Congrats Vocal Arts!

Congratulations to all singers on your performance at the Lessons & Carols last night. You sounded great and looked good too! Thank you and also your parents for being part of this event.

December 15 - Monday night we will be experimenting with our Virtual Choir. You can bring your recording device, whether that be smartphone, iPad, etc. I will have my laptop and volunteers can listen to the track on the laptop and record into their digital device.

Here are two songs to start with:

Can You Hear mp3

Adiemus mp3

After Christmas we will add "When I Close My Eyes" and "For the Beauty of the Earth." I will also get you information on submitting your videos.

If anyone does not have a smartphone or other recording device, we'll try to make the option available during choir.

CHRISTMAS FEAST
At 8:00 pm, we'll stop rehearsing and have our Christmas feast. Please bring snacks to share (not too much - last year we had a ton of leftovers! And no nuts, please.) I'll bring drinks, plates, and napkins.

We will be on Winter Break until January 5th.

Have a great rest of your weekend!

Emily Crocker

VAA pre-concert update

Just a few reminders about our concert Lessons and Carols tomorrow night.

Friday, Dec. 12

Location: St. John the Evangelist Cathedral

812 N. Jackson St.
Milwaukee, WI
See map here


Call time: 5:30 pm
Concert time: 7:00 pm
We will practice in the Cathedral from 5:30 until 6:20. They will open the house at 6:30.
Dress: Black top and bottom with a colorful accent (tie, sweater, scarf, etc.)
Tickets: The tickets are $10 and may be purchased online at http://www.piuspac.org/
Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door for $8, but this concert is expected to sell out. There is street parking only.
They estimate the concert to be over at approximately 9:30 pm.
Since we are not performing our own concert this December, I hope you will all enjoy this lovely musical tribute to the season.

Here is a brief overview:

1. We move to our position on the SL aisle during "Once in Royal David's City." Other choirs except one leave. We move to SL steps.
2. Opening prayer
3. We sing "Sing We Now of Christmas."
4. We remain during another song, then exit SL through chapel and into atrium.
5. We are in the atrium for Lessons 1-6.
6. We enter to SL steps and stand there while Pius Percussion Ensemble plays, then we sing "O Come Little Children."
7. VAA exits to atrium and remains there for Lessons 7-9.
8. On the audience singing "The First Noel" VAA enters to SL aisle and sings "Peace, Peace" with combined choirs.

One other thing, we will be in the atrium for a long time and there will be no chairs, so bring a coat you can sit on. Otherwise you will be sitting on the bare floor.

See you Friday night!

Emily Crocker

Hi all,

Excellent rehearsal last week! And we had very good attendance! Let's keep it up this week as we have our last rehearsal before our Lessons and Carols concert.

Here is the schedule:
Monday, Dec. 8, 7:00-8:30 PM - regular rehearsal at Pius High School
Also attending tomorrow night, we will have singers from the VAA Apprentice Choir and the Pius Academy Children's Choir. They will be joining us on two songs and the group numbers. Please help them feel welcome!

Friday, Dec. 12
Call time: 5:30 pm
Concert time: 7:00 pm
We will practice in the Cathedral from 5:30 until 6:20. They will open the house at 6:30.
Dress: Black top and bottom with a colorful accent (tie, sweater, scarf, etc.)
Tickets: The tickets are $10 and may be purchased online at http://www.piuspac.org/
Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door for $8, but this concert is expected to sell out. There is street parking only.
They estimate the concert to be over at approximately 9:30 pm.
Since we are not performing our own concert this December, I hope you will all enjoy this lovely musical tribute to the season.

Monday, Dec. 15, 7:00-8:30 - last regular rehearsal of 2014! Please plan to be there! We will sing through our spring music, plus have a demonstration of how to submit your "virtual choir" recordings.

See you tomorrow!

Emily Crocker

Dear singers,

Sorry we missed last week's rehearsal, but we had a full weekend of music and I thought it better to stay home on the snowy and icy Monday night.

Thanks to the wonderful singing of the Present Music Singers - it was an excellent concert and you performed very well! We also had fun watching the parade and having lunch!

