Choral Resource

I’ll be switching Choral Resource over to the b2evo blog platform soon. This will allow me much more flexibility in categorization. For instance, I would like the posts and guides about composing to be gathered together in one place, rather than mixed in with the news. b2evo will allow me to do this by creating a seperate blog for each of these categories, maintained from within the same interface.

Please visit my homepage to see how much better the interface will be in b2evo : http://composer.mryantaylor.com/

Please be patient, it may take a couple of weeks before I can get around to the switch. I transferred servers recently and am working on rebuilding several sites.

Read a review by Catherine Reese Newton on The Salt Lake Tribune

Excerpt:

“Wilberg’s Requiem, which the 360-voice choir premiered last year as part of the Salt Lake Tabernacle rededication celebration, is as gentle and life-affirming as one would expect from him. As musical settings of the Roman Catholic funeral Mass go, it belongs to the Fauré/Brahms family, as opposed to the Berlioz/Verdi. The structure recalls Brahms, the musical language recalls Vaughan Williams, but Wilberg’s voice comes through clearly in this most engaging work. Of particular note is “O Nata Lux,” one of the loveliest pieces Wilberg has ever written . . . ”

Requiem: Choral Music of Mack Wilberg on Amazon.com

I love this quote from Cathy Crispino, the 2008 Kansas Music Educators Association’s High School Choral Teacher of the Year:

“I think that choral music is an example of how we should live together as a community. In the choir room we have a chance to create something beautiful together, and it’s not just about individual achievement, although we have a lot of individuals who shine and have a chance to shine, but it’s also about finding a way to come together and to put all of our talents into one pool. I think they are life lessons that I have learned and I continue to learn every day.”

Read the article:
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2008/feb/02/choral_teacher_floored_award/?city_local

As I type I’m listening to an amazing all-Monteverdi concert from Trinity Church in NY. This performance is great and very moving. Of course, I love music of the Renaissance. As a masters candidate that was one of my areas of study; one of the funest semesters of my college career.

You can also listen to and watch this fine concert:
http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/calendar/index.php?event_id=40726

Thanks much to Allegra Martin of A Choral Musician’s Blog for pointing this out.

Postmark Deadline: February 15, 2008

Graphite Publishing—Call for Scores

Graphite Publishing asks composers to submit unpublished sacred works for voice or chorus (any voicing) with organ for possible publication and promotion at upcoming AGO National Conference. Graphite Publishing is a music publishing company focused on presenting emerging composers and their works to the music industry by offering scores online (via PDF documents). Graphite Publishing “publishes music that is excellent, innovating and new, while at the same time is also accessible, likable and grasped by the average audience member.”

In addition to the unpublished sacred work, Graphite ask that composers submit two to three additional pieces, published or unpublished, to showcase the body of work. Please submit scores along with a biography, list of works, and recording (if available). Send to:

Graphite Publishing
3714 Sheridan Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55412
Contact: Jocelyn Hagen
Email: hagen@graphitepublishing.com
Web: www.graphitepublishing.com

Choral Project

Application Deadline: 4/1/2008

Seeks short, original, unpublished, unperformed, and recent compositions for accompanied or unaccompanied choir (sacred or secular, in any language), for 4- to 6-part mixed choir (occasional 8-part divisi is acceptable) from high school students (grades 9-12) and undergraduate college students for their First Annual Choral Composition Contest. Cash awards, performance, recording, and possible publication.

Details

Prizes:

• FIRST PLACE: $1000; live performance of the work; live recording of the work, and possible publication with Santa Barbara Music Publishing.
  SECOND PLACE: $500; live performance of the work; live recording of the work.
• THIRD PLACE: $250; live performance of the work; live recording of the work.

Submission criteria:

