Praises from composer of "You Having Walked This Earth"

Hi all,

This morning I sent an MP3 of our recording session from last week to Joseph Stephens, the composer of "You Having Walked This Earth". Here's his reply:

Dear Dr. Bernhardt and Choir,

A truly amazing performance of "You having walked..."!!! I was overjoyed to hear your recording. I will try to get it on my website and list you guys as the performers. That all depends on my internet provider. Anyway, thanks so much for doing my stuff. It was great to hear that piece in particular because it is one I believe in greatly.

Have a great holiday season and keep up the good work.

Joe Stephens

His website is www.stephensmusic.com. I'll check it periodically and let you know when you guys are listed.

Cheers!
RCB

Thanks everyone!

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your performance last night! You all sang extremely well--particularly the Prayer of St. Patrick, which was really quite stunning from where I stood. I received numerous compliments about the quality of your singing from folks in the congregation.

And thank you for a great semester! I've really enjoyed working with you and am SO PROUD of your musical accomplishments. You don't often hear choirs from colleges of our size that sing as well as you do. Keep up the good work!

A couple of final housekeeping notices:

(1) If you haven't handed in choir music yet, please bring it down to the choir room and place it on the long table so we can start filing things away.

(2) I will be in NYC performing with a professional choir at Carnegie Hall the first week of January, won't be here the first week of classes. I'll have one of the other music faculty take the first rehearsal, just to have you check in and receive music. Your first assignment will be to learn one of the easier pieces (or a portion of one) on your own with study files that will be placed on the website. Piece to be announced later.

(3) Be sure to check the departmental calendar on the website so you can clear any conflicts with our performance schedule.

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

RCB

Some holiday cheer...

Hi gang,

Some really nice singing yesterday! I was pleased overall with how the recordings came out, particularly since we only did 1-2 takes of each.

I've edited the Concert Choir tracks and have put them online--click the links below if you want to hear them. (Right click to save them to your computer.)

Prayer of St. Patrick
'Tis You That Are the Music
You Having Walked This Earth

CHRISTMAS BONUS:
If you enjoyed hearing Kellye Cash singing "O Holy Night" at the Jackson Symphony pops concert, click here to hear one even more stunning! :)

See you Sunday at 6 p.m. in the Ballroom. Happy Holidays!
RCB

Great tour!

Hey gang,

Thank you SO MUCH for all your hard work on Leg 1 of our tour! I really appreciate your hard work, energy, and enthusiasm!

It's always so rewarding for me to see how much the tour program matures and takes on new life with each performance. While it's important to keep striving for improved performances, it's also important to look back, take stock of how far you've come, and realize what a high level of musicianship you've displayed. Several choir alums from 5-6 years ago were in attendance at last night's concert, and they were absolutely awestruck by your performance. I would never have attempted many of the pieces on this year's program 5 years ago.

It's EXTREMELY rare to hear choirs from a school of less than 1,000 students perform at the level you do. It just doesn't happen! You should feel proud that you can hold your own with schools that have 10 times the number of students (and more money and resources to boot).

Housekeeping announcements:

1. We will NOT have Lambuth Singers or Choral Methods today (Wed. 11/15).

2. We WILL have Concert Choir tomorrow (Thurs. 11/16), so we can get the "Many Moods" medley under our belts for the Jackson Symphony performance.

2. Friday--be ready to load the bus at 9:15! We'll eat lunch in Memphis at 11:00 and then spend a little time getting used to the Harding Academy auditorium while the All-SW students are at lunch. We perform at 1:30 for 20 minutes or so.

Thanks again, everyone! See you tomorrow afternoon!

Choir tour - miscellaneous announcements

Hey gang,

As I mentioned in rehearsal last week, the cost for the Space Center is $11 per person. I need that money by Friday of this week so I can deposit in the choir account.

Your lodging and meals are covered by our department. For the 4 meals not provided by churches or hotel, each of you will be given $30.00. Bring extra money if you want to eat more "upscale".

Since both high school gigs are on one day (Monday 11/13) and there isn't a church performance that evening, we're going to wear formal black concert attire at the high schools as well.

First Sopranos: Several of you forgot to come by to work with me on Friday! Pop by sometime tomorrow (Tuesday)--it will really help unify the section sound for tour!

