Day Twelve – Cincinnati May Festival 2008

The days are beginning to – no scratch that – they are continuing to run together as the festival continues. Sleep deprivation is a common conversational theme at rehearsals, as we go to work each day and then to rehearsal, seldom returning home until 10:30 or 11:00 each night.

Day Twelve’s rehearsal began with some time in the rehearsal room with Bob Porco. At 6:30 we warmed up and did some work on the Berlioz Romeo et Juliette before the 7:30 pm orchestra began. We started with the third movement, which involves the entire chorus (Juliette’s funeral, the death of both of the lovers and the reconciliation of the Montagus and Capulets) and baritone Donnie Ray Albert (as Friar Lawrence). We finished that part just after the mid-rehearsal break. Next was the second movement, which involves an offstage double male chorus. The rest of the chorus, except the chamber choir women, went back to the rehearsal room to work on the third movement of the Bach (which still needs practice) as the men did their offstage thing.

Finally, the chamber choir (about thirty of us) went through the first movement. There is a tenor solo (John Aler) and an alto solo (by mezzo soprano Isabel Leonard). Miss Leonard is AMAZING. The clarity of tone, the emotion, the perfect French – we were blown away.

The next thing we knew it was 10:00 and time to leave. Day Thirteen will be the dress rehearsal for Bob Porco’s concert of Vivaldi, Fauré and Bach (my favorite of the five concerts). To get a handle on what Bob is all about, click here to read an article from a couple of years ago. We are so very lucky to have him as our chorus master. He is the best there is, and that helps us to be the best we can be.