reminder about BUF Choir cleaning night Jan. 2

This is a reminder about our next BUF cleaning gig!

It's at 7:00pm, Monday, January 2nd

There have only been a few showing up at the last few cleaning sessions - so all that are available on Monday would be appreciated!!

Contact Carl Nyblade with any quesions: carlnyblade@hotmail.com

Dec. 24 service details

Some quick reminders about Saturday's service.

• Dress: all black with red, green, or gold accents
• Arrive: 6:30 in sanctuary, move downstairs at 7:00, caroling begins in sanctuary at 7:45

 Don't forget about using the practice site, and listening to the Lux YouTube video on the blog...

Looking forward to rocking the house again this year!

Details for Monday's Service

Here is a quick reminder about the details for tomorrow's service for Dean.

• time: arrive at 4:30 for quick rehearsal of Blue Boat Home and We are One before service starts at 5:00
• dress: black on bottom, green on top of you have it, or other solid color

Fellow choristers:

Perhaps it's time to take a minute or two to say a big thank you to Beth and Wendy who have to keep scampering around copying our music and missing practice while we demand music. Or perhaps, a hug for Al who diligently keeps the website up to date to help us with those notes we just can't seem to get no matter how many times we try. What about Melanie's brilliant accompaniments, playing all 4 lines of music in different rhythms while watching Andy at the same time? Becca keeps us up to date with her blog spot notices (yes, Becca, you have to leave this part in the note!). And of course, when was the last time you gave Andy a hug or told him just how much choir meant to you?

Then of course, there are lots of other choristers who show up just like you do every week, helping you find your place when you weren't really paying attention or lending you a pencil and so many other things.

Think about it, but not too long cuz it's time to sing with the greatest bunch of folks ever.

-Linda Darks

Audio files of three of our performances from this Fall are posted on the blog! Scroll down to "audio links" on the right hand navigation to find them.

So far we have The Heavens are Telling, We are One, and A World of Difference up, and we'll try to keep them coming regularly as the year progresses.

Because the audio files were compressed the quality isn't as great as we would like, but we'll see if we can work on that.


Enjoy.


Becca

Nov 20th

Dear Choristers,

The day of November 20th is going to be a big day!!

we will do Ute Sundance during the service

At the Multi-Faith Craft fair we will perform

Oh Freedom
Fire of Comitment
The Heavens are telling
Dance to day (Chamber)
GOod Night Dear Heart
Siyahamba
Lean on me
Blue Boat home
Alleluia (Chamber)
Turn the world around
We are one

We perform at 2:30

Arrive at the Assumption Gym at 2:00 for a 2:30 -3:30 performance

Any questions let me know, We'll wear what ever we wore for the service that morning. Probably Black.

Thanks

Andy

Attention BUF WOMEN choir members!

Women’s Choral Workshop

Saturday, January 21, 2012 in Bellingham

Allegra Women’s Choir and artistic director, Ann MacDonald, invite you to join us on Saturday, January 21, 2012, in Bellingham, Washington when we host our first Women’s Choral Workshop. Now in our fifth season, Allegra Women's Choir has been educating singers in solid vocal technique and musical artistry while engaging in the performance of quality choral works in both classical and folk idioms. Joining us for the day will be Elektra Women’s Choir of Vancouver, B.C. under the direction of Morna Edmundson.  Elektra has taken a leadership role in the international classical women’s choir movement and will add their expertise, mentorship and enthusiasm to the day’s events.

Argentinean-Canadian mezzo-soprano, Fabiana Katz, will also be featured as one of our vocal workshop leaders and guest conductors. Fabiana is a highly sought after clinician and instructor. She shares her wealth of vocal knowledge and choral expertise in a fun, personable manner.

This day-long event will include a variety of workshop sessions covering topics that will enhance your individual vocal technique as well as workshops on topics specific to choral singing. The day will conclude with performances by all attendees, as well as performances by both Allegra Women’s Choir and Elektra Women’s Choir.

Details and registration can be found at our web site, www.bellinghamsings.org. Early registration discounts are available now through December 16, 2011. Group discounts are also available. The registration fee of $45* includes all workshops, catered lunch, and music.

We are very excited to host this event, and look forward to sharing this day of intensive choral music making with you, our fellow singing sisters! We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Ann MacDonald & Allegra Women’s Choir

*suggested donation

Sunday 10.16 performance details

The Heavens are Telling is up for this Sunday and here are the details!

• arrive at BUF at 8:30 AM sharp ready to rehearse
• dress in all black [there will be stoles for most of us to wear as accent]
•  be prepared to also sing Blue Boat Home and Morning has broken, which most of us are familiar with

 Check out the blog for a You Tube video of Heavens as well as a link to Al's practice site - a great tool to use before Sunday.

Whidby Island Hazzah!

