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About self-direction
How do rehearsals run?
“Rehearsals in musica intima tend toward the dynamic,
which is what is so
great about being in the group. We are a collective, so no one person
takes charge of the whole
rehearsal, instead, each singer is expected to contribute. As can
be expected, keeping things running
smoothly without too much talk is always the challenge. The level
of efficiency has improved over the
years, but we recognise the need to balance ‘controls’ over
individual expression of opinion with the
kind of free interaction which is essential to the character of the
group.”
(Andy
Hillhouse,
bass)
How do you know what you sound like?
“In a self directed group such as musica intima, listening is crucial.
Not
only do we have to concentrate on each individual's sound quality, but
also
the sound created by the ensemble. Using all 24 ears is essential in
order
to constantly adjust to produce a blended, quality sound. Feedback from
the
audience is also helpful. We appreciate constructive criticism — anything
to
push us further.”
(Lane
Price, tenor)
How does self-direction work in performance?
“Our performance style of self-direction is different from rehearsals.
In rehearsal we stop, talk, gesticulate, explain, argue(!), and generally
converse about what we were trying to convey musically. When we make
a decision, we furiously write in notes to ourselves in our scores to
remember what was decided. In concert, we can only communicate through
the music. So we need a vocabulary of body language to convey all those
little details we sweated over during rehearsals. This can range from
folder bobs to show cutoffs, inhalations to convey tempo, and sly eyes
to one’s neighbour to remember funny spots. Often it’s the two people
who stand on the ends of the semi-circle who show entrances and cutoffs
— they’re easiest for everyone to see. But it could be anyone in the
group. Much of what we show in our body language is like the essential
oil of conducting. It is the movements of conducting distilled down to
their very essence. We strip the arm and hand movements, showing only
what is absolutely necessary, even something as small as a breath. More
importantly, though, each member of the ensemble already knows exactly
how each piece will unfold down to the tiny details. All we need is a
breath together to set us on our way.”
(Caitlin MacRae, alto)
I've heard intima members talk about "taking ownership". Can you tell me more?
“The way we work as a collective allows us to really take ownership of the music. Somehow the fact that we only have ourselves to rely on, and not a conductor, means that we have to care more about the performance; the success of the music and the concert depends on it. By the time a piece makes it to a concert, we’ve all worked through many ideas and suggestions and we’ve come to a common understanding of how to perform it. When the performance happens, we’re all fully present in the music-making and leadership, and we act as one organism, all taking our cues from eachother. The end result is that the twelve of us have played an equal part in the interpretation and we can share in the joys of the outcome. It’s really like being proud parents!
“This is something that can be hard to find in a conducted ensemble, where
the ideas come from one person and the musicians have no say in the matter.
At the end of most conducted performances that I’ve been a part of,
the success is attributed to the conductor; the musicians are happy to
have carried out one person’s visions, but it’s not the same
collective proud parent moment.”
(Marianne
de Kleer, alto)
How do you (meaning the group) handle disagreements?
“It's easy to tell
when we have a disagreement; as a group we are not shy
about raising objections whether it is about musical or administrative
questions. Our style is to allow time to express the objection and then
to assess the mood of the group informally to see if we can reach an agreement
on the spot, or to have further discussion either in the rehearsal or via
email. Sometimes the musical leader for a piece or the committee chair
will make a quick decision if time is pressing, but there is a spirit of
collaboration to intima that is rarely overlooked.”
(Katherine
Goheen, soprano)
Who handles the administrative work?
“We all do, with a little help from our friends. Our staff deals with our day-to-day operations like liaising with presenters, applying for grants, bookkeeping and communications. We also have a fabulous board of directors made up of wonderful supporters and one ensemble member who acts as the liason between the ensemble and the board, and a resource development committee which has a two intima members, as well as more wonderful supporters.
“The ensemble itself has many ‘portfolios’ which are jobs that usually only one person handles. Some of our portfolios include librarian, personnel, scheduling, concert coordinator, rehearsal timekeeper and recording.
“In addition to the portfolios, we all sit on various committees:
Executive and Repertoire are the biggies and there are various ad hoc
planning committees that pop up when necessary, such as the CD committee
and the annual retreat planning committee. And finally, once or twice
a year all 12 ensemble members meet along with our staff and board for
long-range planning meetings, at which we all plan how to continue to
make musica intima change the way the world thinks about choral music.”
(Melanie
Adams, alto)
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