We'll be back at Pius IX HS tomorrow night, 12/1/14 to prepare for our next Cathedral concert, Lessons and Carols and to refresh our other music needed for January.

I need to urge you to be PRESENT the next two weeks. We do not have a large choir and each of you is important to our success. Lessons and Carols will be a very high profile event and we want to give a good performance.

Here is the schedule:

Monday, Dec. 1 - Regular rehearsal at Pius
Monday, Dec. 8 - Regular rehearsal at Pius
Friday, Dec. 12 - Lessons and Carols concert at St. John's Cathedral
Call time: 5:30* pm
Concert time: 7:00 pm
*I know it is hard to get downtown by 5:30 pm, but since we are not attending the dress rehearsal, which takes place during the school day on Thursday, we need to get our position and rehearse the movement into the performance area.

Monday, Dec. 15 - Regular rehearsal at Pius
Dec. 22, Dec. 29 - No rehearsals, winter break
Jan. 5 - rehearsals resume

Looking forward to seeing you all!

Emily Crocker

So proud of the nine Vocal Arts singers performing with Present Music at their Thanksgiving concert today! Despite the early start to Saturday's rehearsal, we had fun watching the Milwaukee Holiday Parade after rehearsal and eating lunch at Real Chili. Don't know about the rest of you, but I enjoyed my afternoon nap!

We'll be back to normal at Pius IX High School on Monday night, Nov. 24 from 7:00-8:30 to practice Christmas and other music!

Enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday this week with family and friends and a little time off from school!

Emily Crocker

Midweek update!

We missed a few Present Music singers on Monday. We worked through the whole piece. It is not difficult, but requires counting and attention. If you have time before this weekend, listen to the recording with your music at: Hammers & Whistlers

Here is the schedule for this weekend:

Friday, Nov. 21, 7:15 PM (Call time 7:00) - St. John's Cathedral; end time 9:15 PM. Enter through the Jackson Street doors. Here's the map link: St. John Cathedral

Saturday, Nov. 22, 8:45 AM (Sorry!) (Door open at 8:30) - St. John's Cathedral; end time approx. 10:45 AM. Special note: There is a Christmas parade starting at 9:30 AM on Saturday morning and the streets may be closed. Please allow time. All singers are invited for lunch after rehearsal - courtesy Vocal Arts Academy. We'll walk across the Cathedral Square to Real Chili for lunch. Pickup approximately 12:15 PM.

Sunday, Nov. 23, 4:00 PM Concert (Call time 3:30) - St. John's Cathedral; end time approx. 6:15 PM. Enter through the atrium entrance.
Concert dress - all black with an accent of color (scarf, hair ornament, necklace, tie, vest, etc.)

Tickets, please visit Present Music and use the code FRIEND to purchase tickets.

We'll be back on schedule for regular rehearsal at Pius on Monday, Nov. 24.


Any problems, call or text me at (414) 852-7297.

Emily Crocker

Dear Singers & Parents,

I'm happy to report that on Tuesday I visited the ER to have follow-up tests about my fainting spell on Monday night. All checks out fine, EKG, bloodwork, blood pressure, pulse, etc. They told me to be sure to eat something before choir and stay hydrated, especially when the room sometimes gets hot. This is good advice for us all! :)

I appreciate everyone's concern and sorry if I frightened you! I especially appreciate Mrs. Stosur who looks out for me all the time and for Molly who was calm and collected while calling the paramedics!

I also appreciate that you were able to carry on with your "Hammers and Whistlers" practice even with all the distractions. You did a great job.

I have decided to change tomorrow night's rehearsal a little bit. The entire evening will be devoted to "Hammers and Whistlers," so if you are not singing the Present Music concert, you can stay home Monday night.

