As in the past two
As in the past two issues of WholeNote magazine, here are some highlights of choral events that might be of particular interest. As you can see, choral music thrives through the winter months in Toronto (though I know altogether too many choristers who are suffering from severe colds). l' m thrilled to note that the month of February is, again, jam-packed with exciting concerts. One could hear a different choir in concert every couple of days! Here are a few highlights to whet your appetite. · Warland Dale War/and Singers: This is truly one of the finest choirs in the world today, with many exceptional recordings in their catalogue. Thanks to the CBC , we have a chance to hear them in concert in the OnStage series at the Glenn Gould Studio on February 4 at 8:00 pm . Renaissance polyphony Tacrus Vocal Ensemble: The Toronto Early Music Centre has been in the business of presenting concerts for many years now and has been responsible for bringing some of the great early musicians to Toronto. Lately , they have concentrated on presenting local early music groups in a wonderfu l monthly se ries ,of Sunday afternoon concerts at the Royal Ontario Museum. This m9nth , they present "Tactus", who are an ensemble of professional singers from the Kitchener/Guelph area dedicated to exploring Renaissance polyphony. February 8 at 2:30 pm. Mendelssohn Valentine Toronto Mendelssohn Owir: Noel Edison leads the choir in a Valentine's Day concert, February 13 at 8:00 pm and 14 at 2:30 pm featu ring German Romantic choral music, with guest duo pianists Anagnoson and Kinton. Marvellous things are happening to the choir and the organization these days. Their membership is way up and attendance at their concerts is growing rapidly, as well, which is great to see. "Kuumba: Amazing Grace" this concert is billed as an examination of the story behind the well-known hymn. It takes place on February 15 at 1:00 pm. New Holman, new home Mississauga Choral Sodety: also on February 15 at 3:00pm is a chance to catch the MCS in concert at their new home at the Living Arts Centre . Conductor Chrys Bentley directs them in a performance of Mozart's Requiem and a new piece by Derek Holman to the text of the Magnificat. lseler, Adams It is now offic ial that Lydia Adams, along with Doreen Rao and Giles Swayne, will conduct the next concert of the Elmer Iseler Singers, taking place on Febrauary 27 at 8:00pm, with Dr. lseler still out of commission with serious health probleins. I urge WholeNote readers to attend this concert, as .it is a chance to hear a superb choir that has lived through a great deal in the past year .. As a representative of the Ontarto Choral Federation, I have been greatly troubl.ed, as many others in the choral c~mm u ruty of Ontario have, by the hardshtps that Dr. Iseler has faced , recently. Our . sincere best wishes go out to him and hts fami ly during this difficult time. CF high gear . . Activities at the Choral FederatiOn are 10 high gear, these days, with preparations being made for two upcoming competitions: the Leslie Bell Prize for choral conductors and the Ruth Watson Henderson Choral Composition Competition, both to be held in 1998. For more information on these or other Federation programmes such as the Child ren's Choir Camp and Ontario Youth Choir, both of which are held each summer, please contact the office at 4 16-363-7488, or write to Ontario Choral Federation, 100 Richmond Street - East, Toronto, Ontario, MSC 2P9. You can also reach us by e-mail at . Amazing . Faith Owrale Gospel O wir: Now thts choirs.ontario@sympatico.ca. programme looks intriguing. Entitled the O.•tario Choral Federation LArry Beckwith is the General Manager of DR. ELMER ISELER and LYDIA ADAMS, conductor of the Amadeus choir, after a concert at St. Basil's Church, October, 1997. Lydia Adams will conduct t he Elmer Iseler Singe rs at their concert on February 27th. CHORAL QUICK GUIDE Many other choral events are taking place this month. Get out to as many as you can. There's nothing like a concert of choral music to cure your mid-winter doldrums. Stay warm. You can find all of the following in this month 's WholeNote listings! Feb 1: Uxbridge Chamber Choir, ROM Feb 6 : Echo Choir, Holy Trinity Feb 6: Kuumba: Youth Outreach Mass Choir, Harbourfront Centre. Feb 13: Exultate Chamber Singers, Saint Thomas's Church Feb 13: Orpheus Choir of Toronto, St. James' Cathedral Feb 14: Brampton Festival Singers, St. Paul's Church, Brampton ·Feb 14: Choirs of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene Feb 14: Metropolitan Choir & friends, Arts & Letters Club Feb 15: Musica Antiqua Vocal Ensemble Glenn Gould Studio Feb 17: Vancouver Chamber Choir, Glenn Gould Studio Feb 21: Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir, Kingston Road Un ited Ch.urch Feb 21: Te Deum Orchestra & Smgers, Glenn Gould St udio Feb 22: VocaiPoint Chamber Choir, St. Patrick's Church Feb 25: Cawthra Seniors Choir & guest s oloists, Meadowvale Theatre Feb 25: Our Lady o f Sorro ws You th Choir, Montgomery's Inn Feb 26: Eight of Us, Glenn Gould Studio Feb 27: Bale folclorico da Bahia, Massey Hall Feb 28: University of Toronto Choirs, St. Basil's Church Feb 28: Oriana Singers, Grace Church on-the-Hill Mar 1 : Victoria Scholars, Village Harmony, Darbazi, Wibijazz'n ' & Toron to Choral Society, Convocat ion Hall Mar 1: Concertsingers, Saint Thomas's Church Mar 1 : Markham Concert Band, Serenata Singers Markham Theatre Mar 5 : Wiener Lieder Tafel Choir, George Weston Recital Hall Mar 6: Vienna Choir Boys, Roy Thomson Hall Mar 7 : Toronto Children 's Chorus, Minkler Auditorium ORONTO'S ONLY COMPREHENSIVE MONTHLY CLASSICAL & CONTEMPO RARY CONCERT LISTING SOURCE
