Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus

Information for Members

WELCOME to the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus and to a tradition of excellence in choral singing!

Introduction

The Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus (HRC) was founded in 1979 by Beverly Taylor as the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorale with about forty undergraduates and a few staff members who wanted to sing. It was conceived with Dr. Jameson Marvin, Director of Choral Activities at Harvard University, as a training choir for students who needed more choral experience in order to perform with the Harvard Glee Club, the Radcliffe Choral Society, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, and as an organization that reached out to communities in the greater Boston-Cambridge area

In 1980, the Chorale was renamed the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus. Under the esteemed and leadership of Beverly Taylor until 1995, HRC membership increased dramatically, and the Chorus continued to prosper under the direction of Jeffrey Bernstein during the 1995–96 season.

From 1996 to 2004, Dr. Constance DeFotis brought even greater artistic achievement to HRC and made it a choral home to a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, and members of the Greater Boston community. Dr. DeFotis also oversaw the founding of the Executive Committee, the self-governing group of student and community officers that addresses the chorus’ non-artistic concerns and administrative matters.  While she was on leave during the 2002–2003 academic year, Simon Carrington led the Chorus with inimitable skill and charisma.

Since the fall of 2004, Dr. Kevin Leong has been the Artistic Director of the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus and the Associate Conductor of the Harvard-Radcliffe Choruses.

The repertoire of the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus encompasses music from the 16th century to the present and is designed to introduce students to all the major style periods during their undergraduate studies at Harvard. Last season’s repertoire included Ludwig van Beethoven’s Mass in C (Op. 86) and Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Dona nobis pacem. This season, the HRC will perform George Frideric Handel’s Zadok the Priest (HWV 258), The King shall rejoice (HWV 260), and O praise the Lord with one consent (HWV 254) in the fall and Johannes Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem (Op. 45) in the spring.

Responsibilities of Members

I. AUDITIONS

You have become a member of HRC by musical audition. This means that you have special skills that will contribute to the quality of this ensemble. All singers are expected to work in order to improve their musicianship, vocal skills, and music knowledge. Members who do not comply with this expectation may be asked to re-audition, jeopardizing their HRC membership.

II. REHEARSALS

Rehearsals are held in Lowell Lecture Hall located at the corner of Oxford and Kirkland Streets on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. We begin promptly at 7:00 PM and conclude at 10:00 PM. All singers are expected to be in their seats and ready to sing at the scheduled beginning time. Plan to arrive at 6:50 PM or earlier in order to accommodate traffic, parking problems, music distribution, etc.

Each chorus member is expected to prepare the music to be rehearsed at each rehearsal. Plan to spend time each day learning the notes and texts of your own part and how to sing them. Circle problems and request assistance in rehearsals. Rehearsals focus on creating a cohesive ensemble and producing an inspiring musical performance as an ensemble. Learning the difficult sections of the score is an individual responsibility, as well as a prerequisite to a productive rehearsal.

Please arrive at rehearsals mentally and physically prepared to rehearse and sing. Bring your music and a sharp pencil to all rehearsals and mark the musical directions given by the conductor into your score . Please do not bring food or beverages into rehearsal areas.

Look at the conductor as often as possible; always look at the conductor at entrances and releases of each phrase. If you need to look at your music, look ahead in the score and memorize a phrase. If sitting, be sure that your back is well-aligned. Hold your music with its top edge just below chin level.

Please do not disturb the conductor with personal issues or business directly before choir rehearsals, when she is busy mentally preparing for rehearsal. Rather, come during office hours, call by telephone, or make an appointment. Be thoughtful, present, and responsive to the prevailing atmosphere. When raising your hand to ask a question, be aware of where the group is and the conductor's work and thoughts are. Your questions and concerns are important, but might interrupt the rehearsal at a key moment.

Announcements:

Before the rehearsal break the conductor will make announcements about HRC business. Any other announcements of interest to the choral community should be shared via e-mail with the HRC-list. If you do not have e-mail and wish to submit an announcement, please give it to the HRC General Manager, and he/she will send it over the internet to the general membership. Each rehearsal the General Manager will have copies of any announcements sent out via e-mail for our members without e-mail; please see the General Manager during the break to procure this list.