Here is the schedule for the rest of the week:

Monday, Nov. 17, 7:00 PM - Pius HS, "Hammers and Whistlers" (Kevin comes at 8:00)

Friday, Nov. 21, 7:15 PM (Call time 7:00) - St. John's Cathedral; end time 9:15 PM

Saturday, Nov. 22, 8:45 AM (Sorry!) (Door open at 8:30) - St. John's Cathedral; end time approx. 10:45 AM

Sunday, Nov. 23, 4:00 PM Concert (Call time 3:30) - St. John's Cathedral; end time approx. 6:15 PM
Concert dress - all black with an accent of color (scarf, hair ornament, necklace, tie, vest, etc.)

I promised you a lunch or dinner for this event - stay tuned and I'll let you know when and where. It will be within walking distance of the Cathedral.

We'll be back on schedule for regular rehearsal at Pius on Monday, Nov. 24.

Thanks for being so awesome!

Emily Crocker

Hello everyone,

Were you all busy last week? I'm wondering because we had lots of folks absent from rehearsal. The singers who were present did a great job, but we do SO much better when we are all present.

Please arrange your Monday nights to give a priority to Vocal Arts Academy!

On a related note, I am going to make a slight change in our schedule for the next two weeks, Nov. 10 & Nov. 17. We will rehearse regular music from 7:00-8:00 with all singers. Then from 8:00-8:30, we will practice the Present Music "Hammers & Whistlers." I was concerned that two solid hours of rehearsal after a long school day was too much. Your Christmas music is sounding good, so I think we can handle this slight change.

See you tomorrow!

Emily Crocker

Hi singers & parents,

Hope you are keeping up with the falling leaves!

Tomorrow night, I'll see you at Pius IX High School at 7:00.

Don't forget that after rehearsal, from 8:30-9:00, we'll be practicing the music for the Present Music Thanksgiving Concert "Hammers and Whistlers." Bring your music and I'll bring black 3-ring binders.

I have also posted Part-Learning tracks for Adiemus and Can You Hear. You can listen or download them here:

Adiemus Sop. 1
Adiemus Sop 2
Adiemus Alto 1
Adiemus Alto 2

And if you want to start practicing for the Virtual Choir, here is the instrumental track: Adiemus Track

Can you Hear Soprano
Can you Hear Alto
Can you Hear Baritone

And here is the instrumental track: Can You Hear Track

See you tomorrow night!

Emily Crocker

Happy Halloween week!

We'll be back at Pius XI high school tomorrow night from 7:00-8:30. Our two fall events are as follows:

Present Music Concert
This is an optional event with a singer honorarium of $20 to each participant. We will rehearse:

• Nov. 3: 8:30-9:00
• Nov. 10: 8:30-9:00
• Nov. 17: 8:30-9:00

I will bring music this week to rehearsal. Your mp3 is available here

Present Music rehearsals with all the instruments and other singers will be:

• Nov. 21 (Fri. evening)
• Nov. 22 (Sat. morning)

The concert is Sunday, Nov. 23 at 4:00 pm at the St. John the Evangelist Cathedral.

Lessons & Carols at the Cathedral (with Pius XI High School Choirs)
This will take place on Friday, Dec. 12 at the St. John the Evangelist Cathedral at 7:00 pm. Since we will not be part of their dress rehearsal (it takes place during the day) I'll ask you to get there at 6:00 pm to rehearse.

Last thing for this week: We're planning to invite MCC and VAA alumni to join us next May for our final concert. As part of this, we would like to you share your favorite choir pieces from years past that you might like to perform again on this concert.

Go to this link to take the survey: MCC/VAA survey

Hello singers & parents,

REMEMBER - no rehearsal tomorrow, Monday, Oct. 20 due to the Pius XI Open House. We'll see you on Monday, Oct. 27 for regular rehearsal.

Upcoming events:

PRESENT MUSIC PREPARATION REHEARSALS
We will have preparation rehearsals for the Present Music Hammers & Whistlers piece on three Monday nights: Nov. 3, Nov. 10, Nov. 17 from 8:30-9:00 pm, after our regular rehearsal. In addition, you are expected to spend time rehearsing the music on your own.

You can download the music here: Present Music score
(I will also bring hard copies to rehearsal next week.)

You can download the audio mp3 for here: Hammers & Whistlers mp3

See you on Oct. 27!

