Welcome to the South Seattle College Community Choir's Information Page

Updated Friday, January 17, 2020 at 2:30 pm

Winter Quarter began Monday, January 6, 2020

Go to REHEARSAL PARTS >>>

Click on the links for your rehearsal parts (MP3 files):

Soprano 1 | Soprano 2 | Alto 1 | Alto 2 |

Tenor 1 | Tenor 2 | Baritone | Bass


Rehearsal 2 - Monday, January 13, 2020

Summary

The Tree: we sang through it, and it's starting to take shape.  Please remember we changed the Bron-Australian pronunciation of "glaciers" from GLAY-SEE-ERS to a two-syllable GLAY-SHERS, with "glay" on the longer note occupying 2/3 of the triplet.  Please mark up your music (measures 40 and 42) if you haven't done so, and know that as of yet I haven't had a chance to correct the rehearsal part. Please continue to work on this song.

The Earth Adorned: with John singing the second verse while we all sing "oo," this is reflected in the rehearsal parts.  I would like to speed up the second verse a little to help John with the long phrases! Goal is to sing this A CAPPELLA (meaning, without a piano accompaniment).  Please continue to work on this song.

Earth Song: we "sight-sang" through this and the choir did a pretty good job of it for a first time.  Parts are posted, please feel free to listen to them. Sopranos, please mark your scores at measure 23 -- PLEASE DO NOT BREATHE during this measure -- we need a lovely continuous sound flowing across the space where the other three parts break.

Big Yellow Taxi: we worked on the first verse.  This will be a challenging song and I am working on recording the parts right now.  I should have them posted by tonight, so please make this your next priority.  Listen carefully and follow your scores, the rhythm is tricky but probably easier to learn it by ear.  I have reduced the speed a little on the rehearsal parts to make it easier to learn.

3 Billion Birds: we talked about a "canopy of chatter," which is what you hear when you are surrounded by a large number of birds in the trees all chirping simultaneously. I hear this sound in the mornings in my back yard.  I hope to capture some of this "canopy of chatter" during the improvisational sections of this piece.  We worked on the structural, or written, parts -- of sections 2-4.  Three minor corrections to the score:  please mark your scores before next rehearsal:

(1) measure 29 at the foot of page 3 should be sung by the ALTOs. Please write in "Alto" above "Who will regenerate forests?"
(2) measure 33-34 lyric change to Soprano / Alto: please change "Lose its birds, feathered friends gone" to "Loses birds, feathered friends go."
(3) measure 33-34 lyric change to Tenor / Bass: same change as Soprano / Alto.

The Soprano and Alto parts are posted for the non-aleatoric parts.  I will add Tenor, Baritone and Bass parts today. Please work on this song during the coming week.

Down to Earth: we started at the end and sang the chords starting at measure 162.  I asked the choir to start learning the first verse and chorus this week.

For those of you who weren't able to be there to pick up your music, I will try to scan it today and post here so you can access it.  I also mentioned that as this is a pop song, we will sing it more lightly and detached than the kind of pure choral tone you will use for "The Earth Adorned" and "Earth Song."

NEXT WEEK'S REHEARSAL is Tuesday, January 21 at 7 pm.  We will do more work on "Big Yellow Taxi" and I will introduce "Gently (Walk on the Earth)" as well as "Down to Earth."  Please expect to do SECTIONAL rehearsals the following two  weeks -- January 27 and February 3, where we will split the choir into two groups and dive more deeply into our parts.


Rehearsal 1 - Monday, January 6, 2020

Summary

Welcome back singers! Our first rehearsal was well attended and got underway smoothly. Thank you all for your participation in Winter Quarter Community Choir.

Six songs were included in our packets last night -- with two to come: "Down to Earth" by Peter Gabriel, and "Gently (Walk on the Earth)" by Brian Tate. These two songs will be available next week. We listened to various recordings of each song last night -- all the links we heard are in the right hand column. We sang through parts of "3 Billion Birds," "The Earth Adorned" and "The Tree."

Please start working on learning your parts for "The Tree." They are already listed on this page. I will continue to add parts throughout the coming week.

I will be posting "The Earth Adorned (Psalm of Summer)" parts later today, followed by "3 Billion Birds."

Next week we will sing through these three songs together, and begin learning "Big Yellow Taxi," "Gently (Walk on the Earth)" and more of the songs as our rehearsal time permits.

Happy singing!


Links for you to visit (these are AMAZING!)

Eric Whitacre's TED Talk on Lux Aurumque

Eric Whitacre's TED Talk on Sleep

Eric Whitacre's TED Talk on Cloudburst


About the instructor

Bronwyn Edwards is an Australian-born composer, arranger, pianist, teacher of piano, guitar and ukulele, and music director. Branding herself as a "musical catalyst," Bron is passionate about mentoring musicians of all skill levels and finding opportunities for people to make music together. Bron has led the South Seatle College Community Choir since September 2015. She has also served as Music Director at Fauntleroy Church, UCC since January 2008.

A West Seattle resident since 1987, Bron was the Sea-Tac airport pianist during the holiday season from 2007-2015. Her choral compositions have been performed at Benaroya Hall and by many choirs around Puget Sound.

Bron is a current member of the American Choral Directors Association, and is serving as Composer-in-Residence for the Cascadian Chorale, a Bellevue based audition choir, for the 2019-2020 concert season.



Winter Quarter 2020 at South Seattle College

begins Monday, January 6, 2020 at 7 PM in RS80

Rehearsals:

Monday, January 6 at 7 pm
Monday, January 13 at 7 pm

Next rehearsal:
Tuesday, January 21 at 7 pm
Monday, January 27 at 7 pm
Monday, February 3 at 7 pm
Monday, February 10 at 7 pm
Tuesday, February 18 at 7 pm
Monday, February 24 at 7 pm
Monday, March 2 at 7 pm
Monday, March 9 at 7 pm

CONCERT DATE: Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 7 pm


Fall quarter performance of "Luminous Night of the Soul" by Ola Gjeilo on Sunday, December 11, 2016 at Fauntleroy Church, UCC


NEW to singing in a choir and/or reading music?

Here is a YouTube video introduction to understanding the basics of reading notes and rhythm which you may find helpful. Created by Tim Hansen, I think it's a great explanation for a beginner about the nuts and bolts of music. Enjoy!


REHEARSAL PARTS - MP3 recordings

SOPRANO 1

3 Billion Birds
(does not include the aleatoric sections;
please listen to the SATB version below)

Big Yellow Taxi

Colors of the Wind

Down to Earth
(apologies for attempting to hit a high B flat at the end
-- the pitch is there, ladies, the quality is questionable.
Not for the faint-hearted, only those that can hit it please,
otherwise, please sing the Soprano 2 part.)

Earth Song

Gently

The Earth Adorned

The Tree

SOPRANO 2

3 Billion Birds
(does not include the aleatoric sections;
please listen to the SATB version below)

Down to Earth

Earth Song

Gently

The Earth Adorned

The Tree

ALTO 1

Earth Song

Gently

The Earth Adorned

The Tree

ALTO 2

Down to Earth

Earth Song

Gently

The Earth Adorned

The Tree

TENOR 1

Down to Earth

Earth Song

Gently

The Earth Adorned

The Tree

TENOR 2


COMPLETE SONGS (SATB, SSAA, TTBB) and solos

Down to Earth (SATB and piano)

Gently (SATB and piano)

The Tree (SATB only, no flute or cello)


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