It's that time again: time to brush up your vocal skills and audition to become a member of the University of Utah Singers!
Auditions for the choir will be held on August 19, 20, and 23, with callback auditions on August 24. Call or visit the School of Music office (801-581-6762) to schedule an audition appointment.
You will need to come prepared with a vocal solo and ready to sightread and complete some vocal exercises. This year you will also need to come prepared to sing your voice part on two different choral pieces: the Argentine folk song "Arroz con Leche" and Morten Lauridsen's "Soneto de la Noche."
Detailed information is posted on our website. You can also download copies of the two required choral pieces there.
While you wait for the new year to begin, why not hop on over to our YouTube channel? We have begun posting videos from last year's Israel tour, with more on the way! And don't forget to join us on Facebook for all the latest news, as well as pictures and video!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Tour: Back to Jerusalem and home!
As I write this, we are sitting/sleeping/eating/emailing in the Philadelphia airport, having finished the first leg of our trip home and awaiting the second. The last couple of days of our tour were a nice relaxing ending to a wonderful trip.
On Friday morning, we left Jericho, where we had spent the night, and headed back to Jerusalem. We spent some time at the Garden Tomb:
And at Gethsemane, where we sang together for the last time as the 2009-2010 University of Utah Singers.
I think I can safely speak for everyone in the choir when I say that we could not have possibly asked for a better ending.
After that, we went to Hezekiah's Tunnel. The tunnel was created long, long ago, around 700 BC, as a way to divert water to Jerusalem during a siege. Two teams of diggers started at opposite ends to make the tunnel, and met in the middle, which is quite a feat! Today, you can take a tour of the tunnel. You wade through cold, fresh water that, depending on your height, can rise to your mid-thigh, and walk through narrow tunnels with low ceilings, that, also depending on your height, can sometimes cause you to have to stoop quite low. It's pitch black, so you need some kind of light (our group used a variety of lighting instruments, including iphone apps, cameras, head lamps, and actual flashlights), and if you are claustrophobic at all, it is certainly not for you.
We loved it!
On Saturday, we had a free day (I know many people went back to the Old City of Jerusalem) until our final choir dinner, and then we headed to Ben Gurion airport for our 11:55 PM flight.
It was the trip of a lifetime and one I'm sure none of us will ever forget! Thanks again to everyone who made it possible or had a hand in it in any way. We are very much indebted to you! Thank you!
On Friday morning, we left Jericho, where we had spent the night, and headed back to Jerusalem. We spent some time at the Garden Tomb:
And at Gethsemane, where we sang together for the last time as the 2009-2010 University of Utah Singers.
I think I can safely speak for everyone in the choir when I say that we could not have possibly asked for a better ending.
After that, we went to Hezekiah's Tunnel. The tunnel was created long, long ago, around 700 BC, as a way to divert water to Jerusalem during a siege. Two teams of diggers started at opposite ends to make the tunnel, and met in the middle, which is quite a feat! Today, you can take a tour of the tunnel. You wade through cold, fresh water that, depending on your height, can rise to your mid-thigh, and walk through narrow tunnels with low ceilings, that, also depending on your height, can sometimes cause you to have to stoop quite low. It's pitch black, so you need some kind of light (our group used a variety of lighting instruments, including iphone apps, cameras, head lamps, and actual flashlights), and if you are claustrophobic at all, it is certainly not for you.
We loved it!
On Saturday, we had a free day (I know many people went back to the Old City of Jerusalem) until our final choir dinner, and then we headed to Ben Gurion airport for our 11:55 PM flight.
It was the trip of a lifetime and one I'm sure none of us will ever forget! Thanks again to everyone who made it possible or had a hand in it in any way. We are very much indebted to you! Thank you!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tour: Ancient places and Ein Gedi
Yesterday was quite a full, hot, hot, hot day. We started off fairly early on a bus ride to the West Bank, where we drove through the Judean wilderness (and it is quite a wilderness) and stopped in Jericho. Here, we found the Spring of Elisha.
After drinking upstream of some goats and some native children playing in the water, we hopped back on the bus and made our way to Qumran.
