Letter from Diane (11/4)

Dear Camerata Con Brio,

After rehearsal I asked some of the cello players how prepared they felt for Fall Festival, with 1 being low and 5 being high.  The consensus was a 4.5.  Okay, 4.5 isn’t bad, but it leaves me wondering–what would it take to get us to

That’s the question I want you to consider as you practice this week.  Remember when you shared with your stand partner what you need to work on?  Get to it. Pull out your metronome. Employ your tuner. Practice down tempo. Practice in short spurts. Use all of your smart practicing skills to move to a 5!

YOUR GTCYS 10

Practice on the spots that you identified in rehearsal.  In addition, please look at the following:

Mozart

Keeping the tempo is key to maintaining the energy of this piece.  Our goal is half note=120

Violins–m. 135-138 is critical and needs practice from everyone in the section

Violas, cellos and basses, the opening statement and measures 156-164 need to be even and precise

Winds–Intonation and secure entrances are your pinch point. Winds were often playing behind the beat at tonight’s rehearsal.  Pull out your metronome count the rests with the metronome on and see if you can nail your entrances.  Are your tongued attacks matching the click? Are you articulating cleanly?  NO AIR ATTACKS in this piece!!

Percussion–metronome practice on the timp part will be helpful, especially as you get the timing for the damping more secure.

Gallante

Continue work on putting weight and focus on any 8th notes that happen on beat three. STRETCH them and don’t even think about rushing!

Winds continue to focus on a dark, in-tune sound. Remember the idea of making your mouth have the shape of a concert hall by dropping your jaw and lifting the soft palate inside your mouth. Put a tuner on your stand and check in frequently.

Everyone–listen for pitch and beautiful intonation.

Dvorak

Review this with any remaining time you have. Our goal is to have this piece ready by the December 13 concert!

Finally, a few reminders:

The dress for Fall Festival is all black formal attire.  Here is a description of what that looks like from our GTCYS handbook.

Our Fall Festival performance is on Saturday, November 14.  Call time is 8:35 am and the concert runs from 10:30-12:00. Look for an email from GTCYS with lots more info.

Woodwinds and Brass won the CCB challenge this week (head, shoulders, PLATE!)  Way to go, team!

Okay.  One rehearsal left before our performance at Orchestra Hall.  Get to that practicing–and remember to always live your life Con Brio!