| September marked the beginning of choir season for my multiple (!) gigs around the city: Holy Family Church, Etobicoke Centennial Choir, and the High Holidays choir at Beth Sholom Synagogue. I’m so thankful for the diversity of repertoire and people that I get to sing with throughout the year, although it does feel a bit strange to already be rehearsing Christmas carols in September. I’ve also been working with another pianist friend over the past few weeks to record “guide tracks” for the local Jewish Community Centre choir. These are stand-alone vocal/piano audio tracks for chorus members to listen to and sing along with as they learn the repertoire. It was my first experience doing this kind of recording work and it certainly has its challenges! I had to be so aware and accurate with every note and rhythm because the choir will duplicate exactly what they hear. Thankfully, with the help of modern recording equipment, it is possible to re-record over mistakes, but it’s always quicker if you can be 100% accurate right away. Here’s an unedited snippet of a gorgeous piece called “Lullaby” by Daniel Elder with me singing all three vocal lines. Simple harmonies can be so beautiful… In other musical news, I had two events last week: a midday concert at the historical St. James’ Anglican Cathedral in downtown Toronto with Suzanne Yeo, and my very first soundbath with Linda Lonseth. The soundbath was particularly fun as it was completely improvised: we used our voices, singing bowls, and I brought my flute out in public for the first time in many years. Linda and I are already planning another soundbath in October, it will be exciting to see where our improvisations take us next time! I hope you’re getting to enjoy the last of these sunny days and wish you a beautiful and easy transition into Autumn! Cheers, Daniella |