This is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. I can't imagine finding them after wandering through a desert like that one. It's ridiculously hot. Here is a photo illustration of what I mean:
Next up, we traveled to Masada, where around 950 Jewish zealots were besieged by Romans for three years. The Romans wanted to take the Jewish people as slaves, but the Jewish people would have none of it. In a tragic turn of events, as the Romans breached their fortress, all of the residents of Masada killed themselves rather than become slaves.
When we finished at Masada, we headed to the Dead Sea. Many choir members had a great time being unable to sink!
Finally, we arrived at the Ein Gedi kibbutz, where the wonderful people who live and work there fed us a fantastic meal and showed us to the concert hall for our sound check.
Our last concert was lighthearted and fun, despite all of us feeling a little sad that the whole thing has come to an end. It's been a fantastic ride!
We'll do a little more touring of the country today and tomorrow, and then we're home on Sunday. The entire choir would like to express are most sincere gratitude to everyone who has helped us and supported us through the trip, including President Young, our families, all of our audiences, and most especially Olivia Dakkak and Maya Shavit. We couldn't have done it without you!
After drinking upstream of some goats and some native children playing in the water, we hopped back on the bus and made our way to Qumran.
This is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. I can't imagine finding them after wandering through a desert like that one. It's ridiculously hot. Here is a photo illustration of what I mean:
Next up, we traveled to Masada, where around 950 Jewish zealots were besieged by Romans for three years. The Romans wanted to take the Jewish people as slaves, but the Jewish people would have none of it. In a tragic turn of events, as the Romans breached their fortress, all of the residents of Masada killed themselves rather than become slaves.
When we finished at Masada, we headed to the Dead Sea. Many choir members had a great time being unable to sink!
Finally, we arrived at the Ein Gedi kibbutz, where the wonderful people who live and work there fed us a fantastic meal and showed us to the concert hall for our sound check.
Our last concert was lighthearted and fun, despite all of us feeling a little sad that the whole thing has come to an end. It's been a fantastic ride!
We'll do a little more touring of the country today and tomorrow, and then we're home on Sunday. The entire choir would like to express are most sincere gratitude to everyone who has helped us and supported us through the trip, including President Young, our families, all of our audiences, and most especially Olivia Dakkak and Maya Shavit. We couldn't have done it without you!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tour: More Jerusalem
Today was wonderful for all of us! We spent about seven hours wandering around the Old City of Jerusalem. The first stop was the Dome of the Rock.
We also saw the Church of the Holy Sepulchre:
The Wailing Wall:
And so many other things! It was very hot and we were very tired, but it was also really great!
Eventually, we ended up at the BYU Jerusalem Center. It is a very beautiful facility and the views of the city are stunning.
The Jerusalem Center was very kind in hosting us. They gave us a tour, let us hear the organ, and fed us. The students there were also nice. (Healing a rivalry one concert at a time!) Our concert in the hall there was completely full and, as we have enjoyed this entire tour, spectacularly well received. All of us had a fantastic time and would like to express our sincere thanks to the people of the BYU Jerusalem Center for their hospitality.
As the tour winds to an end, we'll have our last concert tomorrow in Ein Geddi. If you've missed us so far but you'll be in the area, we hope to see you there!
We also saw the Church of the Holy Sepulchre:
The Wailing Wall:
And so many other things! It was very hot and we were very tired, but it was also really great!
Eventually, we ended up at the BYU Jerusalem Center. It is a very beautiful facility and the views of the city are stunning.
The Jerusalem Center was very kind in hosting us. They gave us a tour, let us hear the organ, and fed us. The students there were also nice. (Healing a rivalry one concert at a time!) Our concert in the hall there was completely full and, as we have enjoyed this entire tour, spectacularly well received. All of us had a fantastic time and would like to express our sincere thanks to the people of the BYU Jerusalem Center for their hospitality.
As the tour winds to an end, we'll have our last concert tomorrow in Ein Geddi. If you've missed us so far but you'll be in the area, we hope to see you there!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tour: Bell Caves and Jerusalem
We have had a busy couple of days!
