I also had to create a handout for the choir:
Calgary Girls Choir
Website: http://www.calgarygirlschoir.com/
Background Information
The Calgary Girls Choir was founded in 1995 by Elaine Quilichini, who also the artistic director of the choir. It is a collection of five choral ensembles, for girls ages 4 - 24. "Only the best is good enough" is their guiding principle. Their repertoire ranges from folk song through contemporary classical music selections "of the highest quality". In 2010, the Calgary Girls Choir performed at the Vatican in Rome and Mass at St. Marco's Basilica in Venice, lead by Elaine Quilichini.
Elaine Quilichini, the founder and artistic director of the Calgary Girls Choir, has had many accomplishments and involvement in choral music over the years. She has a master's degree in music (Kodály). She has adjudicated and guest conducted across Canada, the United States, Japan, Argentina, Australia, Brazil and the Canary Islands, as well as acted as a clinician and lecturer. For over ten years, she conducted the University of Calgary Women’s Choir, and still teaches an active music studio. Among her other successes in the choral world, she also has a choral series published by Alliance Music Publishing and is a recipient of the Alberta Choral Federation’s ‘con spirito’ award.
Junior Music Program
The junior music program of the Calgary Girls Choir includes three different choirs ("Prima", "Bella" and "Dolce").They are of a small class size which "encourages a personal educational relationship. In a playful atmosphere, the singers acquire the ability to hear and think music." They are taught a Kodály-based program which provides the children with basic music skills and literacy.
- "Prima" : which means"first", is for girls ages 4-5. This choir uses traditional children’s folk songs, art songs, nursery rhymes and games which develop music concepts.
- "Belle": which means "beautiful”, is for grades 1-2. In this choir, they continue to encourage musical development, including tune singing, movement and musical literacy. This choir also works to help develop awareness of musical elements in their repertoire. Play and response in music is an important aspect for both "Belle" and "Prima" groups.
- "Dolce": which means "sweetly". This choir is for grades 3-4, and works to develop in-tune singing, inner hearing, musical literacy and vocal technique. Rhythm reading and solfa is also taught, in order to develop the girls into independent musical readers. For this choir, more emphasis is placed on refining performances in an artistic sense.
Senior Music Program
Senior Music Program
The senior music program is separated into two different choirs: "Viva" and "Brava".
- "Viva": for grades 4-7. This program is designed for advancement of musical skills and to build up their repertoire. According to the CGC website, "They meet once a week and focus on the development of vocal technique and musicianship through artistic interpretation and performance. Viva continues to serve as a model for all as to the high standard that can be achieved by young singers."
- "Brava": for grade 7 to college/university (up to age 24). In this choir, they work to push past the boundaries of their abilities. According to the CGC website, "Their exceptional tone quality, intonation and musically sensitive performances inspire all who aspire to choral excellence."
Repertoire Recommendations:
Repertoire Recommendations:
“Überlebensgroß” by Stephen Hatfield (http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/Calgary-Girls-Choir)
This piece was one of my favorites out of all the repertoire that I listened to. This piece involves elements of percussion using wooden sticks and also clapping, which creates an interesting effect with the haunting quality of the vocals. The quality that I noticed especially with this piece was how together the choir was, particularly in faster sections when they are both singing and clapping sixteenth notes, which I was very impressed by. It’s clear that a lot of effort was put into rehearsing this piece. It’s an excellent piece for multitasking with rhythm.
“Rise Up, My Love” by Eleanor Daley (http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/Calgary-Girls-Choir)
This piece is lovely. The choir’s tuning is very good (particularly the chord at the very end), as is their dictation. It is written for soprano I and II, and alto I and II, and is a cappella. I am recommending this piece because it is excellent for practice with intonation and expression.
“Domine Deus” (from Mass in G) J.S. Bach (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3kupC7I8aE)
In this performance of this piece, you can truly see the focus and attention to detail put forth by the choir members. I found it very impressive, particularly because of the contrast in ages between some of the members, which is why I am recommending this piece. I believe it is suited to a range of ages, but is also challenging because of the amount of focus needed.
“Song of the Worms”(http://www.calgarygirlschoir.com/Resources/Documents/sample
%20music/Song%20of%20the%20Worms.mp3)
This piece is excellent for working on togetherness and balance as a choir, as well as dynamic contrast, phrasing, diction and proper enunciation of the ends of syllables, which the Calgary Girls Choir did very well in this recording. There is also good practice with interval leaps and intonation.
“Will There Be a Morning” by Craig Hella Johnson (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp8EQzw979g)
While the lyrics are fairly simple, the weight is clearly placed on intonation and phrasing, which is what makes this such a lovely piece. This piece is also very good for working on intonation, expression and balance.
Other Recommendations - https://twitter.com/YYCGirlsChoir
One of things I liked about the Calgary Girls Choir website was the fact that they had a twitter feed - it’s a good way to keep people informed of what is currently happening with the choir, such as rehearsals, concerts, etc. It’s also a good way to promote and market the choir and share news via online social networking.
As well, there is also a Calgary Grils Choir Society, which according to the CGC website is a “registered charitable organization headed by a board drawn from the community at large, which supports the Calgary Girls Choir. Although the Choir maintains a modestly financed administrative infrastructure, its operations are largely conducted by enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers.”
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