Upcoming Performances!

Ahoy! Sing for the Mary Rose

The Medicine Hat College Conservatory of Music and Dance is proud to present

 the North American Premiere

of

Ahoy! Sing for the Mary Rose

by

Alexander L'Estrange





presented by 

The Medicine Hat College Adult Choir

The Medicine Hat College Children's Choir

The Medicine Hat College Girls' Choir

and
The Tartone Singers

directed by

Bradley van Middelkoop 

and accompanied by

Fiddle and Accordion in a Jazz Quintet

Ahoy! is an exciting piece about King Henry VIII's famous ship the Mary Rose. Composer Alexander L'Estrange creatively combines traditional sea shanties, Tudor tunes, and some good old British favourites to bring this work to life.  Adopting the same successful formula of combining Adult Choir, Children's Choir, and Jazz Quintet that he used in Zimbe, L'Estrange adds a fiddle and accordion to truly bring the nautical theme to life.

Some highlights of this performance will be the well known songs Greensleeves and Drunken Sailor, a piece with no words, and texts written by Shakespeare, and King Henry VIII himself!

Thursday, April 10, 2014

7pm

Medicine Hat College Theatre  

Tickets: $10 

Available at the MHC Conservatory of Music and Dance (403-529-3880) or at the door 

Girls Choir Auditions

AUDITIONS

MEDICINE HAT COLLEGE GIRLS’ CHOIR

Directed by Bradley van Middlekoop

What:                    Girls’ Choir membership for the 2013-14 term.

                  

The Medicine Hat College Girls’ Choir is a community choir of teenage girls dedicated to great singing, building friendship through teamwork, educational opportunities and excellence.  The choir functions as a major performing and touring ensemble.  In addition to being active locally, they have performed throughout Western Canada, Europe and Asia.  Choristers and parents must be willing to commit to an active schedule of rehearsals, workshops, performances and fundraising activities.

Previous musical experience is not a requirement.

Who:                     Open to all girls who love to sing and will be entering Grade 7 (12 years of age) through high school grades.  All ages of junior and senior high school are welcome.

When:                    Monday, June 10^th   from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

                             Tuesday, June 11^th  from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

                             Wednesday, June 12^th from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Where:                   Cultural Centre

Returning choristers will be asked to sing their part from one our pieces this past year, as well as do some vocal exercises. This is also a chance for me to see how each girl is doing and what they are enjoying or not enjoying about their choir experience.  Auditions will be 10 minutes.

New choristers will be asked to do several warm ups, sight read, and learn part of a new song. No prior preparation is needed however it does make a positive impression if girls come prepared with something to sing.  Auditions will be 20 minutes.

A parent is required to attend the audition with their daughter.

 

To book an audition time, please contact the Conservatory office at 403-529-3880 or conservatory@mhc.ab.ca 

If you require any other information please contact Bradley van Middelkoop, bvanmiddelkoop@mhc.ab.ca

Rosebowl Winners!

The Medicine Hat College Girls' Choir is proud to announce that they are the winners of the Medicine Hat Rotary Music Festival's 2013 Rosebowl Competition!

After performing Canadian folk son 'Frobisher Bay' by James Gordon at Friday's competition, we were surprised when we heard the results at Sunday's Stars of the Festival celebration.

We are so excited and can't wait to have a party!

Bad weather, bad men

Be reminded! All MHC choirs start back this week! The Children's Choir and the Adult Choir are always seeking new members.  If you or someone you know is interested in singing, please contact the Conservatory 403-529-3880.

Adult Choir - Tuesday, January 8; 7-9pm
Girls' Choir - Wednesday, January 9
Children's Choir - Wednesday, January 9; 5:45-6:45

This semester the Adult Choir will be preparing for a concert titled "Bad weather, Bad men" which will feature Canadian folk songs pertaining to the title.  Also, the Girls' Choir will be adding to their list of Canadian repertoire in preparation for their upcoming tour to Scotland!

See you this week!

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

Zimbe!

Medicine Hat College Girls Choir takes passion from director - Medicine Hat News

Check it out!  Medicine Hat News did a great article about the success of the choral program at the College!!!

Medicine Hat College Girls Choir takes passion from director - Medicine Hat News

Zimbe!

Hello Choir Fans! The Medicine Hat College Adult Choir is excited to be preparing Alexander L'Estrange's Zimbe! this upcoming term.

Zimbe! is a brilliant fusion of traditional African song and jazz, in a format which is already drawing together singers of all ages, ability and nationalities across the globe. The music is accessible, instantly likeable and fun to learn as well as to perform.

Composer Alexander L'Estrange, himself a highly regarded jazz pianist and bass player, has chosen songs from all over Africa and arranged them wonderfully, interleaving the choral writing with the instruments of the jazz ensemble.