On Monday, we got to visit some of the caves in Israel. There are some areas that are completely dotted with caves that are quite old. People used them as cisterns, marketplaces, raised pigeons for food...they just kept digging and digging into them so they got deeper and deeper. We got to explore one of them.
Afterwards, we had a concert in the Bell Caves (Govrin Caves). These are totally man-made caves that were used as limestone quarries. They are huge and a really, really fun place to sing!
I know I speak for everyone in the choir when I say this was a definite highlight of our tour so far. Simply incredible. Huge thanks to the choir that hosted us and our host families for the night! You are wonderful!
Today, we arrived in Jerusalem. What an amazing city! It is beautiful and the amount of history all around us is amazing us all.
We spent the morning/early afternoon sightseeing: the Church of the Nativity (in Bethlehem), Mount Zion, King David's Tomb. Not even scratching the surface! We also took some time to visit the Israeli museum, where we saw fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Yad Vashem, an incredibly moving holocaust memorial. It was a full day in many ways.
At about 7:30, we went to a theater in Jerusalem where the Israeli music festival was beginning. We sang for the crowd outside and then got to go in and attend a King's Singers concert! What wonderful luck for us! It was an unexpected but very welcome addition to our itinerary.
All in all, a very full, satisfying day. Tomorrow we will see more of Jerusalem, then tour the BYU Jerusalem Center, where we'll give a concert tomorrow night. Should be great! If you're in the area, we hope to see you there!
On Monday, we got to visit some of the caves in Israel. There are some areas that are completely dotted with caves that are quite old. People used them as cisterns, marketplaces, raised pigeons for food...they just kept digging and digging into them so they got deeper and deeper. We got to explore one of them.
Afterwards, we had a concert in the Bell Caves (Govrin Caves). These are totally man-made caves that were used as limestone quarries. They are huge and a really, really fun place to sing!
I know I speak for everyone in the choir when I say this was a definite highlight of our tour so far. Simply incredible. Huge thanks to the choir that hosted us and our host families for the night! You are wonderful!
Today, we arrived in Jerusalem. What an amazing city! It is beautiful and the amount of history all around us is amazing us all.
We spent the morning/early afternoon sightseeing: the Church of the Nativity (in Bethlehem), Mount Zion, King David's Tomb. Not even scratching the surface! We also took some time to visit the Israeli museum, where we saw fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Yad Vashem, an incredibly moving holocaust memorial. It was a full day in many ways.
At about 7:30, we went to a theater in Jerusalem where the Israeli music festival was beginning. We sang for the crowd outside and then got to go in and attend a King's Singers concert! What wonderful luck for us! It was an unexpected but very welcome addition to our itinerary.
All in all, a very full, satisfying day. Tomorrow we will see more of Jerusalem, then tour the BYU Jerusalem Center, where we'll give a concert tomorrow night. Should be great! If you're in the area, we hope to see you there!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Tour: many, many places!
Sorry there hasn't been an update for a few days! There has been no internet availability. So this will be a good catch up post.
As of our last post, we were in Emek Hefer. After a free day with our host families (many of us visited the beach and/or Cesarea---thank you VERY MUCH to our wonderful and generous hosts!), we had a concert there on Thursday night.
Again, the audience was fantastic and the hall was filled. The women of Singers got to sing a combined piece with the Efroni Choir, which was such a fun experience for us! Come visit us any time, girls! We'd love to sing with you again!
On Friday, we traveled to Kibbutz Bar'am, which is in the north of the country, and we took our time getting there, so we got to sightsee a little bit on our way. We stopped at the Mount of Beatitudes:
The Sea of Galilee:
The Church of the Apostles, which is a Greek Orthodox church, so we sang from the All-Night Vigil while we were there:
And several other places. Eventually, we ended up at Kibbutz Bar'am, where we had a concert.
The Bar'am audience was incredible. Literally filled to bursting! Every seat was filled, and every doorway, and every stairwell...people stood, willingly, for an hour and a half, and probably would have stood for an hour and a half more! I have never seen anything like it! It's incredible, and the entire choir is so thankful for the graciousness we have received as we've been here.
