Spanish Carols
- Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella
- Russian Candle Carol
- Speaking of Music
- Pat-a-Pan
- Joy to the World / Sing for Joy
I am very happy with the way this concert turned out! All of the performers really stepped up and did their best. I am very proud of all the ensembles that were involved!
Thanks for a fantastic first semester!
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