• All submissions must be an original composition for accompanied or unaccompanied choir, 4- to 6-part mixed choir (occasional 8-part divisi is acceptable).
• Text(s) may be sacred or secular. Text(s) may be in any language(s). It is the responsibility of the composer to obtain permission for the use of copyrighted text. If the text is not public domain, please include written permission to use it.
• Performance time of the choral work should be 3 to 6 minutes in length.
• All submissions must not have been previously commissioned, performed or published and must have been composed within the last two years. Arrangements of previously composed works will not be considered.
• All submissions must be anonymous. The composer’s name must not appear on the score. Please remove all names and identifying marks.
• The entry fee is $15. All checks must be made out to “The Choral Project” and in U.S. dollars.
• Multiple entries by the same composer are permitted. However, a separate application and entry fee of $15.00 must accompany each entry.
• Each submission must be accompanied by a sealed envelope with the title of the piece. Inside the envelope there must be the composer’s name, address, telephone number, e-mail address and the title of the work.
• Please submit 4 clearly legible photocopies of the score, in portrait orientation, on 8 ½ x 11 paper. Illegible copies will not be considered. Do not send original manuscripts. Scores will be returned if a stamped, self-addressed envelope is included with your submission.
• Recordings of the work will be accepted but are not required.
• The winning composition will be performed at The Choral Project’s season Gala Kick-Off concert in San Jose, September 2008. The Choral Project encourages the composer’s attendance.
• The winning composer must provide a final performance score by August 1, 2008. The Choral Project will make an appropriate number of copies for the ensemble.
• There are no restrictions according to race, sex, age, sexual orientation or residency.
• Scores submitted without application forms (see link below) will not be accepted.
• The U.S. postmark deadline for entry is Tuesday, April 1, 2008. The decision will be announced at The Choral Project’s end of the season concert in June 2008.
• The Choral Project reserves the right to not award a prize.
• The decision of the judges is final.

PDF of guidelines and required application form:
http://www.choralproject.org/Documents/2007-08_Composition_Contest.pdf

Postmark deadline:
April 1, 2008 - no exceptions will be made.

Send all submissions and completed application forms to:

The Choral Project Composition Contest
1005 South Ninth St
San Jose, CA 95112

Copyright Information:
SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers) suggests that you send a tape or piece of sheet music to yourself by registered mail (a photocopy is fine), each piece separately. Do not open this envelope when you receive it in the mail. It is your proof that you composed your piece before the date of mailing. For registering copyright, send $10.00 (US) and a copy of your piece to: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. USA 20559.

Competition website:
http://www.choralproject.org/outreach.html

Essentially Choral Call for Scores

Application Deadline: 3/14/2008Seeks scores for the seventh annual Essentially Choral reading session and workshops to be held May 29-31, 2008, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Up to five composers will be selected to have their work read by VocalEssence. One of those five may receive a $3,500 commission to write a new work.

Details

2008 Brochure (PDF)Deadline: Postmarked on or before March 14, 2008VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum (ACF) announce a call for scores for the seventh annual Essentially Choral reading session. Through this program, Essentially Choral seeks creative and innovative works in a wide range of styles and provides a unique opportunity for talented, emerging composers from across the United States.Up to five composers will be selected to have their works-in-progress read by the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, a 32-voice professional chorus directed by Philip Brunelle, and professional orchestra musicians. New York composer Daniel Godfrey will serve as composer-mentor for this year’s reading session. One of the selected composers may receive a $3,500 commission to write a new work. The reading sessions will take place May 29-31, 2008 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Essentially Choral affirms the commitment of VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum to the work of today’s composers and the performance of their music. The program is generously supported by a grant from the Jerome Foundation.

COMPOSER COMMENTS

“Thank you for blessing us with this rare, unique and educational milestone for young artists. It was great to find out how much I did not know about writing for choral music: it certainly has made me fall in love with it more!”

“There simply isn’t another group like VocalEssence, with such a high level of talent, professionalism, and warmth. This program is a gem for any composer.”

2008 GUIDELINES:

• Performance history: Essentially Choral calls for works-in-progress. No prior public performance of the work submitted is allowed.
• Eligibility: Only emerging composers may apply. “Emerging” composers are at an early stage in their careers, with as-yet little peer recognition, no national reputation (as determined by prior performances and awards), and limited professional opportunities. Individuals enrolled in undergraduate and graduate degree programs are not eligible to participate in Essentially Choral with the following exception: If a composer enrolls in an undergraduate or graduate degree program or takes classes while maintaining a current and active professional practice of creating and presenting work to the public, she/he is eligible to apply.
• Voicing: SATB, SSAATTBB or variations thereof. Both a cappella works as well as those with instrumental accompaniment of up to five instruments are eligible. Note: other voicings are accepted but be aware that there are 32 singers in total.
• Instrumentation (optional): Any combination of instruments of up to five players, i.e. woodwind quintet, brass quintet, string quartet, guitar, percussion, harp, keyboard and doublings. Other instruments may be acceptable as well. If orchestration is not yet written, please list the instrumentation and define how you would re-score the work. Note: If opting for accompaniment, keyboard only is not acceptable.
• Duration: 5-8 minutes. If submitting more than one movement of a larger work, send full score with clear indication of the excerpts you wish to have read in order of preference.
• Text: Sacred or secular, medieval to present, ranging from spirituals and early gospel to new and experimental writing styles, appropriate for concert setting. Proof of public domain or author’s written permission for use of text is required. (Note: Most modern translations of the Bible are protected by copyright.)
• ACF membership: You need not be a member of American Composers Forum to apply. If selected, you must become a member to participate. Membership information is available by calling 651-228-1407 or at https://www.composersforum.org/join.cfm.

