From the Artistic Director
- WELCOME, PABLO DE OLIVEIRA!
Please join me in welcoming Pablo de Oliveira as our Interim Education Manager! Mr. de Oliveria will be with us from February 16 for 14 weeks. We welcome him to SCC as he helps out with Concert Chorus and Tenor Bass Chorus rehearsals in a management role and contributes to our Spring Concert production. Mr. de Oliveria is no stranger to Strathmore – his organization is helping co-promote Marisa Monte on March 10, and he used to work in the Ticket Office.
Mr. de Oliveria grew up in Los Angeles, Brasilia, and Germany, always surrounded by Brazilian music and culture. He has divided his passion between performing Brazilian music and conducting community-focused arts administration. Mr. de Oliveria plays cavaco (a Portuguese string instrument similar to a guitar) and percussion in the Brazilian tradition, having performed with numerous Brazilian musicians in the US and abroad. He is a recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council 2018 Individual Artist Award. He co-founded the music production company Samba Jig Productions and the arts nonprofit EducArte Inc, with the mission to highlight important Latino and non-mainstream performers and cultural contributions.
- HELPING MCYO CELEBRATE THEIR 75TH ANNIVERSARY
Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras, who collaborate with and support SCC frequently with student and mentor instrumentalists joining SCC concerts over many years, celebrates their 75th anniversary in concert at Strathmore 4:00pm, Sunday, May 22, the weekend that follows our SCC 10th anniversary. They have asked for singers to join them in selections to include Baba Yetu, Ave Maria, Agnus Dei, The Tribute (aahs only), Kia Hora and Songo di volari. Choristers in Treble, Concert, and Tenor Bass are invited and encouraged to participate. We will have a rehearsal schedule for this music (and learning tracks) in the coming weeks, but the compulsory rehearsal with MCYO is Wednesday, May 18 in the evening (the night before our SCC concert). If your student is interested and in one of the three choruses listed above, let us know by contacting me directly, mwu@strathmore.org. Again, I should have more details in about two weeks.
- KEEP ON KEEPING ON
We are 11 weeks out from our own SCC Tenth Anniversary Concert, 7:00pm, Thursday, May 19, at Strathmore. Those weeks come with interruptions from Passover and Holy Week, MCPS and private school spring breaks, and from what variables life throws our way. Take the time now to be sure we can learn all our notes, memorize our repertoire, and give our very best in that celebration. The whole thing about practice is not that it makes perfect, but that practice makes permanent.
Have you ever given a presentation or musical performance where it did not go perfectly? I still do. What I find, though, is that if those presentations or performances are recorded, and I watch it alongside recordings of my practices, they go in the way I presented them most frequently. The last minute-perfect iteration is rarely what others see or get from me, because it has to sink into my kinesthetic memory, and last-minute does not usually get such preparations there. So, take advantage of the rehearsals and online resources you have to get yourselves ready for May.
CLEAR TO GO!
Please remember to complete your student's SCC health screening on Clear-To-Go the day of rehearsal. We appreciate it!
Preparatory Chorus
Our Preparatory Choristers
LOVE Working as a Team!
We are delighted to share how our Preparatory Choristers love working as a team! Each week, they are willing to share fun facts about themselves, such as their favorite winter activities. Many of our Preparatory Choristers enjoy sledding, making snow angels, throwing snowballs, building snowmen and ice skating.
In
addition, our Preparatory Singers love working together by the way they support
and care about each other. One example
of them demonstrating teamwork is the way they celebrate each other after one
section of singers perform individually as a group. After each section performs, the other
section claps and waves their hands to encourage and support their fellow
team-mates. Way to go Preparatory Chorus! We LOVE this!
During the month of February, our Preparatory Choristers had the opportunity to work with our SCC Vocal Coach, Dr. Dillon! Dr. Dillon heard many Preparatory singers perform a section of their spring concert piece, “I Ask for One Day”. Dr. Dillon gave them vocal tips and techniques on how keep the back of the mouth open, with lots of space when singing text that has high pitches. She also reminded our singers to breathe low and deep to connect the breath to the sound. Thank you, Dr. Dillon for your support in helping us to continue to work as a team!
Keep it up, Preparatory Choristers!
Apprentice Chorus
Apprentice Choristers Are Sharing Community Spirit!
During the month of February, we are delighted to share that our Apprentice Choristers are sharing community spirit by supporting each other in the following ways:
· Sharing weekly news about their families and friends
· Sharing connections about favorite winter activities
· Celebrating each chorister who shares individual accomplishments
Recently, our Apprentice Choristers had the wonderful opportunity of working with our SCC Vocal Coach, Dr. Dillon! We were thrilled to see so many of our choristers share their knowledge of their singing parts, and their joy of singing in person again. Thank you, Dr. Dillon! We appreciate you and our Apprentice Choristers as we work together toward building a choral community that is safe, supportive, and fun!
Keep
It up, Apprentice Choristers!
Treble Chorus
Our Treble Choristers are Building a Choral Community!
During the month of February, our Treble Choristers are continuing to build a choral community by supporting each other in the following ways:
· Sharing weekly updates about their families and friends
· Having discussions about favorite activities, hopes for the future and best ways to support each other while moving through a pandemic
· Celebrating choristers who sing their phrases and/or sections successfully as we prepare our concert repertoire each week
Recently, our Treble Choristers had the joy of working with our SCC Vocal Coach, Dr. Dillon! We were thrilled to see so many of our choristers share their singing parts for her. In addition, we were able to hear Dr. Dillon sing vocal samples and share her valuable feedback on how we can refine our singing techniques. Thank you, Dr. Dillon! We appreciate you and our Treble Choristers as we work together toward building a choral community that is caring, supportive, and filled with joy!
Keep It up, Treble Choristers!
