Our Chicago Chorale Christmas! concerts are almost upon us. We look forward to singing for you December 9 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Old Town, and December 10 at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, in Hyde Park. The notes and words are learned; our final rehearsals will be devoted to familiarizing ourselves with the venues, to pacing and continuity, to transitions. Some of our repertoire is familiar and predictable; some of it is new, with rhythmic and harmonic shifts which could catch us by surprise when we experience them in new acoustics, with new sight lines, in front of audiences. The a cappella choral art is very demanding, at times like walking on hot coals, at other times like sailing along on the most delicate of clouds. We are excited about the music we are presenting, and will do our best for you, enhancing your emotional and aesthetic experience during the coming holidays.
Repertoire is the heart and soul of Chicago Chorale’s mission. We present the best music composers have made available to us, drawn from various historical periods and national, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, with particular focus on music of the last 100 years. Chorale has no higher calling than to bring to life the creative products of these composers, to give breath and substance to their dreams and plans Part of my calling, as conductor, is to research, listen, study, make choices-- work that has fueled my blog posts over the past couple of months. The repertoire we sing defines and differentiates us. Our distinctive vocal sound and attention to aesthetic representation are byproducts of this— we strive to present what we believe the composers would want to hear from us. This makes us interesting to our supporters; it also makes it challenging and interesting to sing with us. The best conductors I have experienced and sung under have always made it very clear that we, the performers, have a holy obligation to breathe the most beautiful life we can, into the blueprints left by the composers. It is disrespectful, even blasphemous, to do less.
It was the discovery of repertoire that motivated me as a singer, pushed me to develop my voice in order to do the music, and the words, justice. Chorale exists to extend this privilege to all its members, people who love music and are willing, even compelled, to approach their music making with open ears and hearts, and willingness to do the work with commitment and discipline. We have worked hard this fall, on some beautiful music. We are eager to share the results with you.