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Sounds of the Prairie Chorus

About the Sounds of the Prairie Chorus

The Chorus is one of C.A.R.'s sponsored groups. Performances begin in June and run through August. Rehearsals start in late May or early June. Registration of performers begins in March. (To receive a notice when registration opens, please subscribe to the C.A.R. announcements mailing list.)

Performances

Concert in the Park
Saturday, 22 June 2013
7:00 - 8:30 PM
Kolb Park in St. Joseph

The band opens its season with a rousing concert in the park. This will be a entertaining and relaxing evening of music which the whole family will enjoy. The event is outdoors. The rain date is Saturday, 29 Jun, same time. The concert is free.

Independence Day Concert
Thursday, 4 July 2013
7:00-8:30 PM [tentative]
The park behind the Homer Village Hall

Join us for music and fireworks at the Homer Independence Day Celebration. The event is outdoors. The rain date is Saturday, 6 July 2013, same time. [tentative] The concert is free.

Mid-summer Concert
Sunday, 21 July 2013
5:00-6:30 PM
The Botanical Gardens behind the Museum of the Grand Prairie (Mahomet).

The event is outdoors, weather permitting. Otherwise, the event will be held in the museum. The concert is free.

End-of-season Concert
Saturday, 3 or 10 August 2013
Time TBD

This will be our last performance of the 2013 season. Time and location TBD. The concert is free.

About the Director

Brenna is so excited to begin her first summer with the chorus. Music has been a part of life in so many ways for this Junior Commercial Music Major at Millikin University.

She can be found as a Soprano in Millikin's University Choir under the direction of Dr. Bradley Holmes, the top choral ensemble on campus. Having toured in Europe, China, and the Dominican Republic, the University Choir is known worldwide as well as nationally. Brenna was fortunate enough to enjoy her first two-week tour with the ensemble this January to Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Mississippi, and Missouri. Brenna has also been a part of Millikin Women, one of two treble choirs at Millikin.

Previously a Vocal Music Education Major, she studied Conducting with Dr. Holmes and Dr. Guy Forbes, known for their conducting and composition, respectively. Brenna has participated in the IMEA District 3 Mixed and Jazz Vocal Ensembles, and could be seen theatrically as Little Red in the Illinois High School Theater Festival’s All State production of Into the Woods in 2011. She has also participated in community theater in Champaign Urbana, working with CUTC and the Celebration Company at the Station Theatre.

She is a James Millikin Scholar in the Honors Program, participates as lead vocalist in the Millikin Big Bluegrass Band, takes lessons with Professor Andrea Pope, and can be found in Millitrax Recording Studio or playing music with her friends in her (unheard of) free time.

[Bios for former chorus directors]

Announcements Mailing List

For those interested in receiving reminders about performances and the opening of registration, please subscribe to the C.A.R. announcements mailing list.

Registration

Registration for each season begins in March. All high school students and adults are welcome to register. Less experienced performers may register with the consent of the director.

There is no geographical limit on who may participate. Anyone willing to attend the most rehearsals is welcome.

Registrations are accepted throughout the season. Regardless of when performers register, they must pay the full registration fee.

No auditions are required, but positions may be limited in order to maintain balance. Positions are filled in the order that the registrations are received.

The registration fee is $20. There is a cap of $40 per family.

For first time members, there is an additional cost of $7.50 to cover the cost of a T-shirt. Additional or replacement T-shirts may also be purchased at the same price. The family registration fee cap does not apply to T-shirts. Once the family registration fee cap is met, you must still pay $7.50 for each T-shirt.

Checks should be made payable to Community Arts Resource.

Please note that the Summer Band and Summer Chorus are two different activities. If you plan to participate in both, you must pay separate fees for each activity. Also, the T-shirts for each organization are different, so you must pay a separate fee to purchase each of these as well (unless you already have one from last year).

Please register online. If you cannot register online, you may print the registration form and send the completed form, along with the registration fee, to the address below.

Community Arts Resource
c/o Ross Bundy, President
1704 S. Southfield Drive
Mahomet, IL 61853

Music Availability

The registration fee must be paid before the music is taken.