Dear Choristers,

you folks Never cease to amaze me!. We had right around 27 voices that showed up for the Whidby Island performance and it was a vibrant, honest, and meaningful time of sharing. We really did Blow the roof off of that place. Memorable moments for me were. Blue boat home and helping their congregation to feel the connection that we have become accustom to, of course you can't pass up the "Shouting Day, Day is breaking" Part. that part always kills! I had a lot of fun on Gate Gate especially the last "Ga-Te" and the way that we built up to it. I think my favorite part was starting "We Are One" and seeing the looks on your faces like "We are going to Rock this", That was my favorite.

Thank you for being flexible in the rush around moments before the service. It wasn't ideal but we came together and got the job done and you took ownership of the situation to help us present in a way that was true to our growing reputation. I hope that in the future we can work on that piece of the puzzle in a way that makes things more comfortable for us. That being said I am very proud of the way we all came together to sing beautifully.

See you wednesday. we will be working on "The Heavens are Telling" from Hayden's work "The Creation".

I would like to change the big choir rehearsal from 7-8 and move chamber choir up to 8:10 to 9:30. We have a big job in front of us to get "World of Difference" down for next weekend. Kay and Nat will be attending rehearsal from 8:45 - 9:30 and so we will have some time to get our parts down before they get set up and ready to play.

I am looking forward to next weeks service!

Thanks again. Lets keep our momentum going!

Andy

Sunday Whidbey Island service

Below are some quick reminders about Sunday [though most of this information is on the handout you received during Wednesday rehearsal].

Timeline

• Leave BUF at 7:30am [if your carpool is meeting at BUF]
• Arrive at Whidbey Island Unitarian Fellowship - 9:15am [http://bit.ly/peOSYr]
• Service starts at 10:00am
• lunch is at 11:30am

Other details

• dress: black bottom, solid bright color top
• music: Good Night Dear Heart, Bright Morning Stars [chamber], Gate Gate, Dai Lanu, We are One, and hymns as per Wednesday's handout

Check out the practice site http://home.comcast.net/~aheezen/music/ and the blog for YouTube videos of our songs.

Sunday Ingathering Service

Below are some reminders about tomorrow's service. See you there!
 

• time: arrive 8:30 sharp for rehearsal [remember there are two services]
• dress: black on bottom, solid bright colored top
• prepare: we will be singing We Are One, Blue Boat Home, Circle Round for Freedom [with harmony]

Whidby Island Prep

Dear Choristers,

because we have 2 rehearsals to prepare for our Whidby island service, If you have time I would ask that you take a look at the following pieces before rehearsal on the 7th

We are One
Dai Lanu,
Gate Gate
Dance with Joy (chamber Choir)
Good Night dear Heart
Bright Morning Stars (Chamber choir)
The most living moment (probably going to cut this one but take a look just in case.)

If you need music for these just email me and I will make them available for pickup at church.


Thanks all!!

Andy

Welcome Letter

Dear BUFsters,

Music at BUF is an integral part of who we are and why we do what we do. For many of us, Music is the vehicle that that touches our spirit and reminds us to live lives of Purpose, Service and Joy. Part of my goal as your Music Director is to find ways for you to connect to your spiritual lives, our spiritual community, and to the spirit of the greater community through the universal language of music.
Doug and I had a fantastic time putting together and presenting the “Music as an expression of Faith” service on August 21st this year. This service reminded me that singing really is a direct connection to the emotional center of your spirituality, and If you feel like you need to connect to your emotional center, then I would suggest joining BUF Choir! Our first rehearsal is at 7pm on September 7th. If you are a new comer, just come 30min early and I will determine how best to place you into the choir. Chamber choir will directly follow the BUF Choir rehearsal starting at 8:30. Please talk to me if you are interested in singing in BUF Chamber Choir.
Last year was a booming year for our children's music ministry much thanks to the life long learning music team that made it their goal to improve the amount of music that our children are exposed to at church. This year I know that they will continue to improve the music offerings for our youth here at BUF. Chad Nuckles-Flynn is recruiting for the BUF Youth Band that uplifted several services last year, and the BUF Children's Choir will again be under the direction of Beth Beyers so keep your eye on the calendar for their first rehearsal.
As part of our outreach to other communities, the BUF choir has been invited again to perform at the Whidby Island Unitarian Fellowship on September 18th. We will share music of our UU sources much like we did in our finale last year. We will also be singing at the Interfaith choir festival on the 11th of Feburary.
Music at BUF is alive and well and ready for your contribution to our spiritual community. if you have a desire to Play, Sing, or any combination of those, please let me know and we would love to get you involved.

In Harmony

Andy Marshall

A New Year of Exiting Music!

Dear Choristers,

Another Season of BUF choir is upon us and I for one am looking forward to reaching greater musical heights than ever before.

