Kendrick and SCSO Are Semi-Finalists for The American Prize

Dr. Donald Kendrick, founding Director of the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra, Director of Choral Activities at California State University, Sacramento -- among so many other roles and accomplishments -- has just added one more.  He is one of six semi-finalists in this year's competition for The American Prize in Conducting -- Choral Division.  At the same time, the Sacramento Choral Society & Orchestra has been named one of 13 semi-finalists in the "Choral Performance - Community" category.  In the choral conducting and choral performance categories, finalists will be announced after June 3 and winners after July 15.

Here is how The American Prize is explained:  "The American Prize is a series of new, non-profit national competitions in the performing arts providing cash awards, professional adjudication and regional, national and international recognition for the best recorded performances by ensembles and individuals each year in the United States at the professional, college/university, church, community and secondary school levels. Administered by Hat City Music Theater, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Danbury, Connecticut, The American Prize was founded in 2009 and is awarded annually. The competitions of The American Prize are open to all U.S. citizens, whether living in this country or abroad, and to others currently living, working and/or studying in the United States of America, its protectorates and territories."

There are 7 categories of competition for conducting and 3 for choral performance (community, college/university and youth/high school).  There are separate competitions for vocalists, pianists, composers, chamber music ensembles, orchestras, bands, musical theater and opera companies, stage directors, and art administrators.

There is more information about The American Prize at their website:  http://theamericanprize.org.  Competition updates are at this link:  http://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/.  Other updates are in their Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-American-Prize-celebrating-American-excellence-in-the-arts/214320622728.

Good luck, Don and SCSO!

Sacramento Valley Chorus Takes Second

For the second year in a row, the Sacramento Valley Chorus has taken second place in the Region 12 Competition of Sweet Adelines International, held April 20 in Reno.  This time our local ladies missed first place by only 10 points (out of 620), so congratulations all around!  And if you want to see and hear how they did, videos of the competition are available online at this link:  http://sairegion12.org/events/competition/webcast.html.  The cost is $20 for a password.

Carmichael Singing Community

Christiana Quick-Cleveland has announced a new singing group, the Carmichael Singing Community, and invited people to its first gathering, Friday, April 19 in the Barn at Rudolf Steiner College at 7:30 p.m.  Quick-Cleveland has organized another group, the Chalice Ensemble, which gave a concert/sing-along on March 23 and which organizes its season around intensive rehearsal blocks (see this link).

The Carmichael Singing Community is described as a "group for people who enjoy singing together." Quick-Cleveland further explains, "The idea is to bring us all together to support each other in the activity of singing. What we do from there, how we structure it, the form of the specific vision, that is the work of the collective that comes."

For more information, visit the Tiana Music Enterprises website at www.tianame.com or contact Christiana Quick-Cleveland directly at christiana@tianame.com.

Woodland Chamber Singers to Carnegie Hall in 2014

The Woodland Chamber Singers will make "a special appearance at Carnegie Hall in March 2014.  [They] are being featured as a showcase choir in an evening performance for junior high, senior high, and college choruses attending the New York Choral Festival workshop. The opportunity for the Singers to represent the Woodland community in New York City is an inspiration to younger choral singers and a great source of pride."

Fundraising for the trip has begun and will be part of Woodland Chamber Singers' upcoming concerts on May 11 & 12.  For details, see their listing in the Sacramento Choral Calendar at this link.

Webcast of Barbershop Competition

Region 12 of Sweet Adelines International will hold its annual competition in Reno on April 19 & 20.  Local choruses Sierra Gold (Auburn) and the Sacramento Valley Chorus (Sacramento) will, of course, be competing.

This year, for the first time, it will be possible to watch a live webcast of the competition, plus gain access to archives of the competition until May 5.  The quartet competition starts on Friday, April 19 at 3:15 p.m.; the chorus competition starts on Saturday, April 20 at 12:15 p.m.

The cost is $20 for a personal password, and for an extra $5, you can send a "shout out" to your favorite competitor and have it read out loud to the audience.  Unfortunately, the webcast is not compatible with iPhone, iPad or iPod.  Details are at this address:  http://sairegion12.org/events/competition/webcast.html

Sierra Gold Seeking New Director

Barb Tincher is retiring as Director of Sierra Gold Chorus, the women's barbershop chorus that is a chapter of Sweet Adelines and that rehearses at Dewitt Center in Auburn.  The chorus is seeking a new director and taking applications through April 15.  Details are in their website:  www.sierragoldchorus.org.