AWARDS & BENEFITS:

• $500 honorarium to defray expenses
• Travel and lodging provided by VocalEssence
• One composer may be awarded $3,500 commission for premiere by VocalEssence in the 2008-2009 season, either incorporating music read at Essentially Choral or a completely new work, at Philip Brunelle’s discretion (American Composers Forum and VocalEssence reserve the right not to make the commission award)
• Mentoring sessions with Philip Brunelle and an established professional composer (composer-mentor)
• Professional development sessions for emerging composers
• Rehearsal with the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers; rehearsal session with instrumentalists as needed; reading session with the Ensemble Singers, professional instrumentalists (if applicable to the work) and conductor Philip Brunelle

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Please submit the following:

1. Signed and completed application form (Call 651-251-2833 for copy of form or download and print PDF)
2. For a cappella submissions: 2 copies of score (indicate duration on cover page of score)
3. For submissions with instrumental accompaniment: 2 copies of score (indicate duration on cover page of score); 2 copies of chorus parts (with instrumental cues or piano reduction, measure numbers and markings that match those in full score); sample of 1 complete instrumental part; and description of instrumentation (if not included in score)
4. A brief statement saying how this reading will advance your career
5. Resume/vita
6. Self-addressed envelope of adequate size with sufficient postage (if return of materials is requested)
7. Please DO NOT SEND RECORDINGS.

SELECTION PROCESS
Applications and scores will be screened for completeness by the American Composers Forum staff. VocalEssence Artistic Director Philip Brunelle, VocalEssence Associate Conductor Sigrid Johnson and composer Cary John Franklin will make the final selections. Up to five composers will be selected for the reading session.

Deadline
Postmarked on or before March 14, 2008.
Faxes will not be accepted.

Notification
Composers will be notified by April 11, 2008.

Send To
Essentially Choral
American Composers Forum
332 Minnesota Street, Suite E145
St. Paul, MN 55101

QUESTIONS?
Contact: Craig Carnahan
Vice President of Programs
American Composers Forum
ccarnahan@composersforum.org
tel: 651-251-2833

San Francisco Choral Artists

Application Deadline: 2/4/2008Seeks short, unperformed, SATB choral works from composers under 30 which “honors those who pursue creativity and hope in the midst of despair: music which celebrates light in times of darkness” for their New Voices Competition. Performances in Bay Area, cash awards, and CD recording of performance.

Details

New Voices Competition — A Program for Young Composers Theme for 2008: Songs of Survival - Music Celebrating Light in Times of Darkness

For a concert, entitled “Songs of Survival: Music of the Holocaust” San Francisco Choral Artists seeks new music which honors those who pursue creativity and hope in the midst of despair: music which celebrates light in times of darkness. Works might be joyful or sad, hopeful or despairing, or somewhere in between.

Submission Requirements:

1. Between 1 and 4 minutes in length.
2. For SATB a cappella chamber choir (may include some body percussion); divisi to 8 parts or fewer.
3. The work should address the required theme..
4. Text may include spoken word, and may be in any language; a typed copy of the full original text (and facing line-by-line English translation) must be provided. If non-standard language(s) are used, a pronunciation guide must be included. If texts are copyrighted, written proof of permission of use must be provided.
5. Up to three works per composer may be submitted. Please include 2 COPIES of each work. NO BINDINGS.
6. The submitted work(s) must have not have had prior public performances or recordings.
7. Tapes or computer-generated CD recordings will be accepted in addition to scores.
8. Composer’s name and complete composer contact information should be included on each score. The composer must be 30 years old or younger on Jan 1, 2008, and a resident of the United States. Please include your date of birth with your submission(s).
9. Submitted materials will not be returned. Please include e-mail address or SAS postcard to confirm receipt.

