About Joining newchoir It s all part of my rock and roll fantasy. It s all part of my rock and roll dream. Bad Company, Rock and Roll Fantasy If you have a rock and roll fantasy (a PG rated one!), newchoir may be the choir for you. We are a group of singers and musicians who are committed to bringing to the stage a modern choral repertoire. We're committed to achieving a high level of performance and musicianship and having fun along the way. newchoir s Artistic Director is Dr. Robin Williams. Our accompanist and band leader is Jeff Vidov. To become a newchoir member you must love singing and be committed to learning the repertoire, attending practices and taking an active part in our choral community. newchoir was formed in 2005 and has grown from 20 to over 140 singers. Reviewing this information sheet will help you determine if either newchoir is right for you. Some features of newchoir: Intermediate level choir two main concerts per season other outside performances for our performance ensemble our own arrangements of a wide range of rock and pop songs, many of them challenging fast paced learning disciplined choral learning good training aids for learning by ear workshops with outside clinicians
- 2 - Repertoire newchoir sings mainly a contemporary repertoire that includes songs from a wide variety of Top 40 artists (such as Serena Ryder, Elton John, Hozier, Coldplay and Hedley), alternative artists (such as Radiohead, Metric and Green Day) and classic rock musicians (Pink Floyd, The Who, The Guess Who, Queen, and the Rolling Stones). We feature Canadian content in keeping with our mission to create choral arrangements of Canadian pop and rock music, which we believe is under represented in the choral repertoire. Many songs suggestions come from our choir members through our Music Committee with final selections made by newchoir's Artistic Director. We perform with a rock band of professional musicians. Because we are a rock choir, our songs may include swearing, sexual references, references to unwise lifestyle choices and strong words, imagery and content. newchoir is committed to respecting the integrity of the songs and will not necessarily alter lyrics to family friendly standards. Make sure you're comfortable with that before joining! Performances We are all about putting on kick ass shows for our family and friends, and a growing public audience. Some guest artists we have performed with are Steven Page, Sarah Slean, Jeremy Fisher, Cadence, Jully Black and Hawksley Workman. Preparing for these events provides the incentive for each of us to try to reach a new performance level and to push the limits of our individual musical and performance capabilities. The 2017 2018 season will feature two main concerts in Toronto. January 27 we perform at the St. Lawrence Centre. Our second show will be May 12 at Toronto s beautiful Koerner Hall at the Royal Conservatory of Music with Bobby Bazini as our guest artist. Rehearsals newchoir practices Mondays (or Tuesdays after a Monday statutory holiday) at St. Simon and St. Peter Anglican Church from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. It is located at 525 Bloor Street East (between Sherbourne and Parliament close to the TTC Sherbourne Station, Glen Rd. exit). Our rehearsal season runs from Monday September 11 to the date of our end of season concert on May 12. We also hold offsite sectional rehearsals (typically 6 to 8 per year) and occasionally add extra rehearsals where needed to prepare for an upcoming performance. Auditions You will be auditioned by our Artistic Director. The purpose of the audition is to assess your voice, determine your level of musicianship, and assess your enthusiasm and the level of commitment you are able to make. Our Artistic Director may determine that applicants do
- 3 - not have sufficient musicality or experience to participate and has discretion in selecting from the waiting list of applicants. Level of Commitment Attendance Policy: In order to join newchoir, you must commit to our attendance policy, which limits the number of absences, commits you to perform in our two main concerts (or May concert if you join after the January concert) and requires you to make best efforts to perform in our other performances. Our attendance requirements recognize that the choir is a team and you cannot be an effective member of a team unless you practice with the team. The newchoir attendance policy will be included in your member package and is on our members website. Commitment to Learning: We must master a challenging repertoire for our concerts so you must be committed to learning and growing musically. We apply a disciplined and traditional choral approach to a unique choral repertoire. This ain t Karaoke! We memorize the repertoire for the concerts in both choirs. To take effective direction from the conductor (or learn choreography) you need to be "off book" as soon as possible. It s hard to rock with a binder in your hands. Our unique musical offering is to really rock and to perform really good choral music. Every member must commit to that goal. Getting an Audience Out to the Show: Members actively promote ticket sales to our shows and often buy tickets for friends and family. Participating in Fundraising: Members are expected and encouraged to participate in some capacity in our fundraising events, such as by buying and selling raffle tickets and event tickets, volunteering at the event, soliciting auction items or donating. Choir fees only cover part of the cost of running the choir and we rely on fundraising and ticket sales to fund our choir activities. Musical Ability You need not be a trained vocalist to join. We are looking not only for trained voices, but for good rock and pop voices. Reading music (meaning you can follow a score, understand notes and rhythms) is a definite asset and you may find it quite difficult to keep up at first, without that skill. But an excellent ear can make up for that lack of musical literacy. We provide many learning aids to assist those who learn best by ear. If you are not a strong music reader, it is expected that you will put in effort to improve your music reading skills.
- 4 - Non music readers are encouraged to take our on line music reading tutorial. You will find this in the Members section of our website. We have a choir wiki that is a fantastic resource for organizing and sharing our aids and other information. We also hold several additional sectional practices (SATB), which are arranged by the head of each vocal section. Many members get together to practice on their own as well. Technology You Will Need Required: computer and email address Recommended: ipad or other tablet Because we use many on line learning aids, you cannot effectively participate as a member unless you have a computer. Most of our communication is by email so you must have an email address. It also really helps to have an ipad as our best learning aids are used with Apps. Financial costs The membership fee is set for each season. The fee for 2017 2018 is $500 and $450 for full time students. The fee is payable before August 30 and is non refundable after the first rehearsal of the season. If you join in February the Fee is $250. There are several different other costs involved: Wardrobe newchoir T shirt (approx. $20) Rock n Karma outfit for women (approx. $200 $300 depending on what items purchased). Dress blacks for men. Other wardrobe items from time to time. Supporting the choir financially Buying tickets Participating in fundraising efforts Special events or performance stage fees or other occasional expenses Video of performances ($15 to $20) optional Vocal workshop fees optional but strongly encouraged Travel and accommodation costs for any events outside of Toronto that you opt to take part in
- 5 - Social Events We hold several social events in each season. This season we have group tickets to Bat Out of Hell, a Karaoke Event and a gala party in March! Workshops This season we have two workshops planned on stage presence and vocal technique.