Good morning one and all, I hope you’re well and have had a lovely week so far! Please forgive the lack of Notes recently, it’s been a very busy time – 5 concerts and 3 opera performances in the last few weeks! I’ve missed writing to you all.
This is it... concert week! We’ve been working really hard on the Bach for a long time now, so let’s give a really good show on Saturday. Annabel’s already shared the logistical details, but they’re all below for you too. I’m really looking forward to our concert on Saturday.
This term so far
What excellent work we’ve been able to do, refining each movement in our rehearsals, especially as people have clearly put in the hard work at home. We’ve covered each movement a number of times, and as you’ll see below, most in the last few weeks. Please do have one more go through of things before the day, just to remind yourselves of each movement.
Rehearsal Schedule
Here’s our rehearsal schedule for our final couple of sessions, along with what we’ve been doing for the past few too. Please use this as a guide for what to look at before our final session on Friday, and what to catch up on if you’ve missed anything.
Seating Plan
We’ll be using Deddington’s staging on the day, but unfortunately we won’t be able to have it out on Friday. I’ve put together a rough seating plan for the concert, though this is of course subject to change. Please think carefully about eyelines!
Learning Resources
As always, there are a number of fantastic learning resources pinned to the top of this page. PLEASE USE THEM! I’ve included the image from a while ago about the ‘Chiasmus’ – the symmetrical structure of the middle of the piece, which pairs movements with the same musical themes; hopefully this will assist in the final days of practice.
Make sure you’re also singing along to recordings of the works, as it’s very different when all put together than just using a single line such as CyberBass.
Poster and Tickets
There are still plenty of tickets left on the website, so please promote sales to family, friends, and the wider community! It would be brilliant to have a good audience for this as we’ve all worked so hard: https://www.cncs.org.uk/product/stjohnpassion/
Please also share the poster below!
Jane Lewis – John Dornenberg Interview
Jane Lewis, one of our tenors, interviewed Jon Dornenberg, our Viola da Gamba player for the concert; it’s absolutely brilliant and well worth a watch. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1ZTNxY6Rq0
Logistical Details
As in Annabel’s email, here are the details for this week:
Wednesday 9th April – Rehearsal as normal, in Town Hall, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Friday 11th April – Rehearsal in Deddington 7.30pm – 9.30pm
St Peter’s & St Paul’s Church, OX15 0SA
We are using staging for this concert so Ben will spend some time at the start of the rehearsal getting sight lines sorted out.
There is on street parking all around Deddington but if you can it would be advisable to consider lift-sharing
Saturday 12th April
Choir to arrive for 1.45pm
Choir warm up 2pm
Rehearsal starts 2.15pm
Tea break mid-afternoon
Rehearsal for choir ends 4.30pm latest
Rehearsal for band and soloists will continue
Choir back 7.10pm, in seats for 7.20pm.
You will be able to use the church between the rehearsal and the concert, if you want to bring a picnic tea and also change in the church. Otherwise there are a number of pubs in Deddington, all very close to the church. If you want to eat at one of the pubs it is probably best to book in advance.
Choir dress for this concert: Sopranos and altos: long black (long sleeves; dresses/skirts or trousers, no jeans please). Tenors and basses: black suit/dinner suit, white shirt and black bow tie. Female tenors and male altos can choose which option they prefer.
We will not be using folders for this concert.
Scores: If you are singing next term, please take your score home and rub out all your markings, then return the score at the first rehearsal. If you are not singing next term (or you’re not yet sure), please leave your score behind after the concert, in the boxes which will be provided in the church.
That’s it for now, see you soon!
– Ben