An initial set of music will be available on Tuesday, 14 May 2013. Performers may call the C.A.R. President to make arrangements to pick up music.

A registration and music pick-up night will be held on Tuesday, 14 May 2013, 5:30 - 8:00 PM, in the East Fellowship Hall of the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.

Auditions and Parts

No auditions are required in order to participate.

Performers are invited to sit in any order within their section.

Parts are not assigned. Performers are encouraged to agree upon these assignments among themselves. Performers are free to select the part with which they are most comfortable, as long as balance between the parts is maintained. Regardless of the assignment, all performers are encouraged to participate in all rehearsals.

Each section will have a section leader, assigned by the director. The section leader is responsible for making sure that all parts are covered. Section leaders may also help to organize and direct section rehearsals, if the section feels that it is necessary, and may be asked to do other minor tasks like collecting music from the sections.

In all cases, please note that the director may make changes in seating or part assignments at any time at his or her discretion.

Singers must provide their voice type (i.e. soprano, alto, etc.) when registering. If you do not know your voice type, please indicate in the "Other" voice field or in the comments section. We will arrange for the director to help you find your range.

Rehearsals

Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:00 PM. (See a complete schedule below.)

Attendance at weekly rehearsals is expected, as is practicing the music on your own, as necessary. We recognize that vacations and other summer activities may prevent you from attending. If performers have a conflict with a rehearsal, they should notify the C.A.R. President or the director as far in advance as possible. Repeated absences may result in an individual being pulled from a performance. This decision is at the discretion of the director.

All performers are encouraged to attend all rehearsals even if they are not performing in the next, upcoming performance.

The rehearsal space opens 30 minutes before the beginning of each rehearsal. Please arrive at least 10 minutes before the start of rehearsal. You may need to arrive earlier to allow for any necessary setup and warmup time which you might need. Rehearsals will start promptly.

Rehearsals will be held in the East Fellowship Hall of the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Changes to the location, if necessary, will be announced as far in advance as possible.

Performance Information (for Peformers)

Performers are expected to attend performances. We recognize that vacations and other summer activities may prevent you from attending. If you have a conflict with any of the performance dates, please notify the C.A.R. President and the director as far in advance as possible, preferably at the time of registration. (Use the comments section of the registration form.)

The usual call time for performances is 30 minutes before the beginning of the performance. Earlier call times might be necessary from some performances. All call times are noted in the schedule below.

Concert order for the first concert:

• Danny Boy
• Black is the Color
• Amazing Grace
• In the Highlands
• The Road Not Taken

Schedule

All rehearsals are 6:30-8:00 PM and will be held in the East Fellowship Hall of the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, unless otherwise noted.

Thu, 30 May		Rehearsal
Thu, 6 Jun		Rehearsal
Thu, 13 Jun		Rehearsal
Thu, 20 Jun		Rehearsal
Sat, 22 Jun		Concert in the Park Performance is outdoors at 7:00 - 8:30 PM. Please arrive by 6:30 PM. The concert will be in Kolb Park located at the intersection of Elm and Sherman Streets in St. Joseph The rain date is Sat, 29 Jun, same time.
Thu, 27 Jun		Rehearsal
Thu, 4 Jul		Independence Day Concert Performance is 7:00 - 8:30 PM. [tentative] Please arrive by 7:00 PM. We will set up on the large concrete pad behind the Homer Village Hall located at: 500 East Second Street Homer, IL 61849 The rain date is Sat 6 Jul, same time.
Thu, 11 Jul		Rehearsal
Thu, 18 Jul		Rehearsal and Recording
Sun, 21 Jul		Mid-summer Concert Performance is 5:00 - 6:30 PM. Please arrive by 4:30 PM. Weather permitting, this event will be held in the gardens behind the museum. Otherwise, the event will be held in the meseum.
Thu, 25 Jul		Rehearsal
Thu, 1 Aug		Rehearsal (location TBD)
Sat, 3 Aug		End-of-season Concert [tentative] Location and time TBD.
Thu, 8 Aug		Rehearsal (if needed)
Sat, 10 Aug		End-of-season Concert [tentative] Location and time TBD.

Historical Information

The Chorus was first offered in 2010. It did not organize in 2012, but has restarted for the 2013 season.