The composer(s) and work(s) selected for participation in this program will receive the following:

• The selected work(s) will be premiered by SFCA at three subscription series concerts in June, in Oakland, Palo Alto, and San Francisco, California.
• The first-prize winner will receive two long-distance or face-to-face one-hour consultations with SFCA?s Composer in Residence about the chosen work, in order to prepare it for rehearsal and premiere. All winners will have the opportunity to consult with Artistic Director, Magen Solomon, on vocal and performance issues.
• Four complimentary tickets for each performance of the work
• A CD recording of one performance of the work
• Up to three winners will be selected. The first prize winner will receive $500.

Submission Materials should be mailed to:

New Voices Project
San Francisco Choral Artists
PMB 344, 601 Van Ness Avenue #E
San Francisco, CA 94102

Postmark deadline: February 4, 2008.

Please note: Submitted materials will not be returned. Please include e-mail address or SAS postcard to confirm receipt.

Competition Website:
http://www.sfca.org/composers-newvoices.php

ACF is partnering with GALA Choruses Inc. (an international organization serving the GLBT choral movement) to launch a pilot Community Partners program. This program will result in grants of $6,000 to two GALA-member choruses to commission two composers to create a new work for each of them.

Designed for choruses with limited (or no) commissioning experience as well as choruses with a history of commissioning, ACF staff will be available to assist in the composer-selection process and will provide other logistical support (contracts, composer/chorus communication, schedules, etc.) as needed. It is the intent of the program to provide resources that will encourage the choruses to broaden their traditional efforts in artistic vision and audience development by proposing projects that engage new voices and explore new outreach initiatives.

The choruses that receive these grants will work with a composer of their choosing to create a new work reflecting the values and goals they have identified for their project.

The application process for this program consists of two steps: Initially, choruses will submit a proposal outlining the project they are interested in pursuing. From this pool of applications, a panel will select two that will receive funding. ACF will then circulate a composer call based on each of these projects, from which the choruses will each select the composer they wish to work with.

The application deadline for choruses to submit their proposals is February 29, 2008 (postmark). Eligibility:- Application to this Community Partners program is limited to choruses that are current members of GALA Choruses, Inc. If awarded funding, the chorus must agree to retain their membership in GALA throughout the duration of this program.The Award:

- The choruses chosen to participate in this program will each receive $6,000, with the understanding that the composer will receive a commission fee of $5,000 and the chorus will retain $1,000 to help defray project-related expenses.Preference will be given to projects that:Represent substantive new directions and new opportunities for the applicant. Examples include:
- A collaboration with another performing arts organization in the applicant?s community.
- A partnership with an area social service agency or educational institution.
- A consortium of several choruses (which may extend beyond the GALA network as long as the primary applicant is a member of GALA Choruses).

The Esoterics announces an international call for a cappella choral scores, as this Pacific Northwest ensemble announces its annual competition for choral composition, POLYPHONOS (from the Greek word for having many voices or manifold in expression).

The Esoterics is dedicated to performing and perpetuating contemporary a cappella choral settings of poetry, philosophy, and spiritual writings from around the world. The purpose of The Esoterics’ POLYPHONOS is to encourage today’s choral composers to broaden the scope of the a cappella choral repertory by setting sacred and poetical texts found beyond the Western classical canon in order to create a repertoire of choral concert music that reflects the universal beauty and power of unaccompanied voices joined in song.

Complete information is on their website. There is $25 ‘application fee.’

Ingo Titze, one of the foremost names in vocal pedagogy - specializing in the scientific study of the voice, has written a wonderful article for Scientific American explaining how The Human Instrument can compete with other instruments in terms of pitch range and loudness.

This excellent article should be of interest to anyone wanting to know more about how their voice works (or the voices of their choristers). It covers these points in detail:

• The vocal folds are so versatile as an oscilator because of a unique, 3-layer design.
• The components of the human instrument are manipulated in non-linear ways that allow for greater volume and flexibility than other instruments of comparable size (for example, the piccolo).

Read it.

He has also followed up with an online selection of audio examples of the different timbres and ranges that the human instrument can acheive, from Aerosmith to Pavarotti:

Listen to them.

The American Composers Forum and VocalEssence provide this opportunity: 

Essentially Choral Reading Session (click for details and application)

May 29 - 31, 2008
Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis

Up to five composers will be selected to have their works-in-progress read by the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, a 32-voice professional chorus directed by Philip Brunelle, and professional orchestra musicians. New York composer Daniel Godfrey will serve as composer-mentor for this year’s reading session. One of the selected composers may receive a $3,500 commission to write a new work. The reading sessions will take place May 29-31, 2008 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Essentially Choral affirms the commitment of VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum to the work of today’s composers and the performance of their music. The program is generously supported by a grant from the Jerome Foundation.