After our concert in Bar'am, we headed to Nazareth for the night, but just to sleep---the next morning, we were up bright and early to head back to Abu Gosh for our third festival performance. This performance was not originally scheduled and was not on the festival program. It was completely on-demand because our concerts had sold out so quickly. This one also sold out! People just can't get enough! I hate to keep using the word amazing, but it really is truly amazing. The Israeli people love music so much! It is such an honor to share it with them. We truly enjoyed our time at the festival! Thank you for inviting us!
When we finished at Abu Gosh and finally said goodbye to all the people asking us to come back next year, we drove back to Nazareth for our second concert of the day. This one was at the El Mutran church, and the acoustic there was divine.
A local church choir sang for us while we were there, which was a really great experience and fun for us to hear! It sure seemed like everyone enjoyed the concert. I know we all really enjoyed singing there!
That brings us to today, Sunday. Dr. Allred gave a workshop at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv for Israeli choral conductors and students, and we were his demonstration choir.
We sang bits of different pieces for them while Dr. Allred demonstrated things like different balances and tone colors. He also answered any questions the attendees had.
Those who attended really enjoyed learning from Dr. Allred, and I know many of the members of Singers who are studying music were excited to be visiting another music school in another part of the world!
After the workshop ended, we had some free time to explore Jaffa.
Tonight, we're taking it easy in our hotel, and tomorrow we head off to the Govrin Caves, also called the Bell Caves for another concert. We're looking forward to it!
A huge thanks to everyone who has helped us so far. We couldn't do it without you!
As of our last post, we were in Emek Hefer. After a free day with our host families (many of us visited the beach and/or Cesarea---thank you VERY MUCH to our wonderful and generous hosts!), we had a concert there on Thursday night.
Again, the audience was fantastic and the hall was filled. The women of Singers got to sing a combined piece with the Efroni Choir, which was such a fun experience for us! Come visit us any time, girls! We'd love to sing with you again!
On Friday, we traveled to Kibbutz Bar'am, which is in the north of the country, and we took our time getting there, so we got to sightsee a little bit on our way. We stopped at the Mount of Beatitudes:
The Sea of Galilee:
The Church of the Apostles, which is a Greek Orthodox church, so we sang from the All-Night Vigil while we were there:
And several other places. Eventually, we ended up at Kibbutz Bar'am, where we had a concert.
The Bar'am audience was incredible. Literally filled to bursting! Every seat was filled, and every doorway, and every stairwell...people stood, willingly, for an hour and a half, and probably would have stood for an hour and a half more! I have never seen anything like it! It's incredible, and the entire choir is so thankful for the graciousness we have received as we've been here.
After our concert in Bar'am, we headed to Nazareth for the night, but just to sleep---the next morning, we were up bright and early to head back to Abu Gosh for our third festival performance. This performance was not originally scheduled and was not on the festival program. It was completely on-demand because our concerts had sold out so quickly. This one also sold out! People just can't get enough! I hate to keep using the word amazing, but it really is truly amazing. The Israeli people love music so much! It is such an honor to share it with them. We truly enjoyed our time at the festival! Thank you for inviting us!
When we finished at Abu Gosh and finally said goodbye to all the people asking us to come back next year, we drove back to Nazareth for our second concert of the day. This one was at the El Mutran church, and the acoustic there was divine.
A local church choir sang for us while we were there, which was a really great experience and fun for us to hear! It sure seemed like everyone enjoyed the concert. I know we all really enjoyed singing there!
That brings us to today, Sunday. Dr. Allred gave a workshop at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv for Israeli choral conductors and students, and we were his demonstration choir.
We sang bits of different pieces for them while Dr. Allred demonstrated things like different balances and tone colors. He also answered any questions the attendees had.
Those who attended really enjoyed learning from Dr. Allred, and I know many of the members of Singers who are studying music were excited to be visiting another music school in another part of the world!
After the workshop ended, we had some free time to explore Jaffa.
Tonight, we're taking it easy in our hotel, and tomorrow we head off to the Govrin Caves, also called the Bell Caves for another concert. We're looking forward to it!
A huge thanks to everyone who has helped us so far. We couldn't do it without you!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tour: Abu Gosh (take 2) and Emek Hefer
We had our second performance at the Abu Gosh Vocal Music Festival today, with some different repertoire from yesterday. Again, another standing-room-only house, with very wonderful audience members! I'd post some pictures of the concert if I had them, but since I don't, here's a candid of us before our warm-up today.