III. ATTENDANCE

(see Attendance Policy/Section Leaders)

You have committed yourself to 3 hours of rehearsal (with a 10 minute break) a week plus dress rehearsals and performances. This is an extremely small amount of time to prepare for the performance of great music!

Eight section leaders have the responsibility of taking HRC attendance. If you are tardy, please perform the warmups being rehearsed in the designated area of the rehearsal room. Thereafter, you may find your seat with the Chorus. If you should find it absolutely necessary to miss a regularly scheduled rehearsal, please contact the Vice President (Aaron Goldin, agoldin (at) fas.harvard.edu) and the Conductor (Kevin Leong, kleong (at) fas.harvard.edu, 617-495-0693) well in advance of the date of absence. List the date you will be absent, the reason for your absence, your name, and your voice part. In the event of an emergency, please phone or e-mail the director at your earliest possible convenience. See the attendance page for more information on missing rehearsals.

SERIOUS illness, family emergency, and religious holidays are the only reasons to miss a rehearsal. If you miss a rehearsal it is your responsibility to call your section leader to obtain notes from that rehearsal. Unexpected absence from a performance or more than two absences or two tardies during a semester may result in dismissal from the Chorus. Absence from a dress rehearsal may result in not being permitted to sing in that performance.

If you are attending classes or working during an illness, you also must attend rehearsal in order to take notes and think through the music with the Chorus.

As a member of the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus, a year-long commitment is expected.

IV. DRESS REHEARSALS

Dress rehearsals are held in the Sanders Theater with all participants. Punctuality is extremely important on these occasions, while the dress rehearsal requires the mental effort and concentration of a performance, it does not require that concert attire be worn.

V. PERFORMANCES

A. CONCERT ATTIRE

Concert attire is the responsibility of each individual singer.

After spending many hours of hard work preparing musically for a concert, please take the time to make sure that you present the music in a visually pleasing manner. Remember that it is the stage appearance of the ensemble that takes precedence over the individual. The heat of stage lighting and the anxiety of public performance amplifies odors. Please do not wear perfume, scented deodorant, cologne, or scented hair spray on stage.

CONCERT DRESS - WOMEN: All black shoes, hose, floor length skirt or dress slacks with long-sleeved blouse, OR a long black dress with long sleeves. As a general rule, please do not wear necklaces, large rings, or earrings

CONCERT DRESS - MEN: All black shoes, socks, tuxedo, and bow tie. White tuxedo shirt. Please: no colored items, large jewelry, handkerchief, etc.

B. REPORTING TIMES

Be at the concert location, backstage or downstairs before the designated time. Mentally review the concert order, the mechanics of getting on and off stage, and other details, beforehand. Please review difficult musical spots to make sure their solution is fresh in your mind. Take a moment to reflect on the content of the score/the text. This is actually the beginning of the concert. Before the concert please be quiet back stage and try to envision yourself in the music to be performed.

C. STAGE PROTOCOL

VI. COSTS

The Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus receives small, annual stipends from the Dean of Students office and the Choral Music Endowment. However, the primary revenues for financing HRC concerts are dues and ticket sales. Chorus members are urged to sell concert tickets.

MUSIC:

All singers must purchase their music in the edition chosen for the performance. Music may be purchased at the first rehearsal of each semester from your section leader. Singers may be asked to obtain a black music folder for performances.

DUES:

Harvard student member dues are $20 per semester, and dues for other members are $35 per semester. Contributions in excess of these charges are also appreciated and used for soloists or orchestra members fees. Dues will be used for Chorus expenses only.

TICKET SALES:

All singers are asked to sell two tickets for each concert.

RECORDINGS:

Concert cassette tape and CD recordings are available through Humphrey Audio. Checks are made payable to Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus before the group order is made. See the HRC General Manager about ordering concert recordings.