Chorus Only - Singouts

Hello chorus members

As I mentioned at the rehearsal on Tuesday, we are exploring the idea of doing some singouts in early December, mainly as a community service, but it will also hopefully help to promote our Christmas concerts.

Would you please think about whether or not you would be available to join a singout group which would perform during the weekdays?  I know many of you work, so this won't be something everybody will be able to do. 

Next Tuesday I'll have a sign up sheet ready asking for your name and which days you would be available.

Thanks

Cathy

Membership fees now due!

 A BIG thank you to everybody who has filled in their membership registration and paid their fees.  If you have not done so yet, IT'S NOT TOO LATE!   

Peter will be at the chorus rehearsal on Tuesday to collect choir fees and Cathy will be at the orchestra rehearsal.  Fees are $200 for regular members and $75 for students.  They can be paid in cash, with one cheque of $200 or with 2 cheques, one post-dated January 1, 2017. 

To complete the membership form, go to the www.roca.ca and scroll down to the bottom of the home page to find Member Login.  The password is rocaisgr8.   Then just click on the button for Membership Registration.  It's really easy!!

Chorus Only - Important Information from Brigid

My apologies to all of you who will have received this information from Brigid twice.  If you received this blog, but did NOT get an email from me will you please send me your email address at president@roca.ca .  Thanks Cathy

Wed 14 September

 

Hi singers

 

Lovely to be back working on music with you all!

For some homework – most of the recordings of “Ceremony of Carols” you will find are in the original SSA voicing, but there’s a good SATB one for you to investigate at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlCt4FLf9C0

Midis of this are available on CyberBass - http://www.cyberbass.com/Major_Works/Britten_B/britten_ceremony_carols_satb.htm

The other work that we’ll be focusing on in prep for spring is the “Five Childhood Lyrics” by John Rutter.  There’s a decent YouTube at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71gFRNcBDL8 – a few tuning glitches, and just occasionally you can hear that English is not their first language

Midis at - http://www.singingpractice.co.uk/music/Renaissance/jan12.html

Especially if you have to miss rehearsals, dig into these whenever you can!

Reminder:  Bruce Pullan is presenting “WORDS MATTER” on Saturday 22 October at St Mary’s Kerrisdale. I’ll bring a group signup sheet. Walk-in registration is $40, but that’s reduced to $35 for members of a BCCF choir who pre-register, and $30 is you pre-register as a group. ($25 if you are currently an individual member).   Can I ask if someone is willing to be group coordinator, and take registrations so that the choir pays with one single cheque?

And just to lay it out:

September 20 & 27; October 4, 11, 18 & 25; November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
and then concerts on December 6, 10 & 11. 

It’s really not that much time.... 

Brigid

 

Event at Lansdowne Mall on Saturday! Can you help?

On Saturday, September 17th between 11:00am and 5:00pm the Richmond Chinese Community Services (RCCS) is hosting the annual Mid-Autumn Celebration at Lansdowne Mall.  

ROCA will have a table there as usual to promote our chorus, orchestra and concerts.  

CAN YOU SPARE AN HOUR OF YOUR TIME TO HELP OUT AT THE TABLE?

All that you would need to do is chat about ROCA to people who stop at the table and hand out our rack cards. There will also be a recurring powerpoint presentation.  It's really easy!!

If you can help please email Cathy Bayley at president@roca.ca or look for the sign up sheet tomorrow at your rehearsal. We're particularly looking for people between 12:00pm and 4:00pm.

Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. 

 

 

Membership and Fee Reminder

A BIG thank you to everybody who has taken the time to complete their membership application for the upcoming ROCA season.  This is much appreciated!

However, there are still many more to come and we would very much appreciate it if you would take a few minutes this weekend to complete the form on the Members' Page at www.roca.ca.  The password is rocaisgr8.  (To get to the Members' Login, scroll down to the bottom of the home page).

On Tuesday there will be someone at each rehearsal to receive your fees.  The fees this year are the same as last year, $75 for students and $200 for the rest of us.  Please remember that we would like to collect either the full amount on Tuesday, either with cash, cheque, or 2 cheques, one post-dated to January 1st, 2017.  If this is a financial hardship for you, or if you'd like to make other arrangements, please contact Cathy Bayley at cathybayley55@gmail.com before Tuesday. 

Thank you in advance!

 

Tickets Sales

A big thank you to everybody who was able to sell tickets to our concerts last year. Our raison d’être, for both chorus and orchestra members is to share our love of music amongst ourselves and with our audience, so the more tickets we can sell the better!

Why encourage your friends to buy tickets on-line?

            If at all possible the board would like to encourage you to ask your friends and family to buy tickets on-line.  Fortunately, ROCA is in a position to absorb the on-line costs so an on-line ticket doesn’t cost any more.   And very important for ROCA, an on-line ticket sale helps us to track our ticket sales more easily and stay in touch with more people through social media.  Finally, the more tickets we can sell on-line the more accurately we will be able to determine the number of concert programs and tickets we need to print which will help us save more in the long run.

