The

 

2008 Bellingham Festival of Music

 

is calling for

 

Chorus Members

 

 

 

 

To sing

 

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (Ode to Joy)

 

To be performed at Western Washington University

Sunday, July 20, 2008

 

Michael Palmer conducting the

2008 Bellingham Festival Orchestra

 

 

 

Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to sing one of the world's greatest masterpieces
with one of the nation's best orchestras

 

 

 

Auditions to be held March 28th and 29th

 

 

To arrange for your audition date and time, please contact by

 

phone: 738-9399

or

email: susank_johnson@hotmail.com

 

 

 

4-year theme based on "Heroic Journey and the Song of Life"

 

Benefits of singing with the chorus

• Challenging, exciting music - Beethoven's 9th 
• Work with Michael Palmer - passionate, demanding conductor
• Sing with best voices in Bellingham and Skagit County
• Sing with best orchestra members in the world [See detail below]
• Once in a lifetime opportunity to sing with this caliber orchestra

 

Dates and details

• Festival to run July 5 through July 20; performance July 20
• All concerts at WWU
• Total of 8 rehearsals -- 4 in June and 4 in July. Tentative dates are June 11, 13, 18, 20 and July 9, 11, 15. Begin at 7:00 pm, end at 9:30.  Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, 2600 Lakeway Drive, Bellingham.
• Dress Rehearsal is July 19th at WWU.  Time TBA
• Editions of the 9th to use are Breitkopf or Kalmus
• Auditions to be held March 28th & 29th
• All prospective singers must audition, even returning chorus members
• Auditions to determine placement in chorus, you will not be judged on solo quality singing or sight reading [See detail below]

 

Next step

• Please spread “the word” about this great singing opportunity

• Email or call Susan arrange your audition date and time for March 28 & 29th
• email: susank_johnson@hotmail.com
• phone: 738-9399

Orchestra

 

The Bellingham Festival orchestra has featured members from the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Philharmonic, Los Angeles, Philharmonic, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. According to Michael Palmer, these are the very top orchestral players in the nation and the BFM orchestra is, undoubtedly, the finest of its kind in the country. The artistic opportunity for the chorus is "once in a lifetime" to participate in performances at the very top of the artistic experience.

 

Auditions

 

Michael Palmer says ”the audition is to give a chance to hear individual voice quality - not quality in the sense of good and bad - but timbre, sense of pitch and phrasing/rhythm. I WILL NOT BE LISTENING FOR SOLO VOICE QUALITY, but rather steadiness of rhythm and pitch and the ability to "carry" a line (begin and end a phrase). Repertoire need not be "fancy". A hymn will do. People should sing what they know and can sing at their best. There will be no sight reading.”