Singing at Carnegie Hall

EVER PLAY CARNEGIE HALL? Libby McLaren, mutual pal, Ken Lindahl, and I did just that a few weeks back--no joke! We were part of of a 185-voice festival chorus and we performed the Fauré Requiem, at CARNEGIE HALL with the New York City Chamber Orchestra! Libby heard about this opportunity and it was an interesting arrangement. We paid to be
part of this chorus organized by Manhattan Concert Productions; they produce music events at Carnegie Hall and Grace Cathedral (guess where we'll be next time!) We needed to send in a recording to prove that we knew the music and were capable singers. Our little group of three - dubbed the ABV Chorale for reasons I'll explain in a minute - rehearsed here in California. The three NYC rehearsals and final performance were conducted by Barry Scott Williamson, who is the artistic director for the Texas Bach Festival and was masterful at cat-herding with humor and clarity. What did we get for our money? A way to enjoy a professional chorus experience that was both fun and instructive.

So . . . about our name. When we met to discuss the idea of doing this, Ken, Libby, and I met at a tapas bar in San Francisco called ABV. (ABV stands for "Alcohol by Volume".) It seemed logical to borrow the acronym as the birthplace and namesake of our group. But we confess that with many of the other participants being from church choirs, we were grateful that no one asked us to explain the name and risk giving offense to sensibilities that were potentially quite different from our (slightly) boozy ones! Oh, and with only three members, we were the smallest "chorus" participating!

The ABV Chorale hits the streets of NYC!

Celia and her amazing daughter, Calvaleigh Rasmussen

SO MUCH FUN! My daughter, Calvaleigh Rasmussen, and I had a nice turnout and a lot of fun leading the Silly Song Sing-along at the Freight and Salvage. There are several other FREE sing-alongs scheduled at the Freight, including a Celtic Song Sing- Along I'll be hosting with Shay Black on Sunday, October 14.

BY THE TIME YOU NEXT HEAR FROM ME, LARK CAMP WILL BE OVER! I'm revving up to teach my two classes; Get Your Voice Out of the Closet and Scottish Travellers' Songs. If you'll be attending, the first class is for anyone who wants tools to help them be brave about singing. It includes basics of harmony singing and a healthy dollop of "things I wish I'd known sooner." The second workshop will be about the history and musical repertoire of Scottish Travellers (that's correctly spelled); who were these folks and what impact did they have on Scottish folk music? There's still room, and you can do "half-camp", too! July 27 to August 4 for full camp in the redwoods!

YOU CAN SIGN UP NOW FOR ANY of the upcoming harmony workshops; all are on Saturdays from 2:00 - 4:00pm, and cost is $75. Email me with any questions you have about where you fit in: Intro to Harmony: September 22 Intermediate Harmony: October 6 Advanced Harmony: October 20

DO YOU WISH OUR WORKSHOPS WERE CLOSER TO YOU?
If there are 8 - 12 students who would like to learn harmony singing and can offer a living room, church, or community center for two or three hours, Libby and I will bring the workshop to you! Find out how!