This is a work which forges links between adult choirs and massed children's choirs, placing singing at the heart of the community as it always has been in Africa. And, since jazz grew out of blues which itself sprang from the mouths of African people, what better accompaniment for these songs than a jazz quintet? Zimbe! is at times touching and moving, at other times funky and grooving and all of the time incredibly uplifting both for performers and audiences alike.

Check out the Zimbe! website for information on CD recordings, iTunes tracks, part learning help, and other interesting and helpful resources. Also check out the Zimbe! Facebook site.

The MHC Adult Choir is welcoming new members who are interested in singing, meeting new people, and preparing a concert of African works.  No experience is necessary, only an interest in music and a desire to work hard and enjoy the results.  If you or anyone you know is interested in joining, please contact Bradley van Middelkoop,

Rehearsals are Tuesdays from 7-9pm at the Cultural Centre and begin on January 10. Looking forward to an exciting term learning some fantastic African choral music!

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!

A Dreadful Practice - a MHC Choir Halloween Concert

Saturday, October 30, 7pm
College Theatre
Tickets $5/$10 at Cultural Centre or door

Join the MHC Adult Choir, Girls Choir, and Children's Choir as we sing about witches, trolls, dragons, and more!  Featured works: The Witches' Scene from Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, The Witches' Chorus from Verdi's MacBeth, and Hall of the Mountain King from Grieg's Peer Gynt.

Happy Halloween!

MHC Girls' Choir on CHAT TV

CHECK THIS OUT!  The MHC Girls' Choir is heading to Ottawa from June 28 to July 2 to take part in the Unisong festival.  Unisong stands for "United in Song" - we will meet up with other choirs from across the country to join together and perform three concerts on Canada Day in our nation's capital!

Because of this incredible opportunity, we were featured on the CHAT TV news broadcast on May 26, 2010.  Check it out:

http://media.memlane.com/podcasts/2008chat_a/mhchoir20100527.html

It was fun to have this exposure and in typical media fasion, they got a few little things screwed up in the story, but in general, its all good!  ENJOY!  Check back here for updates on how things go in Ottawa!

MHC Girls' & Children's Choir Spring Concert Recording

Go To FileFactory.com

Great Fun!

The Dance Sing Groove Concert was AWESOME!  Congratulations to the MHC Girls' Choir and Children's Choir on a job well done.  All of our hard work and preparation paid off in full!  The audience loved the concert, I had fun, and all the performers did too!

And here's a special thank you to the band who played the Mamma Mia music, our dance teacher, and to the helpers up in the technician booth who truely saved the evening!  This wasn't possible without your contributions!

Have a great summer! See you back at rehearsal on Wednesday, September 15, same time, same place!

MHC Girls' & Children's Choir Spring Concert

Looking ahead to Fall 2010

Hello Choirs!  This may be a bit premature, but I've started plans for the fall.  The MHC Adult Choir, Girls' Choir, and Children's Choir are going to bring Medicine Hat a fantastic 2010/2011 concert season!  We are going to start off with a Halloween concert.  I know, I know - you're worried.  But you shouldn't be.  It is going to be light-hearted, accessible, and a ton of fun.  Check out the tentative program:

MHC Halloween Concert (please send suggestions for a better title...)
Saturday, October 30, 7 pm (TENTATIVE)

MHC Adult Choir

• Harvest Hymn - Ryan Taylor - I like the text in this piece.  It may be a stretch for a Halloween concert... we'll see...
• Score
• A Halloween Quodlibet - Ryan Taylor - this is a piece that will continue teaching us how to have fun with choral music.  A quodilbet is a group of songs that can be sung at the same time.
• Score 
• Ho, Ho, Ho, Dido & Aeneas - Henry Purcell - Purcell is a famous English composer and he just happened to write an opera with a scene full of scary witches, perfect for Halloween.  We will do part of a scene from this opera.  These are the chorus parts:
• Score 1 
• Score 2 
• Score 3 
• Recording (this recording includes the recitatives, and duets which happen between each chorus part - we will do the entire scene as heard here.  If you're interested in seeing the scores for the other sections, click here)
• Deamon Irepit Calidus - Gyorgy Orban
• Recording (the tempo in this recording is quite slow, but it allows for you to hear each part better.  We'll go as fast as snot.  Check out other youtube videos to see how differently each choir does this song!)
• Score - this piece is relatively new so it is not available in the public domain and therefore I cannot link to it.  You'll have to wait until September to see the score for this!
• Translation:
• Daemon irrepit callidus
  Allicit cor honoribus;
  Daemon ponit fraudes inter laudes, saltus, cantus
  Quidquid amabile daemon dat
  Cor Jesu minus aestimat.
  Cordis aestum non explebunt, non arcebunt, Daemon!
  