Group tickets

            Some members have really liked the opportunity to sell tickets in groups of 10 and get a reduced price for each ticket.  Unfortunately, this has been a logistical nightmare for Karen Tardif, who tracks chorus tickets, and our administrator, Meghan, who tracks all tickets. 

At the June board meeting the board decided that we will still offer group tickets BUT:

1.      Tickets sold through group tickets will now be $15 each.

2.     Group tickets must be paid for in advance by the seller.  So if you take a group of 10 tickets to sell at this reduced rate, you must pay $150 in advance.

Season Tickets

            Anyone who buys a ticket for the first concert of the season, Russian Romantics, can put the purchase of that ticket towards a season ticket.  The season’s ticket is a great value at 30% off the regular ticket price.  So gentle (or not so gentle!!) hints to your friends and family to take advantage of this offer at the first concert is encouraged!

 

Reminder about Application Forms and Fees

A New Season! A message from the President

Welcome back to another year of great music!  Both the orchestra and chorus have a wonderful season of concerts planned which I know everybody will enjoy performing.

Rehearsals

            Both the Chorus and Orchestra will resume rehearsals on Tuesday, September 13th                    Chorus at Broadmoor Church

            Orchestra at South Arm United Church (until we can get back into Palmer)

FEES

            Fees are an extremely important part of our operating budget and as such everybody who is performing is expected to pay the fee of $200 unless you have previously discussed fees with Cathy Bayley.

Fees will be collected at the first rehearsal for each group.  Please come with a cheque for $200 for the whole year, or 2 cheques, one dated September 13th and the other dated January 1, 2017. 

In the past, some members have only paid for half a season at a time.  Because of the necessity of knowing exactly how much we will be collecting in fees we can no longer accept partial payments, unless you provide a post-dated cheque. Because of the changing membership some people know they will not be performing in all concerts.  However, it is still expected that members pay the $200 whether or not they will be performing every concert.  

But finally, please remember that we want everybody who wants to perform with ROCA to be able to do so. If you find the fees to be a financial burden, please contact Cathy and other arrangements can be made.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS:

         Every performing member must complete a membership application form each year.  These can be found at www.roca.ca on the Members’ Page.  The password for the Members’ Page is rocaisgr8.

            Please complete your membership application BEFORE September 13th.

Have a wonderful end of summer and see you all on September 13th!

Cathy Bayley

Pre-season Message from Brigid

Hi, folks – hope it’s been a great summer!

I am just heading into two weeks of BCCF intensity with the Choral Directorship Course – both in Vancouver 22-27 August and in Vernon, 30 Aug-1 Sept.  Because I will still be in BCCF tidy-up mode, I have decided to delay our first ROCA rehearsal to September 13.

If anyone wants a little ad hoc singing, let me know if you’d like to be part of the choir for BCCF masterclasses at St Mary’s, 4-7pm next week, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday (22,23,24,26 August).

Our first concert will not be till December, but I want us to get our teeth into some of the spring concert rep, so don’t worry that you’ll be singing carols all fall!  The focus in our December concert will be the Britten “Ceremony of Carols”, with harpist Matt Dupont.  There are solos/duets to prepare!

Tuesday 6 December – concert at All Saints Ladner
Saturday 10 December (7:30) and Sunday 11 December (3pm) concerts at Gilmore Park United
Spring concert will be at the beginning of April, with Vivo Children’s Choir from New Westminster.  There’s a nice mixture of music here, including “Five Childhood Lyrics” by John Rutter, and some of Jeanie Brindley Barnett’s “Butterfly Songs” – all for early prep

Saturday 1 April – concert at South Arm United Church
In Canada’s 150th year, how can we not do a Canadian concert as season-ender? Lots of favourite folk-songs, but I hope also music by Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Sarah McLaughlin.

Saturday 3 June – concert at Fraserview
I think we’ve got some fun stuff in preparation – all we need now is the singers!  Please let me know

  •  If there are any of these dates that you can’t do
  •  If you are going to be away for any period of time that might require a reaudition before a concert
  •  If you know any other singers who might like to join us

Usual stuff – unless you are sick in bed or out of town, you should plan to be at rehearsal – if you have a cold, come and sit out, but mark your copy and sing in your head!

I know some of you have been doing music over the summer – whether Kathaumixw, SummerChor, WCAMS music camp or other things.  Hope you’re all in good voice and looking forward to a wonderful season

- Brigid

Where is the Member Login?

Did you just go to the website and realize that it's completely different?  It's a new season and we have a new look!  If you are looking from the Members' Login, scroll to the bottom of the page and you will find the login in the footer.  We will be doing some tweeks and edits over the next few days, so please be patient!  

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