Hello everyone! School is in session and the Chamber Singers and College Choir have hit the ground running. With our PA$$ION concert just around the corner on October 23, we’ve been experimenting with different harmonics in order to create different qualities of sound. We’ve experimented with softer and pure vocal qualities as well as belting or “scream” type qualities. We differentiate these qualities by using terms like “whoop” and “HEY” to help realign our vocal tract to the space necessary to create a pure quality versus a “Broadway-like” one. It’s interesting how the slightest adjustment to the voice can change an entire feeling and meaning of a piece.
As for the Chamber Singers, there has been a lot of focus on the blocking for our concert in November that is entirely dedicated to opera. It’s been fascinating to watch as each person develops and commits to his or her character. People are discovering relationships and storylines with one another. Personally, I’ve found my character completely transform from the first week of creating her to our past rehearsal. After singing through all the pieces, we have begun to realize how our characters’ feelings shift from the beginning to the end of the show. We’re finding key moments in each piece to emphasize our character’s emotions towards each other. Whether it’s a solo or a group number, it’s fun to play around with each song and see how all the characters react in each piece. At times it has been challenging to stay in character while singing in German or French or even English! This concert is nothing like I’ve done before and I couldn’t be more excited to see this final product! I hope you are too! – Carley Buckley ’18
Be sure to check back next week for another blog update from the College Choirs 🙂