RCB

Addition to calendar - Nov. 30

Hey everybody,

At the request of President Zuker, we have been asked to perform as part of a Christmas program that will be videotaped for broadcast on JEA's Eplus channel (local cable system). We will meet at Liberty Technological Magnet High School here in Jackson at 11:00 a.m. on November 30, and will be done by 11:45. I'll have more details (repertoire to be videotaped, directions, etc.) as we get closer to the date.

RCB

Wikipedia article on my hometown

I looked up my hometown on Wikipedia this morning:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogersville,_Missouri

This is what one contributor has to say about the town:

Rogersville is home to many intelligent and forward-thinking children of all ages. They love Wikipedia. They don't love Rogersville. They feel trapped. They are high.

Funny, but also true. This shows, however, that you can't always trust Internet sources when researching your term papers!

Rooming and bus signup for tour

Hey gang,

I've posted signup sheets for the buses and housing on tour. They're located on the big departmental bulletin board right inside the west end doors of the Chapel. Could you stop by when you get a free moment and sign up? Thanks! - RCB

Thanks for homecoming weekend!

Thanks SO MUCH for all your performing over Homecoming weekend, and in Chapel on Tuesday. I've heard several glowing reports on your singing! I know that was a big chunk of time to give on Friday and Saturday, and I really appreciate your dedication and patience. Next year I'm going to see if we can move everything to the end of the Alumni Dinner--or at least break out the cheesecake for you while you wait!

I barely made it to my brother's wedding Saturday. My car broke down in the Missouri Bootheel, so I had to have the garage take me back over to Dyersburg on Saturday to rent a car. AARRGGHH! I made it just in time for the photos and ceremony, which was very nice. I got to see cousins and friends that I hadn't seen for years--we all had less hair and more wrinkles!

See you at rehearsal!
RCB

Concert Choir in Chapel today

Hi all,

Just a reminder that Concert Choir is singing in Chapel today at 1:00 p.m. Wear "presentable casual"--I have on khakis and a polo shirt if that helps define what I mean. We'll be singing "You Having Walked This Earth". See you this afternoon!

RCB

Rehearsal in Hamilton Room again today

Concert Choir will rehearse in the Hamilton Room in the Wilder College Union again today!

Creating room for silence

Hi all,

The minister at our church spoke this past Sunday about "Finding Time for Meaning". In his sermon, he quoted 20th-century composer Arnold Schoenberg on the importance of rests in music, and how that symbolizes the importance of silence in our lives.

It brought to mind another quote by Arvo Pärt, contemporary Estonian composer (and subject of my doctoral dissertation): "How can one fill the time with notes worthy of the preceding silence?" I play a short musical interlude between the sermon and time for joys & concerns, and was inspired to insert long pauses after each phrase. It was amazing how many people paid attention to silence in a portion of the service that's usually background "traveling music".

We have trouble as a society with handling silence. Think about all the things by which we're bomarded every day:

• background Muzak
• TV screens simultaneously filled with the current show and ads for upcoming ones
• speakers booming in cars driving down the street
• talking automated check-outs at Wal-Mart
• cell phones ringing in every room we enter

We hear so much every day, and yet I think that, as a culture, all of us have lost some of the ability to truly listen. I get invitations all the time from community organizations to have one of the choirs perform for them at a luncheon or other function where they want "entertainment", but I rarely accept, because we would be just another element of audio "background radiation". To really let choral music touch the soul, the audience has to be placed in an environment that allows for some silence to let the music seep through the spirit.

I encourage you to find some silent time in your busy lives. Have a great fall break!
RCB

Concert Choir in Ballroom today

Hey gang,

We'll be rehearsing in the Wilder Union again today. The Hamilton Room is set up for another function, so we'll use the Ballroom side of the room to rehearse. It's VERY "ringy" in there, so extraneous noise will really have to be kept to a bare minimum. See you at 3:25!

RCB

New Singers study files on website

Hi Lambuth Singers,

Just noticed that I hadn't uploaded the "Cloudburst" study files to the website. Sorry about that! They're now online. Spend time with them over the next week--we need to have all note problems squared away on it by next Thursday, Oct. 12.

