Saturday, May 29, 2010

3 Days to Flying Off!

Hello again!

We'll be meeting at the airport at 2230 @ Terminal 1 on Monday night (2 days from now! PSYCHE!). Many were sniffling/sneezing during practice today so please, really do take care of yourselves (water/vitamins/sleep/water/vitamins/sleep)! Also, keep your lips moisturised with lip balm, alright? Cracked lips really hurt like a b*tch and singing with them would be too.

I hope you've started packing (yes, picking out outfit ensembles and/or stacking up potential travel clothes do count as being in the process of packing too)! Other than that, here are some reminders from today's rehearsal:
  • Greater contrast in dynamics (especially for Wolf)
  • Contrast in emotions (especially for the verses of Shima-e)
  • Don't rush or slow down!
  • BE SQUEAKY-CLEAN AND METICULOUS ABOUT THE CHOREOGRAPHY
If you didn't already know, WE WANT GOLD (or more than that, even). We're getting nearer and nearer to the competition date and the final practice is on Monday at ONE in the afternoon! Please, please, please don't be late because time will be very tight.

Oh yes, one last thing (boy, I'm getting really naggy), these are things that should be in your hand luggage on Monday:
  • PASSPORT
  • Choir gown (for girls), blazer (for boys)
& these are things you have to remember to bring along, at least in your check-in luggage:
  • Choir scores
  • Performance shoes
  • School uniform + tie
  • Pitch-pipes/tuning forks for those who have them
Alright, that's all I can think of for now. GET A MOVE ON IT FOR PACKING. Don't leave anything important behind!

♥

P.S. For those interested, here are a few Czech greetings/phrases hehe. Audio included! Just click here((:




the music played{10:58 PM}

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Greetings!
Here's a rough translation (very rough indeed; we can't expect much from online translations) of Shima-e just so that we can have a better idea of what we're singing about. This is to help facilitate the creation of ideas and atmospheres to bring out the feelings of melancholic longing, aimless wandering and the desperation from searching.
Stranger
Where are you?
Is the round each other believed?
Do you knock against your chest when turning round one rotation door of the glass?
It keeps searching for the drift island in the sea in the city.
Wandering person
Do you keep walking?
Are tying palm and palm requested?
When even the horizon of the mind is found some time, can you and I be met?
It connects and it keeps searching for the island of green.
So it's a pervasive theme of uncertainty and loneliness. Hopes rise and hopes fall. Be creative with your interpretation but make sure it's tangential to the song!

Reminder: Next practice is on the 27th May (Thursday) at 1700!

♥




the music played{1:08 PM}

Friday, May 21, 2010

HELLO CHOIR!
Gosh, the last post was nearly half a year ago. We are soooo lacking in updates. Quite a lot has happened since January: Open House 2010, CCA Fair, performance outside Ngee Ann City and our guest-performance at AJC choir's VoyAJe in The Esplanade(:
So, the choir population has grown by wayyyyy a lot, as we see from here :D
Next picture, would be one taken by Ms Du when we were performing outside Ngee Ann City.
We'll never forgive the horrible acoustics and that temperamental fountain that couldn't decide whether to stop spraying or to continue. It was our first time performing in public with the 2010 batch. It was a good experience(: There was an exchange with AJC and VJC somewhere along the way at Siglap South CC. The aftermath of that produced an improved sound of the choir and here's us again. This is a recording of us singing Shima-e [Toru Takemitsu] at The Esplanade(:

Okay, next up, is the trip to Vienna/Olomouc! Dear people, please keep yourself healthy and hydrated with vitamins, proteins, fibre and water! Keep aiming high and believe in yourselves! Countdown: 10 days left till we fly off! Well, actually 11 since our flight's actually taking off on the 1st of June. Anyhow, strive on despite the slew of rehearsals (we know 4 times a week sounds crazy but it's for a better good!) and relentlessly growing pile of homework and revision. It's tough but we can do it! Year ones, mug hard for Common Tests and year twos, mug hard for BT2s!

Lastly, for the dear A2s and tenors, here's an example of a wolf howling, kindly posted by Mr Foong on the tagboard. In case you're too lazy to open a new window/tab on your computer, here's the video. JUST CLICK PLAY, PLEASE & THANK YOU.



♥




the music played{10:15 PM}