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Burmeister
Named Cantemus Accompanist
 As
our 2005-2006 season gets underway, Cantemus warmly welcomes
Frances Burmeister as our new accompanist. Ms. Burmeister
assumes the bench following the retirement of Robert Littlefield,
who, after 20 years, retired from Cantemus at the end of last
season. Ms. Burmeister holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied
Music (Organ) from Old Dominion University, a Master of Music
in Performance (Organ) from the University of Michigan, and
has spent several summers at the Baroque Performance Institute
at Oberlin College. She’s also studied harpsichord and
has 30 years experience in church music, both as a conductor
and organist. In addition to her Cantemus duties, she is currently
Organist/Director of Music at the historic First Religious
Society, Unitarian Universalist, in Newburyport. “Frances
is a gifted musician,” said Elaine Gomperts, Cantemus
President, “and we’re all very pleased to be working
with her.” Gary Wood, Music Director, said, “Frances
brings a wide-ranging expertise to the position of Cantemus
accompanist, and her dedication and artistry will contribute
greatly to the ever-growing excellence of the Cantemus Chamber
Chorus. I look forward to our collaborative work together.”
Ms. Burmeister will perform a solo work during Cantemus’
“Mother and Child” concerts this December.
Fire
and Ice
by
Debby Twining, alto 1
When the
singers of Cantemus take the stage, often the last instruction
received from Conductor Gary Wood is, “Hearts on fire,
Brains on ice.” What does this mean to a singer?
“Singing
is a very physical activity but it’s also very mental.
Singers must always be thinking about how they are singing,”
says Dr. Wood. Posture is important – knees slightly
bent; high, open chest; relaxed jaw and lips; shoulders relaxed.
Then there is the emphasis on how to shape the vowels in the
mouth so that they sound consistent and not spread or too
open. How and where are you breathing – is it from low
in your body producing a long column of air to support the
voice? Do you know the music well enough to have your eyes
on the conductor with only an occasional look at the score
to check entrances or text? That is the voice production part.
Then there
is the message of the text. How do you phrase the text as
a group of singers to best express to meaning of the piece?
Where do the dynamics change and how? How do you enunciate
to be sure the audience can understand the words?
In every
rehearsal we work on all these techniques and think about
these issues so that come concert time, much of it is second
nature. It is hard work. But most of us sing for the joy and
passion of the music and it is important to impart those feelings
as well. Sometimes it feels like an exercise of rubbing your
stomach and patting your head simultaneously. But with practice
it finally comes together.
“We’re
out there to really make something happen, but it’s
not going to happen unless the singers and I are mindful of
the technical challenges that we are about to undertake,”
says Wood.
Perhaps
it is the total involvement of the body and mind, Fire and
Ice, that ultimately makes choral music so satisfying to the
singer and the audience.
More
Best of the Best on Tap for November 30th!
Don’t
miss Cantemus’ 6th annual celebration of the choral
art, featuring selected high school choirs from the North
Shore. The event takes place at Hamilton-Wenham High School
on Wednesday, November 30, at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $5 at the
door.
The following
high school choruses have accepted the invitation to perform
at the “Best of the Best” concert.
- Masconomet
Regional (Brian O’Cock, Choral Director)
- Manchester-Essex
(Laura Hargrove, Choral Director)
- Georgetown
(Laura LaFlamme, Choral Director)
- Hamilton-Wenham
(Claudia Frost, Choral Director)
- Lynnfield
High School (Douglas Hodgkins, Choral Director)
Each of
the choruses, including Cantemus, will perform separately,
so the audience will hear a broad range of styles and repertoire.
The concert’s format also gives the school choristers
a rare chance to listen to each other in a non-competitive
environment. As in previous years, at the end of the evening,
all the singers will perform jointly in a rousing finale.
Hope you can join us!
How
Choral Music Has Changed Our Lives
Although
some Cantemus singers employ music as part of their professional
lives, we all (professional musicians or not) sing for the
love of it, a love that often sprouted very early in our lives.
We thought it would be fun to ask our singers to share how
their involvement in choral music, early on and as adults,
has affected their lives. Here’s what they had to say:
Pat
Collins, alto 2
 Best
memories: Singing
Handel’s Halleluiah chorus with a bunch of Welshmen
on the fourth of July in a Welsh pub.
Lessons learned: Discipline, precision, and teamwork.
A big surprise to me is that my voice has improved as I’ve
gotten older.
What she brings (and takes) from choral music: I bring
a love of singing, something we choral singers probably all
possess. I take away musical knowledge I never would have
had access to, a growing repertoire, and wonderful friendships.
According to a report I once read, choral singers also have
stronger immune systems. I’ll take all I can get of
that!
Gary
Lubarsky, tenor 1
 Best
memories: After my freshman year at UMass Amherst, I spent
three weeks with the UMass Chorale on a tour of Europe. We
sang in Italy, Austria, and Germany, performing choral pieces
by classical masters in the kinds of churches and halls they
knew, with acoustics they understood. It was the summer of
1974, an uneasy time to be traveling through the airports
of Europe, which resembled armed camps due to frequent airline
hijackings. But the beauty of the music we made, and the fun
we had in the cities and towns, which back then were still
entirely European, completely overwhelmed any tension we may
have felt. It was a fabulous trip.
Bettina
Turner, soprano 2
 Early
memories: Being a shy and mousy little thing, I was rejected
after my first audition for the grade school choir and went
home crying. However, I wanted to sing badly enough to gather
my courage and ask the teacher for a second chance. She allowed
me in, and I have been in one chorus or another ever since.
What she takes from choral singing: Over the years I have
been in at least a dozen choruses in two countries and many
cities, finding almost instant community for at least one
night a week. Choral singing has been a source of shared focus
and joy. Along the way I learned a lot of repertoire, I learned
to sight-read and started taking voice lessons. I have become
a better musician and singer, and credit choral singing more
than any other formal music education I have received. Also,
I am not shy and mousy anymore. That changed when, after 20
years of singing alto, I became a soprano and got in touch
with my inner diva!
Nancy Weinberg,
alto 1
 Best
memories: My music teacher in the Swampscott public schools
adored me, and I her. I remember that she always smiled when
she watched me sing which, I’m sure, was what taught
me to look up!
What she takes from choral singing: It is my life. . .
. or maybe it saves me from my life. I’ve been known
to drive back from Florida (more than once) to get to rehearsal!
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It’s
not too early to plan to hear Cantemus during the holidays!
Our
December concerts are perennial favorites – in fact,
last December, our concerts were sell-outs! And we really
enjoy singing for full houses! So, bring your friends and
family to share the beauty of this seasonal music with those
you love!
Order
a CD
Ranging
from traditional carols to international music of the season
to a complete performance of Benjamin Britten’s masterful
"Ceremony of Carols" for treble voices and harp,
our debut CD presents the listener with a sampling of our
most spirited seasonal pieces.
"Joy
Shall Be Yours" is available for
purchase at all of our concerts as well as at the River Gallery
in Ipswich.
To
purchase "Joy Shall Be Yours" by mail,
please send a check or money order for $8 per CD, or 2 for
$15, plus $2.50 shipping and handling, payable to Cantemus,
P.O. Box 784, Ipswich, MA 01938. There are just a few left,
so order yours today. |