After the concert, we again were met with such gracious responses. People told us thank you for doing what we do. It is so wonderful to get that kind of reaction! We've also apparently formed quite a little following here. People are anxious to get our tour programs and find out where our next concerts are, because they want to come! We've had many people say things like, "See you on Saturday!" We have groupies!
After the concert, we said goodbye to this place:
And headed to Emek Hefer where we met up with the Efroni Choir, lead by Maya Shavit. They fed us and we socialized:
And then they sang for us. They were great!
After the meet-and-greet we were divvied out to our different host families throughout the region. Tomorrow we'll all have separate activities depending on what our host families decide they'd like to do, and then we'll meet up again at 6:30 for a concert in Emek-Hefer. Then we're off to Bar'am! See you there!
After the concert, we again were met with such gracious responses. People told us thank you for doing what we do. It is so wonderful to get that kind of reaction! We've also apparently formed quite a little following here. People are anxious to get our tour programs and find out where our next concerts are, because they want to come! We've had many people say things like, "See you on Saturday!" We have groupies!
After the concert, we said goodbye to this place:
And headed to Emek Hefer where we met up with the Efroni Choir, lead by Maya Shavit. They fed us and we socialized:
And then they sang for us. They were great!
After the meet-and-greet we were divvied out to our different host families throughout the region. Tomorrow we'll all have separate activities depending on what our host families decide they'd like to do, and then we'll meet up again at 6:30 for a concert in Emek-Hefer. Then we're off to Bar'am! See you there!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tour: Abu Gosh Festival
Today was our first day singing at the Abu Gosh festival. After a nice relaxing morning at our hotel…
…we headed over to the Kiryat Yearim Church (where we would perform later) to warm up. It is in a beautiful little area and the acoustics were great!
At 3:00, it was time for our concert. The house was packed. I mean PACKED. I mean it was probably some kind of fire hazard. Wow! We sang some of the classical repertoire that had been requested by the festival organizers---Bach, Allegri, Brahms---and Carol Ann Allred sang a set of Schubert lieder. All of it was received with incredible enthusiasm! After we finished the classics, we did a short set of American songs. Since they had requested nothing but classical music, we were a little nervous about how these pieces would be received. We didn’t need to be! They loved all of them! And the unison Euro-clap apparently extends to Israel! Who knew?
The concert went extremely well. Afterwards, many of us talked with the audience members. They were so gracious and kind. It is extremely gratifying to sing for such appreciative people. They told us that our audiences would only get bigger as our tour progressed because word would spread. Considering we started with a more-than-sold-out crowd, I can only imagine what’s in store!
Tomorrow we have another festival performance (with different classical repertoire) and then we head off to Nazareth for a day. Israel, here we come!
…we headed over to the Kiryat Yearim Church (where we would perform later) to warm up. It is in a beautiful little area and the acoustics were great!
At 3:00, it was time for our concert. The house was packed. I mean PACKED. I mean it was probably some kind of fire hazard. Wow! We sang some of the classical repertoire that had been requested by the festival organizers---Bach, Allegri, Brahms---and Carol Ann Allred sang a set of Schubert lieder. All of it was received with incredible enthusiasm! After we finished the classics, we did a short set of American songs. Since they had requested nothing but classical music, we were a little nervous about how these pieces would be received. We didn’t need to be! They loved all of them! And the unison Euro-clap apparently extends to Israel! Who knew?
The concert went extremely well. Afterwards, many of us talked with the audience members. They were so gracious and kind. It is extremely gratifying to sing for such appreciative people. They told us that our audiences would only get bigger as our tour progressed because word would spread. Considering we started with a more-than-sold-out crowd, I can only imagine what’s in store!
Tomorrow we have another festival performance (with different classical repertoire) and then we head off to Nazareth for a day. Israel, here we come!
