SummerChor

05/08/2026

From Alison:

Our first rehearsal is on Monday, June 1st !
I am sending this to all of you, in smallish groups of singers,.. ( 50 - 80 ),... but the E mail server security blocks are getting stronger every year,.. and quite a few folk are not receiving these group
Emails.
I wonder if you would be willing to forward this e mail, or call friends whom you know are in SummerChor just to check if they are receiving these e mails ?
I recommend coming a bit early to SummerChor to pick up your SummerChor 2026 name Tag, and get your photo taken.
If you are willing to lend a hand, your help would be most gratefully received.
In gratitude to you all,
Alison
Register online -

Registration for SummerChor 2026 BRAHMS REQUIEM

03/03/2026

The current numbers for the Florence trip are :

Altos 28
Basses 16
Sopranos 26
Tenors 9
Total 79 singers
The room we will be rehearsing in has a capacity for 90 people.
with the accompanist and me, ( Alison ) that means we could take another 9 singers !

I had said that I wanted then all to be tenors and partners if possible, but I think that at this point, i would rather fill those spaces than wait for the marvelously mythical unicorns that are tenors to appear out of the mist.
If you have a yearning to sing the Vivaldi Gloria in a wonderful Florence church, and rehearse in the glorious Foresteria Valdese di Firenze.
We have 9 spots left.... for any voice.

Please email
[email protected] to book a spot.

Thank you
Alison

01/16/2026

Dear SummerChor Singers,

Welcome to 2026!!

And the Glorious Brahms Requiem.

There is a big difference in our season this year. Our concerts are earlier than usual. August the 7th and 8th.

Due to the Florence Choral Trip starting in Florence on August 23rd, and then the church is unavailable on the 14th, 15th and 16th ARGH !! 🤪...

So,.. the 7th and 8th it is!

So we have scheduled two longer Saturday morning rehearsals as well.

Cost will be the same - $100

I keep it low, because there is the understanding that you either sell, or purchase 4 tickets. ( totalling $100 ).

Registration and payment will open in early April.

Registration will be online, and payment will be by E transfer to this e mail address.

But don't do anything yet...

I'll open payment and Registration in April.

VENUE - St. Andrews Wesley United Church

Edition of the Brahms -

Many of you will already have your own copies of the Brahms, and that is fine. We will bar number it, and i will use bar numbers in our rehearsals.

Editions - The last Edition we used in 2018 was the Breitkopf - EBO 9362.

And i was using an online version which is in the choral public Domain- Ein deutsches Requiem Arranged for organ by Andrew Raiskums.

You can access it here -

chrome extensio://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.choralmidisdigest.com/midis/siglo_xix/brahms-johannes-ein_deutsches_requiem.pdf

It is 131 pages , so it would cost you about $15 to print it yourself at Staples .

or you can get a Breitkopf copy from Long & McQuade.



If you want a Breitkopf Edition from Long & McQuade, please let me know.

I need to give them a heads up on how many copies to order.

Registration - I'll set up the online registration in March .

Learning Tracks Recordings -

Learning your music ahead of the 1st rehearsal is almost essential for SummerChor.

Because so many people have done it before, we learn the notes very fast, which enables us to get on with blend, phrasing, etc. quite quickly.

So,... i recommend getting familiar with your music well ahead of time 🤗.

Learning Tracks - i highly recommend Rehearsal Arts. They are excellent. You can purchase your choral part online here -

https://rehearsalarts.com/titles/brahms-requiem

There are also LOADS of YouTube recordings of learning tracks for the Requiem....

Listening Recordings -

I haven't fixed on anything yet -



(Simon Rattle and the Berlin Phil. is a new one . recorded in April 2025... So i will listen to that for sure.... )

If a clear favorite emerges i will let you know.....

Please see the calendar below for rehearsal and concerts days and times.



