SUMMER 2010, Volume 16, No. 1
Antiphon
Newsletter of the Arizona Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association
Cantaremos Is Coming It sneaks up on you: Cantaremos Honor Choir Festival audition tapes must be received by September 22. Honor choir students will be notified by October 8. The festival takes place November 13 at Gilbert High School. On September 22, your students’ audition tapes are due for evaluation and selection. Well before that, the time is ripe for teachers to help choral singers in grades five through nine to prepare and make their CDs. Each prospective applicant performs an excerpt from one of his or her choir’s festival repertoire and a major scale, sung a cappella. Any student may apply whom you believe is up to the reality of repertoire preparation, the travel, and the day itself. Adjudicators listen to each received tape and select as many singers as have demonstrated the required skills. Frequently Asked Questions Each student participant pays a registration fee to cover event expenses. Doors open at 7:30 in the morning and close soon after the end of the concert. Event check-in begins a bit later, at 8 am. Each teacher receives and manages the packet for all her or his students, so find your child’s teacher if you travel separately. Attendance at the culminating concert is by $5 ticket; children five and under get in free. No videos, recordings, or flash pictures are allowed during the performance. Professionally-recorded and reproduced CDs are available right after the concert, in GHS lobby, for $20 apiece. If you reserve your tickets, check at “Will Call.” So far, adequate seating also has been available for purchase on the day of the event. Please remain for the entire concert, even if your child performs in one of the earlier groups, so each singer hears how older and younger groups sound and to ensure an encouraging audience for every group. Cantaremos tee shirts are a coveted memento. They are sold, beginning at noon, in the lobby registration area, $10 apiece. Continued on page 3
Festival Repertoire and Clinicians 5-6 Treble Choir Clinician: Sue Marshall, Phoenix Girls Choir Music: Shiru, Allan E. Naplan, 2-part treble Faldang, Mary Goetze, 2-part treble A Living Song, David L. Brunner, SSA 7-9 Boys Choir Clinician: Greg Hebert, Corona del Sol High School Music: Johnny Schmoker, arr. James Rodde, TTBB Vive L’Amour, arr. Alice Parker, TTBB Marching To Pretoria, arr. Dave and Jean Perry, TB The Impossible Dream, arr. John Leavitt, TTB 7-9 Girls Choir Clinician: Ryan Garrison, Glendale Prepatory Academy Music: Oh, Dear! What Can the Matter Be? arr. Drew Colins, SA divisi Festival Sanctus, John Leavitt, 2-part Hold On! arr. Ken Berg, 2-part Rise Up, My Love, My Fair One, James McCray, SSA
King’s Singers, 9 December, Mesa, Arizona and Arizona Diamondbacks Choir Night, September 25, 5:10 pm. See AzACDA.org
AzACDA Leadership President
Frank Sargent
President-Elect Greg Gentry
president@azacda.org presidentelect@ azacda.org
Past President
J. Edmund Hughes jedmund@cox.net
Secretary
Jennaya Robison
secretary@azacda.org
Treasurer
Steve Hickman
treasurer@azacda.org
Antiphon Editor, Public Relations
Lani Johnson
antiphon@azacda.org
Webmaster
David Topping
webmanager@azacda.org
Cantaremos Honor Choirs Chair
Riki Wamsley
cantaremosa@azacda.org
Cantaremos Honor Choirs Co-Chair
AndreaSquires
cantaremosa@azacda.org
Antiphon is the newsletter of the Arizona Chapter of ACDA (“AzACDA”). It is published three times a year, in fall, winter, and spring, with a special Cantaremos edition in August, and seeks to communicate with AzACDA members and to heighten interest in joining AzACDA by non-members; to promote workshops, festivals, and other programs of AzACDA; to present educational articles for members and non-members; and to create a sense of community among choral directors and interested others across Arizona. Inquiries: Editor, antiphon@azacda.org AzACDA reserves the right to edit any submitted material for appearance and content.
AzACDA Four Corners Choral Workshop If you’ve never attended, promise yourself that, next year, AzACDA Four Corners Choral Workshop will hold pride of place on your June schedule. You owe it to yourself.
Eph Ehly gives sage advice.
While concocting jambalaya, Steve Futrell compares Cajun delicacies with choral performance.
Susan McMane insists on whole-body rehearsing.