Tour: Flight and Abu Gosh
Well, we made it to Israel! It took us a while (we left on Sunday the 16th and arrived on Monday the 17th), but we’re all here---and so’s all our stuff, minus one box of programs that is hopefully on its way. And we’re all relatively unscathed, none the worse for wear for our 16 hours in the air!
We started off dark and early at 5:00 AM in Salt Lake City. Despite the early hour, we were happy to be there.
From there, we flew to Phoenix, where we quickly changed planes and headed off to Philadelphia. We had about a four hour layover so we wandered the airport in search of food. (US Air definitely wins on amount of leg room in coach, but totally fails in the area of sustenance.) And what else do you want to eat in Philadelphia besides a cheesesteak? Luckily, after walking by the life-size Lego replica of the Liberty Bell, many of us found the one and only cheesesteak dispensary in the airport. Happiness.
Eventually, after a few laps around the airport, some napping, some games, and some ice cream, we boarded our final flight to Tel Aviv. Ten hours, many movies, and (hopefully) lots of sleep later, we touched down in Israel! And there was much rejoicing! No, really---some people (not choir members---we were all still mostly asleep, I think) actually applauded when we landed. Long flights’ll do that to you.
We’ve checked into our hotel here in Abu Gosh, where we’ll spend the next couple of days performing at the Abu Gosh Vocal Music Festival. Originally, we were only supposed to give two concerts here, but they were selling out so quickly that the organizers asked us if we could add a third. How could we say no? So we’ll be back on Saturday for a third festival performance.
It’s exciting to be here in Israel and being invited to perform at this festival is a huge honor for us. Many Singers were talking to people on the plane who are very excited for us to be here. They are confident of a very warm reception for us. The Israeli people apparently love music very much! It should be a great experience for us too!
We started off dark and early at 5:00 AM in Salt Lake City. Despite the early hour, we were happy to be there.
From there, we flew to Phoenix, where we quickly changed planes and headed off to Philadelphia. We had about a four hour layover so we wandered the airport in search of food. (US Air definitely wins on amount of leg room in coach, but totally fails in the area of sustenance.) And what else do you want to eat in Philadelphia besides a cheesesteak? Luckily, after walking by the life-size Lego replica of the Liberty Bell, many of us found the one and only cheesesteak dispensary in the airport. Happiness.
Eventually, after a few laps around the airport, some napping, some games, and some ice cream, we boarded our final flight to Tel Aviv. Ten hours, many movies, and (hopefully) lots of sleep later, we touched down in Israel! And there was much rejoicing! No, really---some people (not choir members---we were all still mostly asleep, I think) actually applauded when we landed. Long flights’ll do that to you.
We’ve checked into our hotel here in Abu Gosh, where we’ll spend the next couple of days performing at the Abu Gosh Vocal Music Festival. Originally, we were only supposed to give two concerts here, but they were selling out so quickly that the organizers asked us if we could add a third. How could we say no? So we’ll be back on Saturday for a third festival performance.
It’s exciting to be here in Israel and being invited to perform at this festival is a huge honor for us. Many Singers were talking to people on the plane who are very excited for us to be here. They are confident of a very warm reception for us. The Israeli people apparently love music very much! It should be a great experience for us too!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Bon Voyage!
Here we go again! We're leaving for our two week concert tour of Israel on May 16, but you have one more chance to hear us before we go! Don't miss our concert this Monday, May 10! You'll hear a mix of all the programs we'll be singing in Israel, including works by classic composers such as Bach, Brahms, Mahler, and more, plus spirituals and contemporary works. Be there!
After we're gone (and even after we return!), make sure you still keep up with us through this blog, our YouTube page, and on Facebook.
See you tomorrow night!
After we're gone (and even after we return!), make sure you still keep up with us through this blog, our YouTube page, and on Facebook.
See you tomorrow night!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Favorite Piece
The University of Utah Singers are being featured this month on Musica International's "Favorite Piece" feature. Musica International is a worldwide online database that acts as a sort of library for choral repertoire. Every month, they choose a piece to feature and include links to recordings and video performances of the work, if available.
This month's piece is "Peace Like a River," arranged by Ronald Staheli, which was one of our very favorite songs from the 2008-2009 season. Check out this link to learn about the piece and to hear a recording and see a video of our performance from last year's Marktoberdorf competition.