I've also added a link to a pronunciation file streamed from musicanet.org for "Il Est Bel et Bon". Note especially the pronunciation on "pays" and "poulailles" - the Old French spelling threw me off so I taught those two words to you incorrectly. The main vowel on "pays" is eh, and on "poulailles" it's ah.

Personality clashes

Hi all,

It's getting about that time of year where the pressure of upcoming midterms, stress of busy lives, and overall personality clashes bring out interpersonal conflicts between choir members.

In an ideal world, nothing would make me happier than to have every singer in our choirs get along with everyone else. Whether you do or not, however, is irrelevant; it CANNOT and WILL NOT get in the way of our shared goal of musical excellence.

I've spoken to several people individually. This is a gentle reminder to everyone:

• Check your personal problems, egos, and personality conflicts at the door when you enter rehearsal.
• Review the Professional Standards set forth in your syllabus and find ways in which you can improve in fulfilling them. They are a requirement for membership in the choirs and determine your grade.
  
• Make EVERY MINUTE of rehearsal focused towards making our ensembles the best they can be.

It is your responsibility now to see that no further reminders (which would be much less gentle) are necessary.

RCB

Rehearsal in Hamilton Room today

Just a reminder that today's rehearsal is in the Hamilton Room (left end of the ballroom) in the Wilder Union building. We'll rehearse in the round so you'll get a better sense of how the "Prayer of St. Patrick" works. See you at 3:25 this afternoon!

Dr. B

Tour, program update

Tour program update:

Thanks to those of you who responded to my earlier post and in-class inquiries about the concert closer. I appreciate your input! The prevailing opinion is that too many people are weary of the piece to make it effective; it was worth considering because of how well it worked in the programming, but I agree with the general consensus.

Be careful, though, that we don't fall into the trap of always equating complexity with appropriateness for a college ensemble. Just because a piece is simple, or has been done by a high school choir, doesn't mean that we shouldn't do it. One of the masterpieces of the choral repertoire, Mozart's "Ave verum" from last year's tour, can be performed by junior-high choirs, but I've also performed it with professional choirs. Not that I'm placing "The Awakening" with Mozart, by any means! However, a good university choral concert has to balance fast/slow, foreign language/English, somber/joyous, simple/complex, major/minor, and a host of other factors to be truly effective for our audiences. The challenge is to take a simpler piece and perform it at a college-appropriate level of artistry.

In reviewing the tour program, I decided that it was weighted really heavy on the front end, so I'm shifting some things around. The movement from the Rutter "Gloria" will be moved to the end, right after "'Tis You" and "Sky-Born Music". We'll follow it with a recessional, "Down to the River to Pray". We did it 3-4 years ago and it was very effective; it also sets up positioning for Alma Mater/Irish Blessing.

Tour venue update:

I'm still in the process of getting tour scheduled. It's been much more challenging this year getting venues lined up, so several things aren't firmed up yet, but I thought I'd give you some idea of what we have so far.

Sunday Nov. 12 -
We may be singing at Northside UMC here in Jackson that morning. It's not confirmed yet, so I'll let you know as soon as I know anything.
That evening we'll be at First UMC in Crossville, TN, between Nashville and Knoxville.

Monday Nov. 13 -
This day is stil up in the air. I was shooting for First UMC in Montgomery, AL, but nothing seems to be firming up so I'm looking at other options. We'll do a high school or two during the day.

Tuesday Nov. 14 -
Another couple of high school stops. Tuesday evening will be at Brentwood UMC in Nashville.

Friday Nov. 17 -
We'll perform for the All-Southwest Honor Choir in Memphis, at the beginning of their afternoon rehearsal.

Sunday Nov. 19 -
Fall concert at Lambuth, 3pm in the Chapel. Invite your family and friends!

More details as they develop....

RCB

Good performance Lambuth Singers!

Thanks to the Lambuth Singers for a fine Saturday afternoon performance at the All-Northwest audition workshop! You were able to conquer the rain, the less-than-ideal acoustic, and the hectic day to produce a well-polished end product. I really appreciated your energy, careful listening, and attention to detail.

