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Choral Cacophony Podcast

Stairwell Carollers

From live rehearsal audio with The Stairwell Carollers, each Podcast is 7 minutes or less. For singers who want to improve performance - solo or in chorus. Warmups, ear training, rehearsal and challenging vocal gymnastics with Director Pierre Massie are fun and engaging. Live and fresh, the Choral Cacophony Podcast will help any vocalist develop their range, enunciation, breath control and vocal quality. Sound advice for singers who want to improve their listening, rhythm and pronunciation for songs in multiple languages. Practice your ear training and vocal exercises along with the choir!
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04/23/18 • 2 min

This week is a physical warmup exercise for diaphragmatic breathing - done in a standing position. Teeth together, mouth slightly open, deep breath and release the breath in a controlled manner. Allow only the tiniest stream of air to be released in a smooth hisssss. SSSSSSSSSSSS... It's a room full of leaky tires. We revisit an earlier CC Podcast breath control exercise - with a little more direction from Pierre about the importance of the diaphragm in breathing. The Stairwell Carollers: Pierre Massie began our a cappella choir 40 years ago, in 1977, while he was a music student at Ottawa U. The Stairwell Carollers are now ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. A registered Canadian charity, we also help local charities with our concert, CD and cookbook sales. Net proceeds benefit charities in our locale. Please DONATE to support our 40th year workshops.
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CCPodcast S. 2 #12 - Be like Fonzie

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04/09/18 • 5 min

In this week's Choral Cacophony Podcast, The Fonz from Happy Daze fame and spaghetti are featured. Pierre uses both these vivid examples (and others) to illustrate vowel quality and production. He runs the choir through the vowel sounds with his own brand of colourful descriptions of how the sounds should come out and what shape they should take. This rehearsal group included a number of auditioners back in August 2016. A few voices stick out and were subsequently not chosen for the choir. Blending voices is a primary requirement to join the Stairwell Carollers. Enjoy the practice!
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03/26/18 • 6 min

If you've been following our Choral Cacophony Podcasts (and why not???) you may be motivated to hear us LIVE IN CONCERT! Here we are at a recent rehearsal preparing Abendlied by Joseph Rheinberger for the upcoming concerts. Enjoy! The Stairwell Carollers: Pierre Massie began our a cappella choir in 1977 while a music student at Ottawa U. The Stairwell Carollers are ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. A registered Canadian charity, we help other local charities with our concert, CD and cookbook sales. Net proceeds from sales benefit charity. DONATE to support our 40th year celebration workshops!
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03/19/18 • 5 min

Whaaaat? This week's Choral Cacophony Podcast features a warmup you can do to help with Octave jumps AND relaxed open tones. The secret?? Looking down. Yes. Literally. Looking down. Looking UP to reach a high note - straining for a note - can close off your air flow and tense up your muscles unnecessarily. So, look down when you reach up for that note. Try it, it works. About The Stairwell Carollers: Pierre Massie started our a cappella choir 40 years ago, in 1977, while a student of music at Ottawa U. The Stairwell Carollers are ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, having won both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. A registered Canadian charity, we also help local charities with our concert, CD and cookbook sales. Net proceeds benefit charity.

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03/12/18 • 6 min

How high can you go? And can you hold that note? Does dissonance pull you away from your part? Stay with your section and stay in tune! Those are the two skills practiced in this week's Choral Cacophony Podcast. As an alto I know all about having to hold one note... for...ever. I've called us the Polyfilla of the choir since we always seem to fill the cracks missed by the other harmonies. In Modern and Contemporary music the dissonances in the musical design can be challenging - to say the least. Sing hard.. I mean - work well, um, you know what I mean. The Stairwell Carollers: Pierre Massie began our a cappella choir 40 years ago, in 1977, while he was a music student at Ottawa U. The Stairwell Carollers are now ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. A registered Canadian charity, we also help local charities with our concert, CD and cookbook sales. Net proceeds benefit charity. Please DONATE to support our 40th year workshops!
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CC Podcast S. 2 #8 - Play Ball!

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03/05/18 • 5 min

We're all on hold waiting and wanting the spring flowers to appear. Our new singing season starts and it's a whole new ballgame - 40th, contemporary, Canadian! Personally, I can't wait to see the first flowers pop up through the snow. It's early innings in our rehearsals and there are still songs to learn and skills to hone. So, for our Choral Cacophony Podcast Season 2 Number 8, here's a fresh warmup that covers all the bases. The Stairwell Carollers: Pierre Massie began our a cappella choir 40 years ago, in 1977, while he was a music student at Ottawa U. The Stairwell Carollers are now ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. A registered Canadian charity, we also help local charities with our concert, CD and cookbook sales. Net proceeds benefit charity. Please DONATE to support our 40th year workshops!
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CC Podcast S. 2 #7 - One Note Wonder

