Part 1

 Ash started the rehearsal with us singing a couple of verses of Can't Help Falling in Love, over the phone to his mother on the east coast, who is about to get married!  After that we had the usual warmup, after which Ash did some explaining.

19:00    Ash explained why the chairs were different for rehearsal, set in a square with a voice part on each side.  He explained that this was chosen by Robert Shaw, the great 20th century chorus director.  He also talked about Vance George, a well-known Bay Area director who was a student of Robert Shaw; Vance George's students included Buddy James, who was Ash's mentor.   Ash described count singing, a favorite technique of Robert Shaw, where we sing the number of the beats instead of the text:  one and two and tee and four, and so on.  Ash intends to use a practice of Robert Shaw, which is to rehearse using count singing and solfege right up to a concert.  This was considered to build a feel for the music that the singers could then merge smoothly with the text. He said we wouldn't really rehearse text of the Beethoven until May.  Based on last week's recording, he felt that we were just guessing at things, and we needed these new techniques to build a stronger performance.  He asked us to go along with it.

25:56    Rehearsed Sometimes I Cry in count singing, singing on beat numbers not words.

1:00:25    Rehearse Beethoven 9 in the final Presto section, which we did on syllables ta-dee-ta-dee

1:19:17    Chorus committee announcements (no Why I Sing tonight) and break

Filesize:  107 MB

Click here to listen or download

Part 2

Start       Rehearse Here I Stand, movement 2

25:58        Rehearse Beethoven 9, specifically the fugue (bar 655), after we discuss issues with our neighbors

28:30    Actually start singing the Beethoven, singing on ta for theme 1 (freude) and na for theme 2 (seid um schlungen)

Filesize:  63.8 MB

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 Rehearsal 1

00:00 Vocal warm-ups

06:34 Gaba Ze Ka Ka and other warm-ups

19:18 Beethoven Symphony No. 9  Choral movement M 529

51:17 "Here I Stand" Simon and Harder

1:14:20 Announcements

1:15:57 Stephanie Laveene "Why I Sing"

File size:109:31 MB

Part 1

Rehearsal 2

01:36 Sara Announcements and Ash

4:05 Verdi Requiem Kyrie

Part 2

 Ash returns after two weeks off.

Rehearsal  1

00:00 Vocal warm-ups

19:56 Cadance performs "Why I Sing" with an original composition.

27:19 Sara Vreeland informs the chorus of a special performance opportunity this June.

35:35 "Sometimes I Cry" Jasmine Barnes

1:06:29  Announcements by Ash, Phil and Monique.

File Size: 99.24MB

Part 1

Rehearsal 2

00:00 Beethoven Symphony No.9 Finale starting at the fugue M 655  

20:17 Sopranos and altos stay with Ash, tenors and basses retire to sectionals.

31:50 Tenors and basses return as sopranos and altos retire to sectionals.

46:37 SATB rehearse the fugue.

File size: 80.18MB

Part 2 

 Once again, Ash was out sick and the rehearsal was conducted by guest conductor Samantha Burgess.  Like last week, she covered Sometimes I Cry, parts of Here I Stand, and the Beethoven 9.  The dance class was going on again.  We recorded 2 sessions.

Part 1

4:0    Rehearsal began with warmups

21:27    Sometimes I Cry, worked in sections and then all the way through, including just reading the text in rhythm

1:00:18    Review Here I Stand, beginning with measure 341, after some discussion.

1:14:15    Announcements, and an invitation to join the Chorus Committee.

Filesize:  65.7 MB

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Part 2

51.0    More work on Here I Stand, starting with measure 341

17:08:0    Review last week's work on Beethoven 9 starting at measure 595 and then continue to the double fugue

Filesize:  71.6 MB

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The rehearsal was recorded in two parts with guest conductor Samantha Burgess. She covered Beethoven's 9th, Sometimes I Cry, and Here I Stand. (With apologies for background noise - there was an intense dance class taking place upstairs at Finnish Hall!)

