Cross Campus Choir Concert
Highlights from Grade 4 Choir to Sr. School Choir
Duncan Frater, conductor
Peter Butterfield, conductor
John Reid, accompanist
Kali Salmas (gr.12), accompanist
May 15th, 2013, 6:30pm
Christ Church Cathedral
Victoria, BC, Canada
Concert Singers
O Canada-----arr.: P. Butterfield & E. Pryce-Baff
Grade 4 Choir
The beginning of the students’ careers in SMUS Choir begins with singing in tune, pronouncing
consonants correctly, and shaping vowels. It might seem simple at first, but there are tricks to
making consonants and vowels sound good. The fourth rudimentary component is learning to
blend voices with one another. The Grade 4 students have worked on these singing techniques
and they look forward to demonstrating them tonight.
Highlights from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-----Sherman/Sherman
Although we have learned seven songs from the 1968 musical, we will only perform three.
• Chu-Chi Face is an amusing piece sung by the evil Baron and his dim-witted wife.
• Hushabye Mountain is a beautiful lullaby that the father sings to his children before they go to
bed.
• Posh is an absurd song about traveling in an outhouse, which is strung from a hot-air balloon.
The Path to the Moon-----Eric Thiman"
This is a standard vocal piece by one of Britain’s most prolific composers of the 20th Century.
Grade 5 Choir
As the students become more secure in their singing abilities they are challenged with music
that is slightly more difficult. Along with the rudiments learned in Grade 4, the students learn to
sing in different styles (legato, staccato, etc.) and they learn to sing in part harmony. They are
also expected to sing longer phrases, which can be a challenge.
Yakko’s World-----Randy Rogel/Traditional
This is one of the most unique songs that has ever been performed at SMUS. Taken from the
1990’s animation show Animaniacs, the composer tries to mention as many countries as
possible in three minutes. A couple were missed, see if you can figure out which ones.
Ordinary Miracle-----Ballard/Stewart/arr. Snyder
Sarah McLachlan made this tender piece famous in 2006 when she recorded it for the movie
Charlotte’s Web. It is sung in two parts and requires the students to sing with a lot of air.
She’s Like the Swallow-----Lori-Anne Dolloff
Soloist: Jenny Kim (flute)
This standard piece of vocal music is a favourite amongst choral conductors.
Grade 6 Choir
The Grade 6 class boast a repertoire of over 12 songs. This is the last time the students sing as
a purely “treble choir”. Next school year, the boys’ voices start changing and the overall sound
starts to deepen. Basic singing skills continue to be the biggest focus and attention is given to
purifying the choir’s sound. The Grade 6s sing in unison, 2-part harmony and 3-part harmony.
Both Sides Now-----Joni Mitchell
This piece of music has been part of Canadian culture since Joni Mitchell first debuted it in
1969. It was reintroduced to younger Canadians, and the world, at the 2010 Winter Olympics in
Vancouver when it was part of the opening ceremonies. One can’t help imagining the beautiful
prairie skies when listening to, or singing, this moving song.
Pie Jesu-----Gabriel Fauré
This very famous French composer wrote this very famous piece of classical music in the late
1890s. It is part of the bigger work Requiem and is usually sung by one soprano voice. The
haunting and beautiful melody, sung in Latin, requires a lot of air and a lot of pitch control.
Streets of London-----McTell/arr. Lewis
Sung in three-part harmony, this well known song reminds us that our lives, as difficult as they
might sometimes seem, are easy when compared to those who are less fortunate.
Grade 7 Choir
This is the second time that the students will be performing in their new vocal groups: soprano,
alto, and bass. As more and more boys’ voices change, the bass section gets bigger and the
other sections become smaller. The “changing voice”, or cambiata, can be a long or short
process depending on the individual. It can make for entertaining and sometimes challenging
lessons as we wait for this change to sort itself out.
The Raven Watches Me-----John Parker/Vicki Courtney
This a brilliantly written song for Grade 7. It fits the three voices very well and gives the bass
section an opportunity to blend their voices within a small vocal range.
!
!
All I Ask of You-----Webber/arr. Brymer
This piece is taken from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera and is popular with
students of all ages. This song is pitched quite low and requires the students to tune carefully.
Barter-----DeWald/Teasdale
Composed in 1997 by a Middle School teacher, Barter (poem by Sarah Teasdale) suggests that
we “can only experience the beautiful things life has to offer if we are willing to trade (barter)
something of ourselves.” (Frank DeWald)
Grade 8
With the influx of new students and the boys’ voices in full “cracking” mode, Grade 8 is an
interesting Choir year. It should also be noted that the girls’ voices also change slightly during
this time. This results in a more significant difference between soprano and alto. The Grade 8
Choir sings in 4-part harmony (soprano, alto, tenor, bass)
Twilight on the Prairie-----Wilf Carter
This is our second prairie-themed song of the evening. Written in 1933 by country singer Wilf
Carter the song tells of a past love affair with “days that once we knew”. The Grade 8 singers
will perform this a cappella.
Viva La Vida-----Martin/Brymer
This is, disputably, Coldplay’s second most famous song after Clocks. It is a very popular
request amongst all Middle School students. This version is written in SAB format (soprano,
alto, bass)
Concert Singers
Away from the Roll of the Sea-----words/music by: Allister MacGillivray
Senior Choir
Medley from Les Miserables-----music: C-M. Schonberg, arr: Ed Lojeski
Soloists: Richard Cunningham (gr.12), Celine Doehring (gr.11)
Whole School
Skyfall-----Adkins/Epworth
From the latest James Bond film with the same name, comes the extremely popular Adele song,
Skyfall.
Special Thanks:
To the SMUS staff for chaperoning the students
To the Cathedral for their generous support and flexibility
To Doug Park and his team for help with equipment
To Sharon Comeau and her team for help with transportation