Holiday Reflections Concert

Friday, Dec. 20th, 7:30 pm, Langley United Methodist Church

Featuring works by: Gustav Holst, John Rutter, Morten Lauridsen, Robert Shaw and others. 
The concert will be performed in the sanctuary of Langley United Methodist Church
(3rd & Anthes, Langley, WA)
Suggested donation at the door: $15 Adults, $10 Seniors & Military, 5 Youth

Love to sing? We want you to join us this season!

Director Rob Prosch guides us through some new music at LUMC, September 2012.

We are holding auditions for Alto, Tenor, and Bass vocal parts! Please e-mail millrfam@whidbey.com to make an appointment for September 9, 2013 after 7pm.

The Whidbey Chamber Singers is a select choral ensemble of auditioned mixed voices and accompanists under the leadership of current Artistic Director Rob Prosch. Since 2009, the Chamber Singers have developed and presented diverse musical programs for the entertainment of Whidbey Island communities bringing cultural enrichment to our appreciative audiences and providing quality development and performance opportunities for Whidbey's talented musicians. The Whidbey Chamber Singers is a non-profit organization sponsored by the Whidbey Island Arts Council and is administered by its steering committee of volunteers from the group.

Check out our website for photos and more information: www.whidbeychambersingers.org

What a year, what a season it's been for our little choral group on the island! Too much has happened to get into, and now that it's summer, lazy days are upon us. 

Even in our off times, so many of us are making art in our community. I wanted to highlight an upcoming event that showcases one of our choir members, Sheila Wiedendorf (Soprano I) in a solo piano concert, with guests! This coming Saturday, July 13, please check out Sheila's many formidable talents at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts! 

Here's a great article about the concert, written by Patricia Duff for Whidbey Life Magazine: 

Sheila Wiedendorf in Concert 

Tickets are $15 and are available at the door or by calling the WICA box office at (800)638-7631, or by going here: 

WICA  "Enjoy an evening of passion, joy, and awe with pianist Sheila Weidendorf, performing 19th century Romantic solo works by Chopin, Brahms, Beethoven, Liszt and exploring the gamut of juicy human emotion and experience."

In other news, many changes are afoot for WCS! We have a new steering committee, and as soon as incoming chair Ken Stephens (Tenor I) can coordinate everyone's schedules to get us all in the same room together, new and old plan to meet and plot a new course for us, filled with exciting choral music and artistry. Stay tuned!

Great article by Michaela Wheately in the new Whidbey Life Magazine about Whidbey Chamber Singers...this group is launching its first season as Whidbey Island's independent choral performance group of auditioned mixed voices and accompanists with its concert December 16...details on the website www.whidbeychambersingers.org

We who sing with Whidbey Chamber Singers would all agree that music is good for body, mind and soul and that uniting with others in song is an amazing experience. In our rehearsal, Artistic Director/Conductor Robert W. Prosch is (sometimes constantly when we are wayward and errant!) admonishing us to "Blend!" In fact, when we begin each rehearsal warming up our lungs/throats/ears/mouths/vocal chords with various vocalise exercises, we typically end up holding a single, intentionally-formed vowel in a sustained chord. Which we then modulate up and down a scale, each time acutely listening to hear if we are truly all of once voice. When we hit that sweet spot, we not only hear it but feel the vibration in our faces and bodies. It is an amazing moment when all voice lock in to each other, connecting each person deeply through the fact of resonant harmonics!

Below is a link to a little piece by NPR that highlight the benefits of singing. The author, Brian Eno, declares the following:

"I believe that singing is the key to long life, a good figure, a stable temperament, increased intelligence, new friends, super self-confidence, heightened sexual attractiveness and a better sense of humor."


Not too bad for a little resonant action! For this Chamber Singer, the experience of opening up into the group and joining in song is nothing short of transcendent. There's the personal gain of challenging myself to expand my vocal and musical capacities, of adding notes to my vocal range and greater awareness and precision to my ear. Then there's the group experience:  Though it may be obvious, it is worth stating that a group of voices can create a harmonic envelop that one voice simply cannot. When we sing together, we create a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts--a whole that requires each and every voice but that carries each singer to a new place when the "sweet spot" is found.

Here is the link to Brian Eno's thoughts about singing together:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97320958

Enjoy!

Sheila Weidendorf,
WCS Soprano

Press Release July 19, 2012

Whidbey Chamber Singers artistic director Rob Prosch announced today that the Chamber Singers has re-organized as a self-governing non-profit arts group sponsored by the Whidbey Island Arts Council.

"After three seasons associated with Whidbey Island Center for the Arts as part of WICA's arts education program," said Prosch, " the Whidbey Chamber Singers will launch its 2012-13 season this fall as Whidbey Island's prominent independent choral performance group."

"It is every non-profit's dream that a piece of programming fulfills a need so well that it is able to grow and become viable on its own," said Stacie Burgua and Deana Duncan of WICA.

"We are excited about the Chamber Singers mission of bringing quality choral music to Whidbey Island communities," said Prosch. "We are grateful for WICA's support in our development, and we are eager for the opportunities lying ahead for the Chamber Singers. Under the Arts Council umbrella, we are taking a big step toward fulfilling our dream of great music performances on the Island."

The Whidbey Chamber Singers is a select, mixed-voice choral ensemble of 26 to 28 voices promoting, developing, and presenting diverse musical programs for entertainment and cultural enrichment.

The Whidbey Chamber Singers is crafting four major events for the upcoming season:

• A December concert, "Laud to the Nativity" featuring the Chamber Singers and soloists;
• A March concert featuring Vivaldi's Gloria and Pergolesi's Magnificat; and
• A May concert featuring the theme, "What a Wonderful World."

Concert schedules and venues will be announced soon.

Auditions for the new season will be held the evening of August 6, 2012 beginning at 7 p.m. for all voice types. Contact Prosch with questions and to arrange an audition time.

Regular weekly rehearsals of Chamber Singers members are set to begin following the group's retreat in Bayview on August 19.

"I look forward to the creation of our art form and the performances ahead," said Prosch, "and I whole-heartedly invite our Whidbey Island friends to our performances—truly something not to be missed.