http://www.northwestgirlchoir.orgargs=rss Northwest Girlchoir Blog, Blog en-us Thu, 17 May 2012 16:19:44 PDT Thu, 17 May 2012 16:19:44 PDT http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/singing-for-the-love-of-it/ Our senior class this year is small, but mighty, with a combined 42 years of participation in the rehearsals, mainstage concerts, outreach concerts, and tours of Northwest Girlchoir. What makes such busy, talented girls seek out and keep coming back to Northwest Girlchoir?  Read here! Callan C has sung with Northwest Girlchoir since 3rd grade.  She graduates this June from Garfield High School, where her favorite subject has been U.S. History; she also participated in JV Tennis, “The Pen” literary magazine, and serves as layout editor for the Garfield yearbook.  Next fall, she will attend Whitman College in Walla Walla.  Callan especially remembers the 35th Anniversary concert, performing the premiere of “Glory” (the commission from Seattle composer John Muehleisen) and singing “Honour the Earth” with all of the unusual instruments.   The people of NWGC are what Callan has appreciated most—“everyone I know from NWGC is kind, supportive, friendly, and intelligent.  The kind of people I want to be friends with!”  Callan would like to thank her parents for all of their support, for driving her to rehearsals and coming to concerts—“I couldn’t have done it without you!”  She would also like to thank Sara, Beth Ann, and Andrew—“these last few years of choir have been my favorites because of you all.” Michelle H will attend Western Washington University next year after graduating from The Bush School.  Her favorite subjects have been art and biology; she has also participated in Ultimate frisbee, downhill skiing, disc golf, and ukulele.  Michelle really liked the camaraderie of the seniors this year; she has also enjoyed the concerts “because it’s fun to see all of the work come together.”  Her favorite concert over the last ten years has been the Children’s Hospital benefit with Matt Messina, Heart, and Alice in Chains.  Her favorite choir songs have been Omnia Sol, Weep No More, and Glory.  Michelle started in Northwest Girlchoir ten years ago--“I want to thank my family for supporting and encouraging me to sing all these years.” Emma H graduates this year from The Attic; she’s also been doing Running Start classes at a community college.  Her favorite classes have been Spanish, ceramics and biology, and her least favorite is “definitely math.”  Emma has participated in gymnastics for most of her life, both for her school and on an independent team.  She’s also been very involved with church missions, including going to Mexico for two weeks every summer throughout high school.  The NWGC tours have been her favorite thing about being in choir these past nine years, especially the tour to Australia.  She fondly remembers her first tour as a 7th grader in Vivace, when they went to PICCFEST in Eugene, Oregon—“I think that’s when I realized that there is a lot more to choir than just the singing aspect.”  “I would like to thank my mom for signing me up for choir so many years ago and encouraging me to stick with it.  Thank you to Sara and Andrew for being such great leaders, and thank you to all the other girls in choir for making it into such a great experience over the years.”    Megan L has been singing with Northwest Girlchoir since 2003.  She has also been busy with cross country and track, skiing (and being a ski instructor), choir at school, voices lessons with Beth Ann Bonnecroy, and being a summer camp counselor at YMCA Camp Colman.  Megan has especially liked touring with Northwest Girlchoir, including to Australia, Iceland/Finland/Estonia, and places in the USA.  Her favorite tour memories are of the homestays in Australia and seeing kangaroos.  After graduating from Bishop Blanchet (her favorite subjects have been math and science), Megan plans to study nursing at University of San Francisco; she hopes to travel to different places around the world, using her nursing skills to help people.  Megan would like to thank: “my parents for always being around to support me in whatever I do; my friends, who always greet me with a smile and share great memories;  Beth Ann for being my voice teacher through my four years in Amore; and Sara and Andrew.” Sophie T-A joined Northwest Girlchoir after her first year at Garfield High School.  Next year, she plans to attend University of California – Los Angeles to study biology.  Her favorite school subjects are science, math, and Spanish.  Her extra-curricular activities include volunteering (at a wildlife refuge and summer camps), working (currently at the Holocaust Center), backpacking, and tennis.  Sophie’s favorite part about NWGC has been the Christmas concerts, “especially the ones where Santa visits and the little kids wear pretty dresses—so cute!”  