Part 1 - Click to Listen or Download - File Size: 82.9 MB

Beginning to 22:19 - Warm up (with Samantha Burgess, guest conductor)

22:20 to 1:00:00 - work on Beethoven Symphony No. 9 ("Seid umschlungen" section)

1:00:01 to end - Announcements from Chorus Committee

Rehearsal was recorded in two parts.

Part 1 - Listen Here - File Size: 87.59 MB

Start - Ash reflection on LA fires and introducing two Oakland business owners

4:20 - Warm up and technical work on African songs, sung arpeggios, minor scales, rhythm, and rounds

28:45 - Rehearsal of "Sometimes I cry"

50:10 - Trivia time!! Verdi's Requiem Edition - Ash had each voice part number off by 7. Each group then had to answer trivia questions about the Verdi Requiem.

53:40 is where the fun really begins after some minutes to organize :-)

1:05:15 - important! - Each of the 7 groups will be presenting 1 of the Blacknificent 7 composers. More information on this amazing group (whose works we've already sung!): https://www.sfcv.org/articles/feature/prominent-composers-band-together-blacknificent-7

More information to follow

Part 2 - Listen Here - File Size: 39.97 MB

 The recording for the first half of the January 8 rehearsal was lost when the power cord to the recorder became accidentally unplugged. The Second half of the rehearsal is complete.

 0:00  We listen to a portion of Beethoven's 9th choral movement.

 3:42  Ash covers diction for the choral movement starting at M 543.

15:55  We repeat the above section with music and singing.

24:50 "Sometimes I Cry," by Jasmine Barnes/Tupac Shakur 

35:10  We listen to a portion of the Verdi Requiem and a critical analysis of it.

Ash assigns watching the critical analysis video of Verdi's Requiem (to be forwarded to us),

learning section 20-31 of "Sometimes I Cry" and the slow choral section of Beethoven's 9th.

File size: 57.7 MB

Second half

 Part 1

Start    Let's Dance, followed by introductions to Cal State East Bay singers and director, and warmup

8:16    Announcements:  Barbara Miller about the potluck and the arrangements for setup and breakdown next year; Sara Vreeland about arrangements for the concert Sunday

14:04   African Noel with Soul Beats drummers

30:04   Ash announces Maestro Armstrong's arrival

31:41    Let's Dance again, with Maestro Armstrong

35:29    Maestro Armstong, Let Us Break Bread

50:33    Maestro Armstrong, Hallelujah Chorus

1:01:00    Break announced, with a presentation for Maestro Armstrong from the chorus, and announcements

Filesize:  83.5 MB

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Part 2

Start     Margaret Bonds, They Brought Fine Gifts

13:58    More announcements about the weekend concert and plans for the next few months.

Filesize:  31.9 MB

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 The entire rehearsal was devoted to the 2024 Break Bread concert and was recorded as two .mp3 files.

Part I (33.75mb)    Click here to hear or download the recording

0:00 - 1:15    Concert Notes

1:15 - 9:30    Hallelujah Chorus

9:40 - 27:45    Fine Gifts

28:00 - 37:30    Break Bread

37:30 - 42:10    Announcements

Break

Part II (24.92mb)    Click here to hear or download the recording

00:00 - 2:00    Rehearsal & Concert Notes

2:05 - 12:00    Last Dance

12:05 - 31:00    African Noel

 Our substitute choir director was Andrew Brown from Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir

Rehearsal 1

0:00  Warm-ups

12:05  Let Us Break Bread Together

20:34 Handel's Hallelujah Chorus

46:40  Margaret Bonds "They Brought Fine Gifts"

1:04:18 Announcements and invitations to local chorus concerts

File size: 88.88 MB

First half

Rehearsal II

0:00 Jewel presents "Why I sing."

8:08 Andrew shares his choral philosophy.

12:17 Bonds "They Brought Fine Gifts."

50:15 African Noel

File size: 83.44 MB

Second half