Letter from Diane (3/24)

Hello Camerata Con Brio!

I hope each of you is enjoying your spring break, whenever it happens.  My school’s break is this week and I’ve appreciated having extra time to catch up on sleep and to get some extra practice time in. I encourage you to do the same!  This would be a great time to work on your solo for next season’s GTCYS audition, or to choose one if you haven’t already. We had a great discussion on how to prepare for a successful audition at rehearsal and many of you came up with great tips!

If you need assistance figuring out what to play for your audition or just want to practice performing it in front of another person, I will be at rehearsal at 6:30 next week ready to help. Please take advantage of this opportunity if some coaching would be beneficial!

Our rehearsal on “Ode to Childhood” turned a corner this week and this piece is finally starting to feel like our own. We will have the chance to meet the composer, Fahad Poupel, in a few weeks (still confirming the date) so let’s get the piece in the best shape we can before that encounter. We also did some great work securing tempos on the Dvorak.  Please see below so you get all of these written in your parts.

Here is your GTCYS 10

Ode to Childhood

Woodwinds and Brass: If you have a solo on this piece practice it every time you take your instrument out. Knowing your part inside and out will allow you to be present in the moment when you play with the orchestra and also give you more margin to play with excellent intonation and expression.

Strings: Make sure you have the correct bowings (the ones we changed) written in your part. For starters, change the bowing in “Lullaby” in measure one to down on beat one, then hook the following two 8th notes as upbows.  Then apply that bowing every time you have that pattern.

All:  Please practice all three movements this week.

Dvorak

Practice the parts that you starred individually.  Then check in with these tempos and make sure they are written in your part!  Note that some of these tempos are not written in by our arranger, so it is up to you to get them in your part and anticipate them as you practice and perform.

Beginning: mm=80

Measure 18–suddenly faster! Practice at mm=112

Measure 25: back to 80

Measure 29: faster!  mm=112

Measure 47: mm=116

Measure 82: mm=124

Measure 96: rit. As written

Measure 100: back to mm=124

Measure 114: mm=90

Measure 130: mm=102

Measure 172: mm=90

Measure 180: mm=125

Finally, as an update to those of you who were not at rehearsal this week, here is the repertoire for the last two performances of our season:

April 25 – Concert at Roseville HS

Poupel–ALL

Dvorak–ALL

Celebration

We will share this concert with the chamber ensemble groups

May 9 – Spring Festival at Orchestra Hall

Poupel–mvt. 1 only

Dvorak–perform without the DS al Coda.

Have a great week, and keep living your life CON BRIO!