Thoughts....
Symphonic choir had a concert on Friday. For this coming week, the singers who are performing with the New York Philharmonic begin rehearsal on Monday. For the singers who will be working with Dr. Megill, we have the week off from rehearsal and begin next week.
Now, I love the idea of having a week off from any class. However, something is nagging me. I could be taking this the wrong way, but I feel like by having different rehearsal schedules for the two choirs, we are sending a message that one is more important than the other. For the Messiah choir, I feel we are sending the message that "These singers are singing a more important concert and therefore must have extra rehearsal time so they sound perfect."
Now, as a musician, I realize that Messiah is ridiculously long, and that this is probably the reason that they have an extra week of rehearsal. However, shouldn't the singers in the Vaughn Williams choir be equally as prepared for their concert, whether or not we sing in a smaller venue?
I'm not going to dance around the issue: I wanted to sing Messiah. I didn't get chosen. I was upset, but got over it. However, what bothers me is that those singers who weren't "right" for Messiah are being held to a different standard than the singers who will sing in NY. We are all in the same choir. We should all be held to the same standards.
What do you think?
posted by Alex @ 10:15 PM
2 Comments:
Not only do I completely agree with you, I also think it is important to look at who was selected for that choir. Did anyone else notice that it was all Westminster Choir and Williamson Voices? Can any one give me a GOOD reason for this? They've already been selected for audition choirs and have that...what about those of us who did not feel we had time for those audition choirs, but still thought we would have the opportunity for the challenge and experience we seek in Symphonic Choir? I feel like there is some kind of social class segregation here.
Have you considered perhaps the fact that Megill has other choir responsibilities and his own choirs to prepare for might be the reason that we get a week off from rehearsals? He is busy preparing upcoming Kantorei and Schola concerts. And in regards to Messiah, Handel invariably requires a certain vocal control in ensemble that not all of the WCC students possess yet. It requires pin-perfect tone, the ability to sing not necessarily straight-tone, but with a certain core and clarity to the sound. The RVW is a much more communal sing, not necessarily an "easier" piece or deserving of any less respect. The Messiah takes additional time to fine-tune the sound and perfect every note, which is so hard to do with an ensemble that's not used to working at such a fast pace. The students chosen were picked for their voice type and sight-singing ability, which based on the audition that everyone had to participate in.
Now not to toot my horn, but I did not miss a single note on my sight-singing audition, am a member of Williamson Voices, and still was not picked for Messiah choir. I realize though that my voice is better suited for the RVW and am glad I was put in that choir.
Why not go to a Messiah sing-in at Lincoln Center and focus on giving the RVW the respect it deserves.
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