We had 28 high school students at the workshop; I had expected more, but the bad storms undoubtedly kept many from coming. Some of the students are singers that I've been talking to and recruiting throughout their high school career, and several of them are going to audition for us. Your performances entice good singers to join our program!

Thanks again - keep up the good work!
RCB

Opinions requested - closing number for tour

Hey gang,

I'd like some feedback regarding the closing Concert Choir number for the tour program. I had originally planned to do Dave Brubeck's "All My Hope", but the players needed for the backup band wouldn't be able to go on tour.

What would you think about doing "The Awakening" again? Other than Irish Blessing, it's very rare that I want to repeat a piece even within a 4-5 year period, much less 2 years in a row. However, there are several reasons why I'm considering it:
1. You sang it so well last year;
2. It was so well received by the audience;
3. It's on the CD, which would help us sell the remaining stock;
4. Huneycutt loves it;
5. The text fits perfectly with "Tis You That Are the Music" and "Sky-Born Music" to make the closing set;
6. Since all the veterans know the piece, it wouldn't take long to put together, giving us more time for the Symphony Christmas music and Prayer of St. Patrick (which will be challenging to put together).

The downside would be that you might be tired of it, which would show in our performance.

What do you think? Posted comments welcome!
RCB

Kudos from Dr. Charles K. Smith

In yesterday's rehearsal, I read you a few of the words of praise regarding our CD from Dr. Charles K. Smith, but I thought I'd post them here as well so you can read them for yourself.

Dr. Smith was my mentor during my doctoral study at Michigan State University. He is one of the top conductors in the country, has a great mind and set of ears, and does not offer praise lightly. His words confirmed what I already knew: you folks are marvelous!

Here are some of the highlights:

"...the entire CD has a very good "open" sound."
Sing Unto God:
"Your Fetler is an excellent opening, with lovely tone quality, intonation, balance and drama."

Laudate Dominum:
"...perfect tempo, lovely soloist [yay Erica!], moments of espressive ritard leading to your linear choral entrance, excellent ensemble throughout"

Aus tiefer/Schaffe set:
"I like the combination of the Dietrich and Brahms, the Brahms with such linearity!"

Psalm 23 "might be my favorite of the CD."

Out of the Deep:
"I like the choir's ability to shift technique and sound from style to style. Where's my beer??"

A Boy and a Girl:
"...the choir sings so well and with fullness, accurate and clean treatment of the dissonances."

Muie rendera:
"...happy music, infectious rhythm."

Loch Lomond:
"Good male voice on Loch Lomond [hooray for John!], and a good, strong TTBB sound!"

In closing:
"The CD is full of interesting music sung very well...Congratulations on all that you are doing there, it is a pleasure to have this CD and hear your success for myself."

Wonderful words, and well-deserved! Keep up the good work - I'm proud of you all!

RCB

Reminder - opening convocation

Hey gang,

Just a reminder that we are performing "Sky-Born Music" at opening convocation next Tuesday, September 5, at 1:00 p.m. in the Chapel. Be on the risers in the sanctuary at 12:50 to warm up.

Attire: "dressy school clothes"
Men - wear a tie
Women - dress, skirt/blouse, or nice slacks
NO JEANS!

Bring your music in a black binder!

Another reminder: Several of you still need to fill out the student info form online and post to the blog! Click HERE to go to the student info form.

Have a great Labor Day weekend - see you Tuesday!
RCB

Congrats to the 2006-07 Lambuth Singers!

MANY, MANY thanks to those who auditioned for Lambuth Singers! The decision was EXTREMELY difficult this year since we had so many talented singers audition for the chamber ensemble.

The 2006-07 Lambuth Singers are:

Soprano
Ayers, Kristen
Gladney, Erica
Matlock, Elizabeth
O'Neil, Emily
Young, Mary Ruth

Alto
Autry, Lori
Ballard, Amber
Campbell, Kendal
Culbreath, Amy
Hall, Ariel
Hamilton, Caroline

Tenor
Collins, Matthew
Mathenia, Michael
Miller, Ben
Mullins, Dustin
Watson, Randy

Bass
Albart, Steven
Johnson, Adam
Rossetti, Reed
Wallace, John
Washington, John
Wells, John

Welcome! -- first assignment

Hey everybody!