Do you have a favorite piece that the Singers have done, or that you have heard elsewhere or performed yourself? Let us know! Leave a comment.
This month's piece is "Peace Like a River," arranged by Ronald Staheli, which was one of our very favorite songs from the 2008-2009 season. Check out this link to learn about the piece and to hear a recording and see a video of our performance from last year's Marktoberdorf competition.
Do you have a favorite piece that the Singers have done, or that you have heard elsewhere or performed yourself? Let us know! Leave a comment.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Mini-tour: ACDA, Phoenix, and home again
Well, we made it back! Which means now I can post pictures, so let me start again from the beginning.
First, Cedar City. We enjoyed a wonderful meal:
We sang a fantastic concert (this is the end of "A Drop in the Ocean"):
And celebrated a bit afterwards:
The next day, Thursday, we arrived in Las Vegas, and very much enjoyed ourselves there:
On Friday, we made the trek to Tucson. We rehearsed for a little while in our hotel:
Then enjoyed a concert by Chanticleer, followed immediately by our sound check for our performance the next morning. Saturday's performance went wonderfully, and after a short lunch break we hopped on the bus again and arrived in Phoenix, where we met with Don Morse and performed at Central United Methodist Church. We loved singing there, and the concert was fantastic!
We were again hosted by many wonderful families in the Phoenix area, and this morning we boarded the bus and started the long drive home. We arrived safely and full of great mini-tour memories!
We'd like to thank everyone who hosted us, fed us, took us into their homes, loaned us space to rehearse and perform in, advertised for us, listened to us, transported us, and everything in between. We couldn't have done it without you, and we're so glad we could share what we do with you! Thank you!
First, Cedar City. We enjoyed a wonderful meal:
We sang a fantastic concert (this is the end of "A Drop in the Ocean"):
And celebrated a bit afterwards:
The next day, Thursday, we arrived in Las Vegas, and very much enjoyed ourselves there:
On Friday, we made the trek to Tucson. We rehearsed for a little while in our hotel:
Then enjoyed a concert by Chanticleer, followed immediately by our sound check for our performance the next morning. Saturday's performance went wonderfully, and after a short lunch break we hopped on the bus again and arrived in Phoenix, where we met with Don Morse and performed at Central United Methodist Church. We loved singing there, and the concert was fantastic!
We were again hosted by many wonderful families in the Phoenix area, and this morning we boarded the bus and started the long drive home. We arrived safely and full of great mini-tour memories!
We'd like to thank everyone who hosted us, fed us, took us into their homes, loaned us space to rehearse and perform in, advertised for us, listened to us, transported us, and everything in between. We couldn't have done it without you, and we're so glad we could share what we do with you! Thank you!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Mini-tour: Cedar City, Las Vegas, and more! Oh my!
We've had an eventful couple of days! We just arrived in Tuscon not a half hour ago, but riding a bus for a really long time is not the only thing we've been doing.
On Wednesday, we left the University at about noon and traveled to Cedar City, where we were hosted by Jackie Jackson's women's choir. They provided a fantastic meal for us, and then we performed in the Heritage Theater.
The concert went really well and was a great first tour concert for us! Wonderful prep for ACDA.
We stayed with fantastic host families on Wednesday night (thank you!!), then loaded the bus bright and early on Thursday morning to head to Las Vegas. After a fantastic lunch spearheaded by Marsha Borovicka, we met with the Las Vegas High School Concert Choir and Madrigals, under the direction of Janet Tyler. We had a great time clinicing with them and then performing in their theater.
After another wonderful concert, we had another great night with host families, and then took off this morning to head to Tucson. It was a long bus ride, but we made it safely! And not to make anyone at home feel bad, but we aren't missing the snow!
Tonight we're planning on rehearsing our ACDA program and then we get to go hear a concert by Chanticleer! We're very excited. Tomorrow, we perform for ACDA at 10:45---if you're at the convention, stop on by---and then we head to Phoenix.
We'd like to thank everyone for their hospitality so far. I would love to post pictures, but the internet here in the hotel is reminding me very much of the internet all over Europe; i.e., it doesn't work very well. :) I promise to post some pictures from the trip when we get home!