Innovative New Website for Chanteuses

I monitor websites of all the choruses in the greater Sacramento area, and there’s only one I would give an A+ rating to – Chanteuses’ recently redesigned site at www.chanteuses.org. Here are some of the features that make the site stand out, aside from the bright colorful images and clean design throughout:

• Everything you might need or want to know (or that they might want you to know) is clearly and briefly presented on the home page – without clutter: the schedule of upcoming concerts, a news feed, CD information, a rotating “billboard” of items they want to highlight, etc.
• The home page has links to the principal parts of the site at the top, where you would expect it. But the footer at the bottom of every page has not only those links, but contact information, and a link to sign up for their e-newsletter (managed by Constant Contact).
• One of my favorite features is the page devoted to the 18 singers and their music director. There is a head shot identifying each person by name, and when you click on their picture or name, you get a bio, plus links for e-mail, their Facebook page and any other contact point they might have wanted to make public.
• To promote their professionally produced Christmas CD, they have provided 30-second samples of each track.
• There is a page of their history, a concert page that lists events through the end of the year (with a link to reviews), a donation page, and a page that highlights their patrons.

Of course, the challenge in any website is keeping it current and providing new interest, so Chanteuses has carved out a bit of extra work for someone in the organization. But the introduction of this site has raised the bar for the sites of small choruses in our area.

 

 

American River Chorus Is Now Voices of California

Formed as recently as 2010 as a chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, the American River Chorus has changed its name to Voices of California, in part to eliminate any confusion that they are affiliated with American River College.  But another motivation for the new name is to give the chorus a fresh image.  They explain:  "We wanted to 'rebrand' ourselves as our reputation grows and more people recognize the level of talent we bring to the stage. We are a dynamic singing group committed to truly entertaining shows for all ages. We put about 75 men (from ages 11 to 85) on the risers for a performance, but even more than that come to our weekly practices from as far away as Lake Tahoe, Modesto, Chico, and even Reno and Santa Rosa. Why? Because it’s so much fun to sing this well!"

Part of their success is evident in the fact that they have been invited to perform at the Barbershop Harmony Society's International Conference in Toronto in July.  Of more than 800 eligible choruses, only 29 were invited.

Voices of California will present its spring concert at the Crest Theatre in two shows on Saturday, May 11.  For more details about this event in the Sacramento Choral Calendar, click on this link.

And here is an invitation they have sent out regarding their upcoming Guest Night:  "The Voices of California is holding a Guest Night, Thursday, April 4th 2013 at 7:30 PM. Singers are invited to visit the premier men’s a cappella chorus in the Greater Sacramento area. Guests are promised an evening of singing, fun and fellowship. The location is the Collins Teen Center in West Sacramento."

Amador Choraliers Looking for Alumni

(press release) The Amador Choraliers are looking for people who have ever sung with the group in the past 50 years! They are celebrating their Golden Jubilee this spring and are inviting all alumni to join them for a few songs. If you, or someone you know, were ever a member, please contact Carole at (209) 743-9258 for details. The Choraliers are always looking for new singers as well. Let them know if you are interested in joining them.

Informal Singing at the Choir Bar

Here’s an idea: getting together to sing informally, minus printed music. It’s called the “Choir Bar,” an activity of the Fusion International Arts Center in Sacramento, and it’s been going every other Wednesday for the past couple of months.

Led by the Center’s Executive Director, Gayliene Omary, who learned to love singing in musical theater and school choirs, people sing familiar (typically popular) tunes, and work out their own harmonies. Sometimes sessions are devoted to a particular style (like the Feb. 13th meeting that will focus on gospel music). When they don’t have a piano accompaniment, they sing to recorded tracks.

The “Bar” part of the name is just to suggest a gathering place – all ages are welcome (no hard liquor), but food and drinks are available for purchase. Beyond that, they ask for a donation of $5 at the door.

Gayliene explains that she got the idea from a story on NPR that described a similar activity in Toronto, and you can check out that story at this link.

Fusion International Arts Center (www.fusioniac.com) has a mission to bring people together to communicate through the arts (dance, music, art, and theater) and to build cultural understanding and foster people’s artistic talents. Their building on Arden Way (near I-80) provides a large (16,000 square feet) space for events of all kinds.

For more information about the Choir Bar, contact Gayliene Omary at 916/538-4008 or gayliene@fusioniac.com

Sacramento Children's Chorus to Tour China

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the Sacramento Children's Chorus is undertaking a singing tour of China June 18-29, 2013.  For details of the sights they will see and the performances they will give, visit this page on the SCC website.

Folsom Gold Opens Andrew Lloyd Webber Show

On March 24, Folsom Gold, the 12-member mixed chorus that gave its first public concert last June, will open for a show at Three Stages called "The Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber."  The show is sponsored by the Folsom Lake Community Concert Association, and will feature 4 performers who tour under the name, "The Best of Broadway."  The show is sponsored by the Folsom Lake Community Concert Association, and with the 2:00 p.m. show sold out, they have added another show at 7:00.  Follow Folsom Gold through their website:  www.folsomgoldsingers.com.