She will always remember singing a solo with Ensemble in the formal concert this past December.  “Thank you to my parents for always driving me to choir and my friends for coming to my concerts.”    We will miss your presence, your kindness, and your dedication, class of 2012! All the best to you in the years ahead, and come back and visit often! Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/show-times/ April showers bring May flowers--they also bring spring concerts!  It's a really busy time of year for Northwest Girlchoir, and it's a wonderful time for parents, family, friends, teachers, and the Seattle community to have a chance hear NWGC live, in concert! Did you know that there is at least one NWGC concert every weekend through June 2?  This Friday night, May 11, Amore and Vivace join the semi-professional adult choir, Choral Arts, in their concert series at St. Mark's Cathedral.  Sunday at Phinney Ridge Church is our Amore and the Seniors concert, with special performances by our seniors and a cake reception to celebrate them--and, the concert is free! The following weekend, Saturday, May 19, our youngest singers get a chance to shine in their very own "Songs to Share" concert at St. Joseph Church in Seattle.  The weekend of May 19/20 also features concerts on Saturday and Sunday evenings at St. James Cathedral, as our Ensemble joins two other girls choirs in Seattle Pro Musica's "Resonance" concerts.  We are so grateful for the opportunity to sing with these choirs; we will combined to perform Gustav Holst's Ave Maria in the center of the cathedral.  Memorial Day weekend is a time for picnics and outdoor fun; it's also the time for choir! Many Amabile choristers will be singing in the Ft. Worden (Pt. Townsend) Children's Choir Festival on Saturday evening. On Sunday evening, Vivace and Fresca will be singing in a free concert at Folklife. We were invited to sing on the stage of the Seattle Repertory Theater, along with the Seattle Men's/Women's Choir and the broadway musical group "The Hi-Liners." Then, our season is topped off by the year-end concert of Fresca, Amabile, Vivace, and Amore on Saturday, June 2 at First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue.  We'll be singing a great variety of music, and we have some fun "choralography" to show off.  You may even "learn a thing or two" as we show you some of the elements of art that run through our selections.  Check out the concert calendar on our homepage--we would love to see you, and we'd love for you to hear us, this May/June! Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/givebig/ Northwest Girlchoir is excited to be a part of The Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG, a community-wide day of online giving, where every gift is stretched by The Seattle Foundation and GiveBig sponsors, who have generously put $500,000 into a stretch pool to grow all donations! Donating through GiveBIG couldn't be easier. Go the Northwest Girlchoir's profile on The Seattle Foundation's website anytime during the 24 hours starting at 12:01 a.m. on May 2nd and make your donation of any size. Your gift is deeply appreciated and will strengthen Northwest Girlchoir's capacity to provide girls and young women a transformational experience through music education and artistic excellence. You may have attended last Friday's Spring Fling. If so, Thank you! for being there and supporting Northwest Girlchoir. GiveBIG is another opportunity to contribute to our mission. If you were unable to attend Spring Fling, consider making a contribution through the GiveBIG event on Wednesday. This is an event you can attend in your pajamas from the comfort of your favorite chair! Be a part of this one-day philanthropic opportunity to have your donation to Northwest Girlchoir stretched, and rally your friends to do so, too! Please forward this email far and wide, share Northwest Girlchoir's GiveBIG profile page on Facebook, Twitter, and any other channels you may have. Thank you for giving BIG to Northwest Girlchoir! Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/you-just-cant-keep-me-away/ I have worn many hats over my sixteen - year tenure with the Northwest Girlchoir. Many Northwest Girlchoir families know me as a past chorister, some might recognize me as a face that used to be behind the front desk, and some might have gotten to know me as Camp Director. But I write to you now as the co-chair of Spring Fling and would like to shed some light not only on how this organization has had a profound influence on me, but also why I am so honored to be a part of this upcoming event. Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/why-i-sing-the-magic-of-musical-community/ I am the parent of a Northwest Girlchoir Prep Choir member who began in Music Makers at the age of four. I am also a singer; it is not my profession, but rather my lifelong avocation. Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/lift-every-voice/ Spring Fling 2012 is right around the corner! The Northwest Girlchoir board invites you to join us at this year's event and, in the meantime, watch this special video from Spring Fling 2011. Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/four-questions/ I have been thinking, recently, about what motivated me to chair our annual benefit, Spring Fling. Earlier this season, I served on the choir’s strategic planning committee and, along with other members of the strategic team, asked choristers and parents, four questions: What brought you to Northwest Girlchoir?What keeps you here?What does Northwest Girlchoir do well?What can we improve? I have been so occupied with asking those questions and documenting replies that it’s only recently that I answered them, for myself. Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/rocky-mountain-high/ What do you get when you put 180 children’s choir conductors together over a long weekend?  Well, a lot of singing, of course. And laughter. And inspiration. And encouragement. And great ideas for becoming a better educator/conductor and for helping to make Northwest Girlchoir the best music education and performance organization it can be.   Last month, over the MLK weekend, I attended Peak Your Vision, the 2nd annual Children’s and Community Youth Choir Conductors’ Retreat held in Denver and sponsored by the American Choral Conductors Association.  How wonderful to be immersed in an environment where every attendee and every session was a resource for exactly the work I do!  There were conductors from elementary schools, universities, churches, and community choirs like Northwest Girlchoir.  They came from as far away as Minnesota, Georgia, Boston, Wyoming, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.  And, there was excellent representation from the Seattle area, including conductors from the Seattle Children’s Chorus, the Tacoma Youth Choirs, St. Joseph’s School, and the Rainier Youth Choirs!   What do children’s choir conductors want to learn more about?  What do they have to share with each other?  Here are some of the session topics: Team Building Activities for the Choral Ensemble; The Great American Folksong—Performing American Folk Music With Authenticity and Joy; The Importance of the Text in Choral Singing; Meeting Recruitment Challenges in Community Choirs; New and Classic Repertoire for Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Treble Choirs; Teaching Musicianship through Movement; Collaboration in the Ensemble Arts—Working and Playing Well With Others; Encouraging Diversity; Conducting Master Class; and Dynamic Listening.  For a children’s choir conductor, this an exciting list!   We also got to hear a concert by four children’s choirs.  Three from the host state, Denver: Young Voices of Colorado, Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale, and the Colorado Children’s Chorale.  And, the Crystal Children’s Choir, from Cupertino, California also performed.  They specialize in Chinese and Asian-American music; they are quite a special choir!  These choirs performed individually and as a combined choir.  Our Northwest Girlchoir singers would have recognized some of the composers on the program, including Rollo Dilworth, Paul Caldwell, Bob Chilcott, Jim Papoulis, Gwyneth Walker, and Tacoma’s own Judith Herrington.  I wish that our singers could have been there to see and hear these choirs sing—they really looked like they were having fun!   I know that I speak for all of our conductors when I say that we are always striving to get better at what we do. It was so wonderful to attend this retreat, represent Northwest Girlchoir, share a few pieces in a repertoire reading session, and get rejuvenated for the work of 2012. There’s a lot to do, and so many exciting things to try. I look forward to developing as a conductor and musician right along with my choristers this year!              Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/the-amazing-choral-musician/ Thank you for all of the kind words and positive feedback about our December concerts!  I was so proud of our choristers, directors, parent volunteers, and of course, grateful to the administrative staff, volunteer board, families, and audiences whose support makes it all possible.    After these concerts, you may have been wondering—how do our singers learn such a wide variety of music, from different time periods, cultures, and languages?  How do they get to such a sophisticated level of performance in such a short amount of time?  How do they sing in three, four, or more parts?  The short answer is, of course, practice!  Really what’s going on, though, is top-notch music education.  