In addition to seminars, interest sessions, networking, shopping at Music Mart, literature reading sessions, continuing education credits, and repertoire packets, there’s the chance to get together with far-flung Arizona educator friends at planned and spontaneous social gatherings.
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Where to eat? Lunch is included in the registration fee for participants and teachers only. Chaperones should bring a lunch or plan to find a local restaurant. Students must know their music thoroughly when they arrive. Rehearsals on Cantaremos day move quickly. Teachers are responsible for preparing their students. If, by the time you read this, you have not received timely information by email from Cantaremos co-chairperson Andrea Squires and would like to, please email her at andreamsquires@yahoo.com
Quick Facts Cantaremos Honor Choir Festival
Riki Wamsley and Andrea Squires AzACDA Cantaremos Co-Chairs
Preparation Audition CDs due September 22 Mail CDs to Riki Wamsley, AzACDA Cantaremos Chair 4215 S. Marisol Lane Gilbert, AZ 85297 cantaremos@azacda.org Notifications October 8
Day of Event November 13 beginning 9 am, Gilbert High School Event check-in opens 8 am, GHS lobby Rehearsals begin 9 am Concert: 4 pm, GHS auditorium See AzACDA.org/Cantaremos.html for best information
From The Editor Your Antiphon Lani Johnson, PR and Antiphon editor
Cantaremos is the reason for this inaugural August issue of Antiphon. The first issue of every year, October’s, is too late to let teachers know when and how to help students participate, and the final issue of the previous year, March’s, is too early. Noted Canadian Choral Director Dies “I don’t want all the creativity to come from the director. Some rather original ideas can come from the choir members. They’ve got to learn a lot, and have fun learning it.” – Deral Johnson in a 1996 interview in anacrusis. Deral Johnson, professor emeritus, University of Western Ontario, Canada, died last winter in Flagstaff. Born in 1926 in Oklahoma, Johnson taught in Kansas, Texas, Colorado, and Nebraska before joining the faculty in London, Ontario, where he founded the choral music program at UWO. He conducted community and church choirs as well as the University of Western Ontario Faculty of Music Singers, which he founded, the Ontario Youth Choir, and London Pro Musica, reaping international awards. A student of Jean Berger and Brock McElheran, Johnson often performed works by Canadian composers. He was instrumental in the initial years of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities, counterpart to the U.S. ACDA. Typical of Professor Johnson’s approach are copious sight-reading in the first rehearsals of a cycle, fast-moving rehearsals, and dynamically positioning voices for best effect. In his memory, UWO has established the Deral Johnson Fund for Choral Music, which supports students and student activities in choral music (www.music.uwo.ca/about/dj.html). An Invitation Beginning in the fall, Antiphon will appear at Antiphon. AzACDA.org, in a new format. The publication still will present all the material you’re used to reading, but now will have color photos, the possibility of sound and video files, direct links to further information on a variety of topics, and, most importantly, the capability for timely news. If you prefer to read Antiphon on paper, you may print part or all of each issue. This issue is the last to appear in pre-printed form. The state organization, AzACDA, anticipates the move will allow us to reach members more quickly and with better, snazzier content. It’s possible we will realize a savings, since no longer will there be central printing and mailing expenses. The board is resolved to directing all available funds into better and better service for Arizona choral directors. As the online newsletter develops, please react with kudos and suggestions. You will find easy ways to do that as you read the online Antiphon or you still may use the AzACDA.org “Leadership” webpage to contact board members.
Convenient online membership application — acda.org/form/registry www.azacda.org
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Presort Standard U.S. Postage
Arizona Choral Directors Association (AzACDA) Arizona Music Educators Association, Inc. 6818 E. Kingston Pl Tucson, AZ 85710
PAID Tucson AZ Permit No. 371
sue s I ral 2010 u g Ina mer ON Sum TIPH AN
Cantaremos Is for Singers Festival Choirs
Mail audition CDs to
5-6 Treble Choir 7-9 Boys Choir 7-9 Girls Choir
Riki Wamsley, AzACDA Cantaremos Chair 4215 S. Marisol Lane
Cantaremos Honor Choir Festival November 13 Gilbert High School
Gilbert, AZ 85297 cantaremos@azacda.org See AzACDA.org/ Cantaremos.html
November 13 Gilbert High School
Cantaremos 2010