Emily Crocker

Hello singers & parents,

Two things for this week:

1. NEXT WEEK, October 20, there will be NO rehearsal due to the Pius XI HS Open House. VAA rehearsals will resume on Oct. 27.

2. I have updated information for the Present Music concert. You can view/download the info form and I will have hard copies available tonight at rehearsal.

Present Music UPDATED info

See you tonight!

Emily Crocker

Hello all!

Hope you are having a great week!

I don't have too much to report this week except to remind you of the post from Thursday about the Present Music concert. I will have more information this week at rehearsal, or you can check out this info sheet:

Present Music Info

This opportunity is available to both boys and girls, and if you would like to invite a school choir friend to be part of the experience you can have them sign up too!

There is also an opportunity for a treble soloist to sing a section of the work. When we sang it back in MCC days, I think Mikaela was the soloist! It is not a difficult solo, but requires good rhythm. Just let me know if you would like to be considered for this solo.

See you tomorrow night!

Emily Crocker

Special opportunity for singers

We have a special opportunity for VAA singers to sing with the Present Music Ensemble at their Thanksgiving concert on Sunday, Nov. 23 at St. John's Cathedral. All singers who participate in this event will earn $20.00. (You can put it on your resume that you are a professional singer!)

You will be singing a wild and crazy piece called "Hammers and Whistlers" along with singers from other groups (Homestead HS, Muskego HS and professional singers) and the exciting instrumentalists of the Present Music Ensemble.

The composer of this work is Kamran Ince, who is a contemporary Turkish-American composer and he writes very interesting and modern music.

There will be two rehearsals, Nov. 7 and Nov. 9 and you will need to be present for at least one of those rehearsals. I will help you learn the music on a couple of evenings to be announced in late October and early November after our regular rehearsal.

If you are interested in being part of this experience, please email me at emily@vocalarts.us or I will have sign-up forms at rehearsal on Monday night.

It will be fun and we'll have pizza downtown after the concert!

Here is a recording of Hammers & Whistlers:

Hammers & Whistlers

Dear singers & parents,

Thanks for a great start to Vocal Arts 2014-2015!

A few updates:
1. We have a schedule update for October. There will be NO rehearsal on Monday, Oct. 20, due to the Pius IX High School Open House that night. Please update your calendars.

2. Be thinking about your favorite songs from VAA or from MCC. We're going to program them in the spring, so we'll try to pick as many as possible.

3. Try to arrive on time for rehearsal. I know you are all super busy and involved in many school activities. If you are going to miss rehearsal, email me at emily@vocalarts.us.

4. You can start bringing solos for Mrs. Stosur & I to evaluate for class and community programming. Mrs. Stosur will need her own copy.

Have a great Sunday evening. Do your homework and see you tomorrow.

Emily Crocker

Greetings, singers & parents!

I hope you are enjoying the beautiful Wisconsin Autumn! The city of Milwaukee cut down my giant maple tree, but for some reason I still have leaves on my lawn!

Here is a new piece we will be starting tomorrow night, performed by VAA in December, 2010, "Sing We Now of Christmas" arranged by John Leavitt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awZhgml9nPs

Please place this date on your calendar:

December 12, 2014, 7:00 pm - Vocal Arts will be performing at the Festival of Lessons and Carols at St. John's Cathedral. Also on the program, Pius High School choirs and orchestra and the Pius Fine Arts Academy singers. I will be directing that group and they will join us on at least one of our songs.

See you tomorrow, 7:00-8:30 pm at Pius.

Emily Crocker

Hi everyone,

Thank you for a great first week! The choir sounds wonderful after only one rehearsal! I'm looking forward to some great music this year and trying some new things.

I mentioned the Eric Whitacre Virtual Choir - have a listen here to the first one, performing his composition LUX ARUMQUE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7o7BrlbaDs

And here is the Virtual Choir 4 FLY TO PARADISE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8oDnUga0JU

Here is another piece in your folder:

Can You Hear performed by VAA in 2010:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN4czpenXIU