Choral No Nos

I spent last Tuesday, Friday and Saturday singing with [Not My Regular] Chorus. It's always a trying experience. I sang this concert because I love the conductor. He is the younger brother I never had. But my random Facebook rants about the behaviors of many chorus members led to an extended discussion on the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus Facebook page. So today I'm going to share with you my opinion on the behaviors a symphonic chorus member should not exhibit.

Let me begin by saying that if you have auditioned for and been accepted into a symphonic chorus, whether in the big leagues (Cleveland, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, et. al.) or a smaller orchestra (Tier 2, such as Toledo; Tier 3, such as Tucson; down to a Tier 7, such as Champaign-Urbana), or an independent symphonic chorus not directly affiliated with an orchestra (such as The Washington Chorus, Choral Arts Society of Washington or The City Choir of Washington) and regardless of whether or not you receive financial remuneration to sing in that organization, you are a professional.

You have studied music for years; you have probably studied voice; you sang in choruses—probably elite choruses—in high school and college;many of you have degrees in music; many of you chose music education as your vocation. You are a musician. Music is in your blood and, probably, constantly present in your brain.

You are rewarded by being allowed to sing under fabulous conductors and directors who give you a free graduate-level music class during every rehearsal. You are privileged to bring entertainment, beauty and joy to thousands of audience members each season.

When you sing, you are held to a higher standard.

With all that in mind, I give you Jan's List of Choral Don'ts—or Dos:

1. The top, number 1, most important item is "be courteous." Be courteous to your seatmates, the director, and the accompanist. Be especially courteous to (and appreciative of) the chorus manager. Without him or her, your life would be much harder. If everyone were courteous, there would be no more items on this list. There wouldn't even be a list.


2. Be in your seat before rehearsal begins. If you must arrive late, don't just saunter in and take your seat. Wait for the end of warm-up or for an appropriate break in the rehearsal. (See #1.)


3. Be quiet. Chat with your friends and neighbors until the moment the director steps to the music stand to begin warm-ups. Then shut up. When the director stops the rehearsal to give instructions to one section, this is not your signal to begin chatting again. There is no excuse for you to begin a conversation with your neighbor. (Well, if you're totally lost, try to find yourself from a neighbor, but as quietly and unobtrusively as possible.) You don't need to ask your neighbor to repeat the funny thing the director just said. If you hadn't been talking to someone else, you would have heard what he said. (See #1.)


4. Pay attention to the written music. Rests and bar lines are printed in the music for a purpose. They signal the end of sound. So stop singing! For your friends in the audience to say, "Oh, I heard you." is not a compliment. Your voice, held out loud and long after you were to have stopped singing is not a good thing. Cut. Off.


5. Don't scoop. (Y'know how some country music singers will start singing a little below the designated note, then slide up to the note, finally settling on where they should be a second after they started? That's called scooping.) Scooping is inappropriate in classical music. It's not really appropriate in country music, but it's accepted. It isn't accepted in classical music. Don't do it.


6. Write. Keep a pencil in your writing hand at all times during rehearsals. When the director says something that applies to you, write it down. Draw eyeglasses. Circle notes you chronically miss. Remind yourself in pencil lead about those crescendos and accelerandos and fortepianos and accents. Then do them. Do them each and every time you sing that section. Don't circle a note you've missed and then continue missing it. This is why you must rehearse on your own between rehearsals—so you don't make thoughtless errors. (See #4.) (Oh, and see #1.)


7. You don't need to correct the director. He or she is paid. He or she has studied the music and thought about the directions he's giving and—really—knows what he's talking about. If you want to approach him after the rehearsal and question him about some particular note, feel free to do so. But don't waste valuable rehearsal time to show off how much you know about music. You're not making points with any of your fellow singers!


8. Don't conduct along with the conductor. Your conducting pattern is in the peripheral vision of your neighbor, diverting her attention from the director's pattern, and—quite possibly causing her to make a mistake. Find some other way to keep time for yourself.


9. When you're dressing for performance, observe the stated dress code. If the dress code says "white blouse with long sleeves", don't wear 3/4 sleeves and—especially—don't wear ivory. If the dress code says "no dangling earrings", then don't wear dangling earrings. If the dress code says "blouses must be tucked in", tuck it in! Don't make the chorus manager tell you to tuck it in. (See #1.) You are on that stage for the sake of the music and for the sake of the audience. Don't behave in any manner that will draw attention to yourself. You are part of the whole.


10. When the concertmaster rises, in rehearsal or performance, to signal the oboe for Concert A, shut your mouth, zip your lip, and don't say one more word. That is sacred, precious, holy time. If you are in mid-sentence to your neighbor when the concertmaster stands, don't finish the sentence. Just. Shut. Up. (See #1.)


11. Oh, and my final item? See #1.

There, I've gotten that out.Thanks for listening.

Play nice. Be courteous.