Welcome to campus, new choir members - and welcome back to the veterans! We're going to have a great group of singers this year, and I'm excited about getting started!

This is the choir blog, a place where I can post messages, express thoughts, and ask opinions, and you can post back to let your voice be heard.

Three assignments for you:
1. Click HERE to go to the choir student info form
Fill it out, click "submit"
Please get this done before Thursday morning!

2. Post a comment to this message (click the comment link below the message) - introduce yourself to the choir, tell us where you're from, something interesting about yourself, what you did this summer. Keep it clean! :)

3. We are singing "Sky-Born Music" at opening convocation September 5th and only have two rehearsals! After first rehearsal, go to the Concert Choir web page to access study files for this piece - work on your part before second rehearsal!

Looking forward to a GREAT year!
RCB

Baccalaureate/graduation info

Hey gang,

Here's the time/place/attire info for baccalaureate and graduation tomorrow (Sunday, April 30):

Baccalaureate - Chapel - Lambuth Singers perform
meet at 9:45 a.m. on the risers
formal concert attire
service starts at 1:00 p.m.
music - "The Road Not Taken" from memory

Graduation - Gym - Concert Choir performs
meet at 12:45 p.m. in the gym
formal concert attire
we are sitting and performing in the NE corner
commencement at 1:00 p.m.
music - "The Awakening" from memory

IMPORTANT! - PLEASE BRING ALL YOUR CHOIR MUSIC WITH YOU TO HAND IN BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR THE SUMMER!

CDs ship tomorrow!

Hey everybody,

Just got an e-mail from our manufacturer that the CDs will be shipping tomorrow! So we should be seeing them here next week!

The poster is going into production today and it will take about a week to complete. If you'd like to see the poster, you can view it by clicking here.

I have the best job in the world!

Hey gang,

WOW! What a fabulous performance you put on last night! Your focus and energy were absolutely stellar! As we started the loud "no alleluia" section, I thought, "I have the best job anyone could possibly have!" It is such a rush to stand in front of that wall of sound!

You'll be amazed to see how much mileage we'll get out of that performance. Having an ensemble perform for the Methodist churches with that level of refinement draws attention to Lambuth like no other organization can. Maybe we'll get another check written to us!

Let's keep the momentum going. HOORAH!
RCB

Psalm 23 performed in Canada!

Hi everybody,

My "Psalm 23" is being performed by a professional chamber choir in Canada this coming Sunday! The Cantata Singers of Ottawa are including it on a program of psalm settings. You can see their program repertoire (plus a pic of yours truly) on their website at:

http://www.cantatasingers.ottawa.on.ca/programmes/2005-2006/2006-01-29.shtml

January blahs

Hi all,

John Wells posted a comment to my previous post, and since I haven't posted in a couple of weeks, I thought I'd insert it here to make sure you see it.

I was just thinking this afternoon and thought i'd share this....
It seemed to me that in the past two rehearsals everyone (myself included) was much less energetic, excited, and committed than usual...
Perhaps we're just getting back into the "groove of things" for the semester and it was like this at the beginning of last semester. i hope that's the case.. And hey, it could've been the snow!
At any rate, we set forth a precedence of excellence for ourselves last semester, and now must live up to it for ourselves, our university, and those that come in contact with it.

I've noticed the same thing and attribute it to two things:
1. Weather: It's amazing how gray, dreary days can affect your energy. I have major seasonal affect myself and don't enjoy cloudy days AT ALL! And then we come into a chapel sanctuary with walls painted like a gray, dreary day....double whammy! I try as hard as possible not to let that interfere with my work as a conductor, and I hope that my weather issues didn't influence your energy level negatively.

2. Recording: Recording sessions are much more energy-consuming than ordinary rehearsals or concerts. Take after take of the same chunk of music can be tedious and exhausting, and it's hard to get a sense of what the end product will be. Plus you've been singing this music since August!

While realizing the causes, we also realize that we have to work harder collectively to keep the same level of energy on these low-energy days that we have in concerts. The word is out that Lambuth has the best university choral program in the region, and we don't want our singing this semester to alter that conception.

'Nuff said....y'all are great...let's keep moving forward!