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02/26/18 • 6 min

As a singer, in a chorus especially, we have to shape our vowels correctly (and the way the director prefers!) But, how do we do that? Like most skill development, it takes practice and guidance. Practice making the sound, shaping the mouth, and - where does that darn pesky tongue go? Hint - The tongue should lay in the mouth, as if ready for a yawn, touching the back of the teeth. If you are lucky, you have a master music teacher on a mission leading your chorus. This weeks Choral Cacophony Podcast presents a vocal warm-up that's also great for ear training. About The Stairwell Carollers: Pierre Massie began our a cappella choir way back in 1977 while studying music at Ottawa U. The Stairwell Carollers are ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. A registered Canadian charity, we also help local charities with our concert, CD and cookbook sales. Net proceeds benefit charity. Please DONATE to support our 40th year workshops!
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CC Podcast S. 2 #6 - We Got Rhythm

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02/19/18 • 10 min

This weeks Choral Cacophony Podcast episode is an extra long one - about 10 minutes. With two whole body exercises, the Stairwell Carollers work on rhythm. Pierre created special practice sheets for teaching rhythm to his students and uses a whole body approach to teaching it. For all rhythm exercises he stresses coordination between the mind and the body; a musician always has to keep count of the beats in a bar while singing, playing an instrument, etc. This is challenging to say the least. Using Rhythm Sheet 1a - shown below - Pierre leads the choir in alternate forms of clapping and saying the beat/note number position in the bar. Rhythms 1a - all rights reserved, Pierre Massie About The Stairwell Carollers: Pierre Massie began our a cappella choir way back in 1977 while studying music at Ottawa U. The Stairwell Carollers are ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. A registered Canadian charity, we also help local charities with our concert, CD and cookbook sales. Net proceeds benefit charity. Please DONATE to support our 40th year workshops!
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02/12/18 • 6 min

In this weeks Choral Cacophony Podcast episode (Second of two parts) we work on a piece called Resonet in laudibus. It's a latin Sacred composition from the 14th century, transcribed by our director, Pierre Massie. About The Stairwell Carollers: Pierre Massie began our a cappella choir way back in 1977 while studying music at Ottawa U. The Stairwell Carollers are ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. A registered Canadian charity, we also help local charities with our concert, CD and cookbook sales. Net proceeds benefit charity. Please DONATE to support our 40th year workshops!
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05/21/18 • 3 min

Ottawa choral music fans are in for a real treat June 2nd. Pierre Massie and his award-winning choir The Stairwell Carollers will be celebrating the finale of their 40th anniversary season with a diverse program of six centuries of music sung in six languages. 2018 Spring concert Programme - Eya Eya The concert will feature a number of Renaissance gems from England, Spain, France and Germany, 19th century gems like Abendlied by Josef Rheinberger, and modern masterpieces by Lauridsen, Stroope and Gjeilo. In addition, Pierre has programmed his award-winning “Eya eya gaudeamus” – the title track for the concert – as well as a brand-new arrangement of a medieval song – “In natali Domini” – by fellow Caroller David Rain. Throughout their 40 years, the Stairwell Carollers have been singing in a humanitarian key. Net proceeds from concerts and CD sales have allowed the Carollers to present donations to dozens of local charities and music scholarships to local high school students totalling over $140,000. The Carollers are delighted to announce that this year’s $1000 music scholarship will be presented at their June 2 concert to Rayna Crandlemire, a talented singer, who also plays violin, clarinet and piano. Rayna attended De La Salle High School and will be continuing her music education at the University of Toronto this fall, where she has also been awarded a music scholarship. Congratulations Rayna! In addition, on June 2 a donation of $2000 will be presented to the Galilee Centre. The Stairwell Carollers have a soft spot in their hearts for Arnprior’s Galilee Centre, as their special 40th anniversary workshop was just held there in May, led by the inspiring Gabriel Lewis-O'Connor, a former member of the renowned male chorus Chanticleer, who will be singing in Ottawa in July. The Carollers will make an official presentation of the donation and scholarship grants at their spring concert “Eya eya gaudeamus” at Saint Barnabas Church (corner of James St & Kent St) on June 2nd, 7:30pm. Hope to see you there! Tickets are available at the door for $20, or in advance for $15 from The Leading Note, 370 Elgin St; Compact Music, 190 & 785 1/2 Bank St; Books on Beechwood, 35 Beechwood Ave, or online at http://www.stairwellcarollers.com/Concerts.html. David Rain, who sings tenor with the Carollers, has been taking his musical cues from the back of Pierre Massie’s head for 25 years. About our A cappella Choir: Pierre Massie started The Stairwell Carollers in 1977 while studying music at Ottawa University. We are ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. A registered Canadian charity, Net proceeds of our concert, CD and cookbook sales are gifted to local charities.

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  • FAQ

    How many episodes does Choral Cacophony Podcast have?

    Choral Cacophony Podcast currently has 37 episodes available.

    What topics does Choral Cacophony Podcast cover?

    The podcast is about Podcasts, Arts and Performing Arts.

    What is the most popular episode on Choral Cacophony Podcast?

    The episode title 'CC Podcast S. 2 #13 - SSShort and SSSweet' is the most popular.

    What is the average episode length on Choral Cacophony Podcast?

    The average episode length on Choral Cacophony Podcast is 6 minutes.

    How often are episodes of Choral Cacophony Podcast released?

    Episodes of Choral Cacophony Podcast are typically released every 7 days.

    When was the first episode of Choral Cacophony Podcast?

    The first episode of Choral Cacophony Podcast was released on Aug 29, 2017.

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