On Wednesday, we left the University at about noon and traveled to Cedar City, where we were hosted by Jackie Jackson's women's choir. They provided a fantastic meal for us, and then we performed in the Heritage Theater.
The concert went really well and was a great first tour concert for us! Wonderful prep for ACDA.
We stayed with fantastic host families on Wednesday night (thank you!!), then loaded the bus bright and early on Thursday morning to head to Las Vegas. After a fantastic lunch spearheaded by Marsha Borovicka, we met with the Las Vegas High School Concert Choir and Madrigals, under the direction of Janet Tyler. We had a great time clinicing with them and then performing in their theater.
After another wonderful concert, we had another great night with host families, and then took off this morning to head to Tucson. It was a long bus ride, but we made it safely! And not to make anyone at home feel bad, but we aren't missing the snow!
Tonight we're planning on rehearsing our ACDA program and then we get to go hear a concert by Chanticleer! We're very excited. Tomorrow, we perform for ACDA at 10:45---if you're at the convention, stop on by---and then we head to Phoenix.
We'd like to thank everyone for their hospitality so far. I would love to post pictures, but the internet here in the hotel is reminding me very much of the internet all over Europe; i.e., it doesn't work very well. :) I promise to post some pictures from the trip when we get home!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Mini-tour: Bon Voyage!
Tomorrow morning the University Singers leave for a mini-tour of Southern Utah, Nevada, and Arizona on our way to perform for the Western Division Conference of the American Choral Directors Association. We're very excited to have this honor and are really looking forward to the experience!
If time allows, we'll try to keep the blog updated with some photos and stories of what we're doing. In the meantime, here's a quick list of where we'll be, so if you're in the area you can come by and hear us!
Wednesday, March 3: Cedar City
Heritage Center Theatre
105 North 100 East
7:30 PM
Thursday, March 4: Las Vegas
Las Vegas High School
6500 East Sahara Avenue
7:00 PM
Saturday, March 6: Tucson
St. Augustine Cathedral---CONVENTION PERFORMANCE!
192 South Stone Avenue
9:45 AM
Saturday, March 6: Phoenix
Central United Methodist Church
1875 North Central Avenue
7:00 PM
Hope to see you there!
If time allows, we'll try to keep the blog updated with some photos and stories of what we're doing. In the meantime, here's a quick list of where we'll be, so if you're in the area you can come by and hear us!
Wednesday, March 3: Cedar City
Heritage Center Theatre
105 North 100 East
7:30 PM
Thursday, March 4: Las Vegas
Las Vegas High School
6500 East Sahara Avenue
7:00 PM
Saturday, March 6: Tucson
St. Augustine Cathedral---CONVENTION PERFORMANCE!
192 South Stone Avenue
9:45 AM
Saturday, March 6: Phoenix
Central United Methodist Church
1875 North Central Avenue
7:00 PM
Hope to see you there!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Top Ten Best!
In a recent article by Ed Reichel in the Deseret News, the University Singers were listed as presenting two of the top ten best cultural events for the year 2009!
From the article:
"The outgoing year was filled with some wonderful concerts and events. Below is a list of the 10 best, in chronological order."
"University of Utah Singers: Their performance under director Brady Allred of Tan Dun's mystical and magical Water Passion was simply incredible."
"University of Utah Singers: With Brady Allred, the ensemble took first prize at the prestigious International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf, Germany."
Hopefully, you were able to attend the Water Passion and follow us on our tour through our blog and our YouTube videos. If not, look what you've been missing! Who knows what 2010 will hold---make sure to keep up!
From the article:
"The outgoing year was filled with some wonderful concerts and events. Below is a list of the 10 best, in chronological order."
"University of Utah Singers: Their performance under director Brady Allred of Tan Dun's mystical and magical Water Passion was simply incredible."
"University of Utah Singers: With Brady Allred, the ensemble took first prize at the prestigious International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf, Germany."
Hopefully, you were able to attend the Water Passion and follow us on our tour through our blog and our YouTube videos. If not, look what you've been missing! Who knows what 2010 will hold---make sure to keep up!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