For your information (thanks to acapella news for pointing this out):

Yale Glee Club Emerging Composers Competition (2008) Guidelines

Eligibility: Composers should be in the early stages of their musical careers. Yale alumni may participate, but current Yale students are not eligible. Employees of Yale University and previous Yale Glee Club Emerging Composers Competition are not eligible.

Guidelines for submitted compositions:

• Mixed choir (SATB)
• Unaccompanied, with piano accompaniment, or with instrumental accompaniment of not more than three
individual instruments
• Three to five minutes’ duration
• Unpublished works which have not received a premiere performance, only
• Rights to text must be cleared and evidence of copyright holder’s permission must be shown
• Secular or sacred text
• Level of difficulty suitable for a college choir or community choir, or excellent high school choir

Prizes:
• $1500 plus travel expenses to New Haven for attendance at premiere performance by the Yale Glee Club
during its 2008-2009 concert season
• Possible future publication in Yale Glee Club Choral Series
• The winner will be announced in late April, 2008. All entrants will be notified by mail. The winner will
also be announced on the Yale Glee Club web site (www.yale.edu/ygc) at this time.
submission guidelines:
• Five (5) copies of the submitted score must be postmarked no later than February 1, 2008. Only one
composition per entrant may be submitted.

Mail scores to:

U.S. Mail:
Jeffrey Douma, Director
Yale Glee Club Emerging Composers Competition
PO Box 201929
New Haven, CT 06520-1929

Fedex address:
Jeffrey Douma, Director
Yale Glee Club Emerging Composers Competition
165 Elm Street, Room 201
New Haven, CT 06511

• Names must not appear on the score. Instead, please include your name, address, e-mail address and phone number(s) in a separate envelope.

• Please also include a brief resume outlining prior musical experience and education.

• Submissions will be evaluated by a committee of composers and conductors who will determine the winning entry.

• The winning score will be reproduced solely for performance by the Yale Glee Club. Copies will be destroyed in the event of future publication.

• The Yale Glee Club will have a non-exclusive, world-wide perpetual license to perform the winning score.

• The Yale Glee Club shall have the right to record the inaugural performance for archival and other purposes, including distribution and sale of such recording.

• No scores will be returned.

“One Foot in Eden Still, I Stand” : Choral music by Nicholas Maw

Review on Opera Today here:
http://www.operatoday.com/content/2008/01/one_foot_in_ede.php

Looks like there is some pretty interesting work on the CD.

I was invited to an informal concert on January 8th of Eric Whitacre’s music performed by the Brigham Young University Singers (the schools most advanced choral group) at the BYU Museum of Art by a Facebook friend (ah, the wonders of the internet). What she didn’t say was, be sure to arrive early if you want to get a seat. In the end, half of the audience was standing and most of us stuck around through the entire event.

 Unfortunately, there was no program, so I can only describe the pieces without their titles. The concert featured new music by Whitacre that has come out since the Singers recorded his, til then, complete choral works.

First of all, the Singers sang immaculately, as they always seem to. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a more balanced or unified choir in my life. Now for the music:

• The Concert Choir joined them for the first song, the text was a modern Shakespearean styled ode to Queen Elizabeth. Whitacre’s setting called for the two choirs to sing many parts of the work canonically, causing some really wonderful and unexpected harmonic things to occur. It was a really beautiful work.
• There was an interesting, and poetic work about two lovers and the progression of their relationship from the grass to the beach to under the earth. The setting was simple, but sensitive and moving.
• There were some short, fun comic settings of poems by Ogden Nash with piano.
• There was a piece in Spanish, about ancient Mexican ruins, that had some wonderful bird special effects by the choir. I’ll bet they loved doing those bird noises. For a second it really did sound like you were out there in the rainforest.
• I think my favorite setting though was of a poem called ‘little tree’ that I’ve read somewhere before. A wonderful addition to the Christmas literature.

Whitacre truly is an amazing talent in the choral world. I met him last year at a composer’s convention in L.A. and he seems to be a warm and friendly person as well. I’d like to hear him write some more pieces that show off his uptempo style, but other than that I can’t fault him. It is easy to see why the BYU Singers have a love affair with his music. The concert was a wonderful treat, well worth standing for.

