TL;DR: You need to be in the center balcony of Mitchell Hall at 5:00 pm tonight in Concert Attire!
Curtain is at 8:00 pm.
NOTES FROM PDH:
I suspect it’s evident that I’m quite a control freak. Realizing that time is precious for everyone, and as the time commitment for a group like Chorale can be onerous at best, I am always seeking to make the very best use of your time, whether that be in course of a typical rehearsal, or when we’re involved in off-campus projects of events.
Certainly many of you sensed I was not in great space on Wednesday. There have been MANY stressors this week that have NOTHING to do with UD. Sometimes life happens.
But between Schola and Chorale, I’ve found the projects related to BBNB to be a good bet more complicated than anticipated to manage. (See opening line regarding my control freakishness!)
I am well aware of all the accommodations you have had to make to be off campus for three days for fall tour, as I am also aware that many of you are heading into tech week with “9-5,” so to have this multi-faceted project in between those two is a heavy lift.
Tonight’s concert is multi-faceted, with the world premiere of the Henry Dorn piece as well as an additional set by Arreon’s pro-choir – ELEVATION – which I anticipate will be mind-blowingly amazing.
But in order to make all that happen, there are a lot of logistics that need to be sorted out:
- The seating and movement of various choirs
- The logistics of getting all these performers on a smallish stage in Mitchell
- The actual rehearsal itself, where we need to work out balance and sound reinforcement so the choir can actually be heard.
- A separate soundcheck for Elevation.
- And myriad other stuff that I’m hardly aware of, because…
I’m not in charge!
The 5:00 pm Call-Time seems very early to me, and I don’t believe there will be sufficient time for you to find food, nor will there be facilities for changing into concert attire. That said, I suspect there will be a good chunk of time when you’re sitting around Mitchell waiting for the next thing to happen. To that end, I DID receive the following schedule from Arreon and Jay this morning:
- 5:00 pm: All Choirs Arrive
- 5:10 pm: Choir seating in Mitchell
- 5:30 pm: Elevation Sound Check
- 6:10 pm: Choir warm-up
- 6:15 pm: Transcendence Sound Check and run
- 7:30 pm: Doors open
- 8:00 pm: Curtain
I believe Jay will be calling the play-by-play tonight and Arreon will be handling the choirs. I’ll be there to help if necessary, but not in any decision making/leadership capacity.
I would recommend that you bring food with you that constitutes something like dinner, and if you have homework or reading to do, bring that along too to make the best use of your down time.
And finally, just know how much I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE your dedication to this all-important project! A world premiere of a choral-orchestral piece of this nature is no small feat, and the work you have done on the project to date has been extraordinary. The two choirs singing together on Wednesday were truly impressive.
I simply wanted you to know that I am well aware that your time is precious and the energy and time you’ve devoted to this project is a remarkable testimonial to your professionalism and musicianship.
I’m so very glad you’re alive! 😍
With appreciation and control freakishness…
See you soon
pdh