Here are some things you should know.

Dates and Events:

Sept 11 - Ingathering (We Are One)
Sept 18th Whidby Island Performance*
Dec 3 - Xmas Choir retreat


That is all I have for now but Keep your eyes on the calendar for the most updated info. I will have a detailed schedule for you on the first rehearsal as well.

The Whidby Island performance on the 18th will require us to crank out some music in our first two rehearsals. I will pull out some things from last year. we will probably do a truncated version of our choir finale which should be a lot of fun for us and a great way to get things started! Click the link below to let me know if you are able to go or not.

RESPONSE SERVEY

Also if you are new or you need to update your information in our BUF CHOIR Database please click the link on the right to go to the registration form and fill in your information.

If you have any questions please feel free to call or email me any time

andygmarshall@gmail.com
360-220-3969

details for Sunday

Just a quick reminder about the details for tomorrow's performance.

When: chamber choir: 9:00, main choir: 9:30

What to wear: black plus vivid color accent [accent = scarf, belt, tie, etc.]

Song order:

• The Most Living Moment
• Good Night, Dear Heart
• Gate Gate
•  O Lux Beatissima
• Dai Lanu

Choir and Community Dinner

Hi Choristers

We are going to create a Community Dinner for BUF next Wednesday (March 30).

We can have fun socializing while we cook in BUF's kitchen!  Please let Robin Brown know if you want to help.  We plan to make nutty lentils with brown rice, salad, ginger carrots, and fruit for dessert.  All are gluten free and dairy free.  We can add to or change this menu.  We need help Wednesday morning (11:00 to 12:30) for food prep (chopping vegetables...) and later in the day (4:15 - 6:00 p.m.) to cook and put everything together.

We also want a song to start off the dinner.  Ideas?

Dear choristers,

Can you believe that auction!!! Wow. We have such a vibrant and alive community. You can almost feel the buzz right now.
Our auction item was a success! And Eric has already has an idea for us. June 12 is the last service for the long time and well loved UU minister up in Blaine. He would like to see us go up and rock the house for them and I can't think of a cooler occasion. It may end up being less random act and more of a concert but we will see how things unfold. Just check your calendar for now and get back to me on Wednesday.

"The Most Living Moment" is really coming together! I love being able to do complex music like this.

See you soon, have a good week.

Rehearsal Cancelled tonight!!

Hi Choristers,

we will be cancelling rehearsal tonight as the forcast is projecting accumulations of snow.

Chamber, the dress for sunday will be black, and the time will be 8:15 so we will have some time to rehearse the piece. If there are still snow issues on sunday, keep an eye on the blog for more information.

I will get an email out to you as well I hope.

Andy

new videos posted to blog site

A couple of versions of Jai Ho choral videos have been posted to the video section of the blog site, as well as one for The Most Living Moment. As per usual, the quality is not the best...but they are fun to listen to. 

I find it hard to believe we are going to keep as still as the other choirs singing Jai Ho [not to mention the audience!]...

Audio from our rehearsal

Hi Every one,

Click here to access the recording that Chad made of our last run of Dai Lanu on Wednesday.

Nice work Chad thanks!! Things are sounding good and I for one am having a lot of fun with this piece. I think we are going to represent BUF well at Interfaith.

Remember the Dress is Red and Black and the call this Sunday is 8:30 and it may be the only chance we get to run this with Nathan Mattson (c0ngas) and Simon Nuckles-Flinn (cow Bell) before we sing that day so lets maximize our rehearsal by being on time.

If listening to this gives you any ideas or thoughts please feel free to comment below.

Deedee (my ever candid adviser) Said that I am working way to hard jumping and snaping and shouting to get that tempo up to speed. She (as usual) is totally right! I should just be giving you a clear beat and you should be doing the work. I think we are nearly out of our music enough to actually make this happen.

Alright... check out the new you tube videos I posted to the right!

Rock on!!

Andy

Today's Marimba Rehearsal

If any of you are last min. checking on rehearsal details. Be there at noon and it shouldn't be more than 45 min! See you soon!

Welcome Back

Hi choristers,

I am looking forward to meeting with you and getting a roaring start to our spring season. See you tomorrow night (or tonight depending on when you get this) Rehearsal starts at 7pm on the dot (new years resolution!) with or without you so don't be late.

For your future planing here are a few dates:

Sunday Jan 24 Buf choir sings with the marimba band!!
Sunday Jan 30- chamber
Sunday Feb 6 BUF choir sings Dai Lanu
Saturday Feb 12 BUF choir sings Dai Lanu at interfaith
10:45 AM – Combined Choir Rehearsal
12:30 PM – Break (please bring sack lunches)
1:00 PM – Concert


That should get you started, More detail tomorrow night.

Andy