Our choristers are working with amazing conductor/teachers (welcome again, new Young Singers Program teachers, Lesley Rippee and Julia Sarewitz!).  Our choristers also learn a great deal from their amazing peers—Northwest Girlchoir is full of bright, talented, and team-oriented girls, and we take advantage of this resource every rehearsal, through “singing partners,” “choir mentors,” “Amore families,” and of course, just the chance to sit/stand next to, and sing with, great friends.   As 2012 begins, choristers are “starting over,” learning new repertoire for our March concerts.  From a music education point of view, however, we are continuing right where we left off in December, building upon the skills and concepts we’ve been working on since the school year began (and since each chorister began singing with us).  I know that parents sometimes wonder—aren’t they just singing songs?  What are they actually learning?  Certainly, it depends on the age of your chorister, but every chorister is gaining valuable skills and experiences that, put together, are unique to choral singing.  I’d like to give you a sampling of what our amazing choral musicians are immersed in—it’s a lot of fun, but it’s also serious work...   Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/tour-experiences-welcome/ Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/amore-ends-tour-on-a-beautiful-note/ Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/amore-performs-in-helsinki-and-turku/ Have you noticed the blog entries are getting shorter and appearing less frequently? We’re moving at a fairly rapid pace, so my apologies for the silence. This brief entry will cover the past two days. Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/amore-featured-on-estonian-tv/ An Estonian TV station did a segment on the Independence Day Reception held at the American Embassy, featuring Amore! Tue, 05 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/singing-in-the-haapsalu-castle/ Amore spent the day in Haapsalu, a beautiful seaside town about a 90-minute ride from Talinn. They performed a stunning concert this evening in the cathedral of the 13th century Haapsalu Castle. It was a joint concert with a local girls' choir named Canzonetta. Amore had performed earlier with this choir in a Talinn church, but they did not have the opportunity to interact. At the conclusion of tonight's concert, the Canzonetta choristers returned to the front of the church and sang "May the Road Rise up to Meet You." Words cannot express this exchange, so I won't even try. Suffice it to say that afterwards, the choristers from each choir began spontaneously hugging and interacting ... until we finally had to leave. This extraordinary experience was followed by an impromptu game of "outdoor checkers." (You'll understand after you see the photo. Tue, 05 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/amore-attends-the-11th-estonian-youth-song--dance-festival/ Mon, 04 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/breaking-news/ Mon, 04 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/a-very-dignified-4th-of-july/ Descriptions to come ... Mon, 04 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/amore-arrives-in-talinn-estonia/ Amore performs a joint early afternoon concert (with a girls' choir from Haapsalu, Estonia) in a large, beautiful, acoustically rich Talinn church. Sun, 03 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/a-magical-concert/ Another busy day ending with an amazing concert in a gorgeous medieval church Fri, 01 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/if-its-thursday-it-must-be-finland/ Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/amore-has-arrived-iceland/ After traveling on three separate flights, Amore has reunited in Reykjavik. Some of us have slept, others not so much. But the sun is shining brightly, the wind is brisk, and the Blue Lagoon is stunning. There's free wifi here, so a great time for a brief update to let everyone know we arrived safely. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/vivace-sings-a-mile-high/ Vivace on the DU Campus. Sun, 26 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/amore-tour-is-upon-us/ Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/gowanda-voices-thanks/ Thank you to all of the wonderful Northwest Girlchoir billet families who took such amazing care of Gondwana Voices when they came to stay. Much love A GV mum Katrina Syrkiewicz Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.northwestgirlchoir.org/blog/post/welcome-to-our-new-website/ Welcome!  We are so excited for the launching of our brand new website!  Please check our blog regularly for posts from our artistic staff. Cheers!Northwest Girlchoir Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700