~ . The (im)possibility of performance with(out) fear BY ELISABETH POMES Peifonnance without fear: is it possible? Well, in a way, no, it's not; because fear is an intrinsic part of the peifonnance. Everybody gets more or less nervous before a performance. If not - well, as one of my friends said, "There's something wrong; I'm not nervous enough." Granted, this comment could give you ideas of murder while you're standing in the wings petrified - but it does have a lot of truth in it. Every artist needs to feel the adrenaline charging through their blood and to feel the energy running through the body before and during a performance: that sense of excitement propels us forward; enables us to dare and to take risks; to do things we've never done in our studios; and to share that excitement with the audience. We can compare a performance to a river - we know it needs to flow; nerves are like the water running, sometimes wildly, sometimes contained. Nerves not handled well are water out of control, a flood and the performance is often ruined. But without enough adrenaline, performance will hardly flow, will lack zest or passion. An ever present part of performers' lives, nerves can be our allies or our enemies, depending on how we cope. .R.fc;,m:'-Eo ~rr,...c;E THE~P'rr ~wo \H,,.._TTv THE~P'rr 4-16-reR-o642 4-1 b -b \ R-4-4-0 I OM I A MtWer COPING WITH NERVES Before we can cope with our nerves we need to witness them, to identify them, to know exactly what it is that our bodies do under the stress of dealing with performance nerves. The following list is by no means complete but probably at least one reaction will resonate for you: - mouth gets dry - tongue-tied - the heart races - butterflies in the stomach - legs are shaking - hands become slippery - breath control disappears. And then on top of the physical, the mind joins in! Will I forget? You'll never nu~ke it! I didn't practise enough! If this is beginning to sound more and more familiar then I would like to suggest this exercise: Take a pen and paper with you backstage prior to your next performance and take the time to make your own personal list of the things, small or large, you experience in your body as well ·as your mind. Then as soon as you can, after you leave the stage, again write down, in point form , everything you can remember about how you were feeling. KNow THE ENEMY This will help you identify how your nerves manifest themselves, physically and mentally, so that before the next performance you will be able to say instead: "aah, my heart is running a marathon now" "oops, my hands are dancing the twist" "my mouth is so dry I could drink a gallon of water" "my knees are shaking like an autumn leaf" The next step is to use simple tools to cope with these manifestations of the nerves. If your tension builds up in the muscles of the neck, shoulders and upper back, a few stretches when you feel nerves building up will help alleviate tension and pain. If, when stage fright hits, you hold your breath or breathe very shallowly, then doing some conscious breathing exercises allows you back into your body. Instantaneously you become quieter, more centered. Breathing deeply also quiets the mind and stops VoiceTraining for singers with Paul Mason (416) 495-9872 http://www.interlog.com 1-pmason NORm TORONTO INSTITIJTE OF MUSIC • Private instruction on most instruments • Instrument rentals • Theory classes • Start any time 550 Eglinton Avenue East 416 488-2588 the merry-go-round of negative thoughts that invades the psyche of the performer exiting to a far-away land of "what if," "if only" and "this is pure hell." Next month's article will outline in detail the exercises that can truly help you overcome stage fright and mental blocks and to turn preperformance jitters into a powerful energy. Elisabeth Pomes is an awardwinning soprano, a voice teacher and a certified yoga instructor. She has created a series of classes called Peifonnance Awareness and a workshop called Peifonnance Without Fear which she presents at the Glenn Gould Professional School (Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto). LISA TETFORD REGISTERED MASSAGE THERAPIST E.Hective in • migraine & teMion headache tn:atment • 5tre55 and anx i et~ management • repetitive ~train injuries .... flease call for a consultation 18 81 Yonge St, Suite 61+, Toronto (+16)5+4-9797 ext 2 E.veningand weekend appointmenb available. Specializing in the Sale of New and Used Compact Disks Featuring Classical and Jazz Offering Gift Certificates, T rade-lns and ~~ , Special Ordering ),_: 0
