Author: Rachael Mollison-Read

  • The Importance of Musicianship in Singing

    Musicianship is a musical term used to describe the skills a musician possesses related to their aural skills; intonation, ear training. Musicianship is absolutely a skill as well that can be learned, and should be carefully honed. Here are three reasons why musicianship is an essential skill in singing: #1. Sight singing: There are few…

  • 5 Tips To Help You Get The Most Out of Choir

    Starting in choir can be a bit intimidating, particularly if you’re new to music, or to singing. Here are 5 tips to help you get the most out of your choir experience! #1. Listen: Choir is different from singing solos, for several important reasons (read more about that here.) But listening is an incredibly important…

  • Welcome to our 2017-2018 Singing Season!

    Welcome to the Calgary Children’s Choir’s 31st Singing Season! Our Calgary Children’s Choir and Calgary Youth Choir start rehearsals tomorrow (Tuesday, September 12th, 2017) Our Music Makers and Calgary Junior Choir start rehearsals on Thursday (Thursday September 14th, 2017) We are delighted to be back after our wonderful 30th Anniversary Celebrations in May, and an…

  • Italy Tour – Padova

      After a very tiring concert and party yesterday, the choir enjoyed sleeping in late and eating a late breakfast at 9:30. After packing our bags, we got onto the bus and enjoyed the scenery on the way Padova. In Padova, we had two hours of free time. Padova was an especially nice town because…

  • Italy Tour – Pisa and Lucca

    After our relaxing and radiant day yesterday, the choir was in good spirits and ready for more walking! We kicked off the day with a delicious breakfast at the hotel, and made our way onto the tour bus. We arrived at Pisa, at the site of the famous leaning tower, and we were set free…

  • Italy Tour – Cinque Terre

    The sixth day in Rome for the choir started bright and early as we all hopped on the bus at 7:20AM and headed to the docks where we would depart for our day in Cinque Terre! Our tour of Italy’s coast was absolutely breathtaking! We had the opportunity to take lots of pictures as we…

  • Italy Tour – Florence!

    The Calgary Children’s Choir had a bright and early start this Friday morning, having breakfast at 6:30am.  After breakfast we packed up then hit the road. We embarked on the journey from Rome to Florence on our Luxurious coach. After resting for 2 hours, our tour guide, Adrianna, gave us a brief overview of the…

  • Italy – Rome Day 3!

    We had another amazing (albeit very warm) day. The choir started the day off singing a concert at St. Agnes’s church, a beautiful space. Around the age of 12-13, St. Agnes became a martyr. She had made a vow of chastity, and when a prince of Rome tried to break that vow, he was smited by…

  • Italy Tour – Rome Day 2!

    We had an early start today being on the bus at 7:45, which then took a scenic route to the renowned Vatican City. As you could imagine it is a very popular place, but with the help of our fantastic tour guide Adriana we took the fast track and promptly met up with our Vatican…

  • Italy Tour – Rome!

      This morning was our first rehearsal of the tour! We found a cute little conference room on the upper level of the hotel, and practiced for about two hours. Following the rehearsal, the choir went to the small bars (little restaurants) just outside of the hotel for lunch. The remainder of the afternoon consisted…

  • Italy Tour – Travel and Rome!

    Hello, it has been a very long day for all of us here in Italy! First things first, at 9 AM on the 2nd of July we met at the Calgary International Airport, bright eyed and exited to fly to Italy! Except first we had to fly to Toronto and wait a bit, having some…

  • 30th Reunion Roundup!

    This past weekend was our 30th Reunion celebrations! An absolutely wonderful time was had by all, and a big thank-you to all of the volunteers , parents, teachers, conductors, alumni, and the wonderful Mrs. White who helped us make this weekend a success! On Friday night we had a reception at the Crescent Heights Church.…

  • Celebrating 30 Years of the CCC

    We are very excited about our 30th Reunion celebrations this coming weekend. We have spent the past few weeks looking back on the changes we have seen in the CCC community over the last 30 years, and we look forward to the exciting future ahead for the Calgary Children’s Choir. Our founder, Rosmarie Sherban started…

  • The Alumni Advantage

    As we approach our 30th Reunion Celebrations, it is important to look back over the past years, at all of the people who have come and gone from our organization. Choir is ultimately about people, and how those people come together for a time and form a community. The ‘alumni advantage’ then is the lasting…

  • Prized Pieces

    As we near our 30th Reunion celebration (sign-up here if you haven’t already!), we start to think about all of our old favourite pieces, and which ones we hope to be singing in a few weeks time. There are many reasons why a piece of music might become a prized favourite, and sometimes the reasons…

  • Remembering With Music

    This past Sunday, Canada remembered the Battle of Vimy Ridge, on its 100th anniversary. In 1922, France gave to Canada the land for the memorial, and the surrounding area “forever and in perpetuity,” and the memorial was unveiled in 1936. The shining white marble standing stark against the skyline, remembers the 3598 soldiers who died…

  • Singing In Sacred Spaces

    We are very excited about many aspects of our upcoming summer tour to Italy, the food, the weather, the art; but we are perhaps most excited for the amazing performance opportunities afforded to us. During our travels we will be singing in a variety of sacred spaces, in Rome, Venice, Lucca, and others! One of…

  • Mentorship In Choir

    Choir is wonderful for a myriad of reasons, but one of the best reasons is the community it creates. This is not just a community among peers, but among singers of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. This creates a wonderful place to develop leadership skills. Here are three ways in which mentorship plays a huge…

  • How Singing Can Help You Learn More About Language

    Singing can help with learning in a myriad of ways, but one of the most subtle aspects of singing is in the acquisition of language. Here are three ways in which singing can help you learn more about language: #1. Libretto: Since the language often contained in vocal pieces is commonly in the form of…

  • Italy and Music

    We are so thrilled to be going to Italy this summer on an exciting tour! Italy is one of the most exciting places for musicians, because it is home to some of the most beautiful art, architecture, and musical history in the world! There are many aspects that make Italy an intriguing place for those…

  • Silent Singing

    Singers are often thought to be ‘delicate’ compared to other musicians. But because our body is our instrument, we have to take special care of it. This means that we cannot practice in the same way, or for the same amount of time that other musicians practice. Still, there are many ways to practice our…

  • The Importance of Singing Earnestly

    To be earnest, is to show depth in sincerity and feeling, and in a world of increasing cynicism and negativity, it is an exceptionally important characteristic. Though singing is sometimes considered a vain pursuit, nothing could be further from the truth. In order to truly convey the emotional range and depth of a musical piece,…

  • Maturity In Musical Taste

    Musical taste is something that develops continuously throughout your life. Hearing different genres, from different periods in musical history, allows your ear, and your taste to synthesize what it likes about certain types of music, and what you dislike. Because of the prevalence of pop music, (it’s called ‘popular music’ for a reason!) much of…

  • The Benefits of Auditioning

    Here at the CCC, we do not audition choristers for entry into the choir for several reasons. We firmly believe that anyone can, and should sing! Our motto is, ‘Singing For the Joy of It’, and we are happy to include everyone. Still, we do audition for solos, or small groups, and encourage our choristers…

  • 3 Ways In Which Choir Makes You More Adventurous!

    Choir is an excellent place to test out uncertain waters. It is safe, and communal, and supportive, and it’s a great place to become more adventurous! #1. Weird warmups: Singing makes many demands of us, and nowhere is this more true than when it comes to strange warmups. We are often tasked with creating sounds…