I just read an article about a director, Lynda Ables, that has served her choir for 30 years. I thought this was kind of cute:

Instead of scolding singers when they over emphasize an “r” sound, Ables affectionately tells them, “There are no pirates allowed in my choir,” Kahl said. When they over emphasize an “s” sound, she makes a similar remark about snakes. “It’s just a cute way of saying, ‘Don’t linger,’” [associate music director Michael Kahl] said.

I few months ago I decided to start a new choir. I’d thought about it for a long time and had many reasons for wanting to do it, including:

• Since being a member of several advanced choirs when I was younger, I’ve longed to sing that kind of vocal literature. I’ve directed a church choir for most of the last 17 years, and though I am glad to serve in that capacity, I do not find the literature we are capable of (or the level of singing we are able to maintain on a strictly volunteer basis) very fulfilling.
• As a voice major, I courted OPERA for a long while, but have never been able to get into the standard repertoire (which is mostly all they do). I’ve written 2 operas and I still love what I think opera could be, but most of the time isn’t.
• My first love, the medium that introduced me to new great music (and classics, renaissance, etc.), is choral music.
• I’ve written a lot of choral music and have noticed that some of the biggest names (past and present) in the choral world have their own choirs or prominent choral positions. They program a lot of their own music (Mack Wilberg, Robert Shaw, etc.). Why shouldn’t I follow suit.
• I’m seriously entertaining the idea of doing my doctorate in choral conducting; the new choir would be great experience helping to lead up to that (my other degrees are in vocal performance and composition).
• I love the social aspect of choir. I love getting to know people that way. I’ve loved getting to know people in opera as well, but when a production is over it is time to say farewell; in a choir, people only say farewell when they’re sick of singing with you.
• I didn’t know of any choirs like what I wanted to start in our area/county: a chamber choir focussing mainly on Renaissance and Modern literature.
• I figured there were other singers out there that wanted to participate in something challenging, exciting and small, not just in one of the many large concert choirs. I’ve never enjoyed singing in a large concert choir, but have enjoyed almost every experience I’ve had with chamber choirs.

Good reasons? I hope so. Next time I’ll talk about how I organized the group and then maybe I’ll post some recordings from our first concert.

January seems to be the month to focus on health and fitness. We are daily bombarded with news stories on ways to lose pounds or get fit. Being a bit rounder than I’d like to be, I generally listen, but I really perked up when I saw this headline:  No sweat - sing yourself to better health.

“Choral singing can keep you younger and healthier for longer. The benefits are boosted by singing in a choir because it involves both physical and social activity. Studies have shown that people who sing regularly have fewer trips to the doctor, fewer falls, less medication and are less depressed,” says Victoria Meredith, choral conductor and professor at the Don Wright Faculty of Music at The University of Western Ontario.

Some of the benefits of singing come from:

• a sense of mastering an art
• social engagement
• sustained effects of a long-lasting group effort
• creative and intellectually stimulating activities improve brain function and compensate for the loss of brain cells with age
• a disease-fighting protein (sIg A) increases 150 per cent during rehearsals and 240 per cent during performances

Read more from the original article.

Another article on this subject from the Times Colonist.

See also: Tabloid claims “Singing Cures Everything”

Need something to do over the Christmas Break? Well, it wouldn’t be hard to while away a few hours playing “Handbell Hero” (opens new window), a rhythm-matching knockoff of the popular Guitar Hero. No, there is no choir involved, but since choirs and handbell choirs often perform together I thought you might be interested.

You can help perform three holiday selections on Handbell Hero:

• Jingle Bells
• Rudoph the Red-nosed Reindeer
• Frosty the Snowman

P.S. I can’t believe I came across this. I was just watching TwitterVision for about a minute and this came up. Talk about coincidence! but I guess that’s the way the net works sometimes. If you’re a twitter fan as well, follow me at http://twitter.com/mryantaylor

Wouldn’t it be great if you could have all the greatest vocal talent assembled in one place for a Christmas concert? Here are 25 Christmas selections on youtube that I’ve assembled from choral ensembles all over the world (will open a new window). Once the window is open, just click “Play All Videos” on the right to start your concert.

The ensembles include:

• The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• Ole Miss Concert Singers with Eric Whitacre conducting
• The Choir of King’s College
• The Monteverdi Choir
• Tucson Boys Chorus
• Petits Chanteurs de Paris
• Windsbacher Knabenchor
• Las Vegas Master Singers
• Robert Shaw Choral
• . . . and more!