  The demon sneaks expertly,
  Tempting the honorable heart;
  He offers trickery amid praise, dance, and song.
  However amiably the demon acts,
  it is still counted less than the heart of Jesus.
  Poor, passionate, undisciplined demon!

MHC Girls' Choir

• Old Abram Brown - Benjamin Britten
• Recording
• Witches Chorus, Macbeth - Giuseppe Verdi
• Score (pages 8-16)
• Recording
• Translation:
• Che faceste? Dite su!
  Ho sgozzato un verro!
  E tu?
  M’è frullata nel pensier
  La mogliera d’un nocchier
  Al dimòn la mi cacciò
  Ma lo sposo che salpò
  Col suo legno affogherò
  Un rovaio io ti darò
  I marosi io leverò
  
  Per le secche lo trarrò
  Un tamburo! Che sarà?
  Vien Macbetto. Eccolo qua!
  Le sorelle vagabonde
  van per l'aria, van sull'onde
  Sanno un circo lo intrecciare
  Che comprende e terra e mar.
  
  What did you do? Say now!
  I’ve slaughtered a boar,
  And thou?
  To me fluttered in thought
  the wife of a sailor
  she cast me out to the devil
  But the spouse who sailed
  with his ship, I’ll drown.
  I’ll give thee a north wind
  The billows I will raise
  
  
  I’ll drive him onto the shoals
  A drum! What will it be?
  Hail now, Macbeth!
  The sisters vagabond
  go through the air, go on the waves
  They know a circle how to weave

MHC Children's Choir

• The Fate of Gilbert Gim
• A Tragic Story - Benjamin Britten 

This concert will be a great chance to hear what the other MHC choirs are up to!  You'll also get a chance to share some fun music with your peers, friends, and family.  Stay tuned for the tentative Christmas concert program!!!

Rotary Music Festival - Thoughts

Hi all! I have no idea who reads this anymore, but after such a long day, I will use this as a means of organizing my thoughts, reflecting back, and looking forward.

The Rotary Music Festival is such an interesting, dynamic, and complicated experience. Organizers, teachers, students, performers, accompanists, adjuticators, and volunteers all come together with a common purpose: to make music. The logistics of an event like this seem huge, even impossible; the preperation seems unmountable at times I'm sure. Teachers and students prepare in advance for days, weeks, months, and even years.

I never participated much in music festivals when I was younger (more about that at a later time perhaps), but I am now participating as a teacher and accompanist. It is only the second day of the festival, and so much has happened. I had a huge day today: accompanying 13 kids, warm-ups, lessons, three choir performances. Lots to ponder. I like lists; they organize. Here are my Rotary Music Festival Day 2 lists:

Failures:

• Putting one of my students in the wrong vocal class and almost getting her disqualified. I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention - you live, you learn - won't make that mistake again.
• Wearing dress shoes all day long. I have the sorest hips in town.
• Being an ass in Grad school and then having to own up later. The choral adjudicator was my old prof. I wasn't a good student in Grad school.
• Judging a book by its cover. Always somewhat emberassing when you catch yourself pulling this one...
• 0 for 2 winning roll-up-the-rims

Successes:

• Watching a trio of voice students flabbergast an adjudicator. Kids who don't know their own talent amaze me.
• Witnessing a student cram, with all her might, all the French diction possible into her head to prepare, forget some of it during performance, but still finishing with a smile and a positive result
• Making a few extra bucks playing the piano. (but I've had to practice)
• Changing.
• Having the Children's Choir mezmorize the adjudicator with energy that bubbles over, and voices that sing uninhibitedly
• Hearing the adjudicator speak to the parents of the choristers: "Please continue to support your children by keeping them in choir. They are learning, growing, and experiencing a much more valuable form of music than what a finger and an iPod can bring."
• The Girls' Choir got the highest choral mark of the day with their performances.
• Trusting in the natural leadership abilities which have lay dormant in each choir when the conductor can't be there to help
• Getting the Adult Choir out of their comfort zones a bit, working hard, performing at festival, and being succesfull.
• Having a beer with my old prof and apologizing.
• Enjoying the overwhelming feeling of pride that all my students bring me.
• 0 for 2 FREE roll-up-the-rims.

And thats only day two.

~Brad

Tottoyo and Calypso

Hey Girls' Choir! Check out these videos:

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

MHC Girls' Choir Retreat

What a fantastic weekend! The retreat allowed us to get a running start on 11 pieces!!! Thank you for all your dedication and hard work ladies!

And a huge thank you to all the parents who made the retreat possible!

Check out this picture - I couldn't quite get used to all the gunk left on my hands after our Saturday night spa!