June

Monday June 1st 6:45 – 8:45 pm

Monday June 8th 6:45 – 8:45 pm

Monday June 15th 6:45 – 8:45 pm

Monday June 22nd 6:45 – 8:45 pm

Monday June 29th 6:45 – 8:45 pm

Monday July 6th 6:45 – 8:45 pm

Saturday July 11th 10am – 1pm

Monday July 20th 6:45 – 8:45 pm

Saturday July 25th 10am – 1 pm

Monday July 27th 6:45 – 8:45 pm

Tuesday August 4th 6:45 – 8:45 pm

Wednesday August 5th 6:45 – 8:45 pm



Concerts :

Friday August 7th

Saturday August 8th

Concerts at 7 pm set up starts at 5pm
Call time - 5:30pm
Dress Black pants and white tops....
Yes ,.. i know the red dye used to come off the chairs,.. but maybe it's better now.... or we can hand a towel over the chair back..
All black looks so BLEAK !!

Practice tracks on MP3 and CD for Brahms - Requiem (German)

08/05/2025

SummerChor 2025 concert is coming up soon.
August 15th and 16th at St Andrews Wesley United Church.

We have been having a wonderful time preparing the Cherubini Requiem, Beethoven's Hallelujah Chorus ( yes,.. he wrote one too....), and the glorious Elgar -Lux Aeterna, done perfectly by Voces 8 -https://youtu.be/hKgUxqXoc9M?si=8jeEUeGaux3JYC0v

The concerts start at 7pm and will finish by 8:30ish.

06/15/2025

Several things,..
Payment - About half of you have paid me already for SummerChor - $100. ( Thank you 🤗 ).

If you can pay by direct deposit, it saves me a bit of work, but if cheque feels better for you, that's ok too.
I'll take money however it comes 🙂.
For E transfer/ Direct deposit:
[email protected]
You don't need a password.

Registration -
1 If you already have your music, and have paid, and registered online, you only need to get your photo and your name tag.
2 Long & McQuade only have 19 copies of the Cherubini left. I will pick them up before the rehearsal, and have them for sale. They are $20ish. dollars.
3 If you are paying by cheque or cash, please put the money in an envelope WITH YOUR NAME ON IT.,,, otherwise i won't know that you paid me. 😬.

Bring all the music !
As you know, we are not only doing the Cherubini.
We are also doing 5 other pieces.
The Handel hallelujah Chorus
The Beethoven Hallelujah
Vivaldi, - Et in terra pax, from the Gloria.
Faure - Cantique de Jean Racine
Elgar - Lux Aeterna - Ni**od YES - REALLY 🌟!!

The music can be downloaded from my google drive. Here.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1b37V-KRt1o-umZamnIjstInsNj-zHp4T?usp=sharing

You will need to download and then print the music. Otherwise, you will be learning it from memory... which might not be a bad thing!!

Doors opening.
I am hoping that the doors will be open by 6pm,... but they might not open until later. So please be patient. 🙏.

Setting up chairs-
If the doors are open, and your are sound in body and mind, it would be great if you can help with setting up chairs.
Same as usual.
Basses on my left, tenors on my right.

Rehearsal repertoire Schedule -

Rehearsal dates - please note that there are some holiday Mondays, so the schedule shifts to accommodate that.
Rehearsals 6:45 - 8: 45 at St. Andrews Wesley United Church
Performances - 7 pm at St. Andrews Wesley United Church.

Monday June16th,
Monday June 23rd,
Monday June 30th
Saturday July 12th,
Monday, July 14th ,
Monday, July 21st,
Monday, July 28th
Thursday August 7th
Monday August 11th, dress rehearsal
Wednesday August 13th dress rehearsal
Concerts
Friday August 15th Concert
Saturday August 16th Concert
-------------------------------------
Thank you

05/06/2025

Hi folks, May 6 from Alison:

Long & McQuade still have copies of the Cherubini available. Just say you're with SummerChor, and they will get you the correct music. 🙂
Also,.. we have the same issue as always...
Not everyone gets the e mails...
Would you be willing to do a quick phone around of your singing friends to make sure that they are receiving the e mails.
If not.....
they should
1 Check in their junk mail folder.
2 Add [email protected] to their list of contacts.
3 Get in touch with me to check if i have their current e mail address.
Our first rehearsal is on June 2nd !