Climb Ev’ry Mountain & Rolling in the Deep

Planning,

After a two-week break to focus on USC ASCE‘s Concrete Canoe Competition, I’m back at it arranging the music for Kati’s concert.

This weekend I’m working on two very different, and very powerful, songs: Climb Ev’ry Mountain and Rolling in the Deep. Climb Ev’ry Mountain, from The Sound of Music, is a laid back piece that will feature a flute solo. Rolling in the Deep is a very popular pop tune that’s one of Kati’s (and Gemma’s) favorites.

When we were selecting songs for the concert, one of Kati’s favorite sources of music was The Sound of Music. From that, I selected Climb Ev’ry Mountain because it will provide a nice break from the mostly loud, up-tempo songs in the rest of the concert, and because this song features some really interesting harmonic motion. This sort of harmonic movement is common in musicals, but very uncommon in most “pop” music, so it’ll provide a nice contrast and should be really cool with the addition of flute!

Rolling in the Deep, on the other hand, is a thick, almost dark pop tune with infectiously driving rhythms. A perfect counterpoint to Climb Ev’ry Mountain, the songs will be performed back-to-back at Kati’s Concert. We’ll be adding drums to the cello arrangement to really highlight the repetitive rhythmic patterns from the original version, with fewer different cello parts complimenting the song’s simpler harmonic systems. I’ll also attempt to emulate Adele’s legendary voice on trumpet, with others attempting the same on cello.

I know our musicians are excited to get to work on both songs, so we’ll be posting the sheet music for them as soon as it’s completed.

Rehearsals dates have been set

Planning

YEEESSS!! We’ve finally confirmed our rehearsal dates and venue rehearsal locations! 😀

We also have a drummer and MC confirmed for the concert. I’ll post more about them during the next post. Things are really coming along – a lot smoother than last year (so far). hhmm… hopefully I didn’t just jinx our progress!

The Chase Concert Team have four tasks left:

  1. Get copyright for the arrangements
  2. Finish arrangements
  3. Confirm musicians – oboist and timpanist (and timpani), and find a few professional cellists to perform with us
  4. Confirm the concert venue

Hopefully, we’ll have everything confirmed by our first rehearsal, but I’m not too worried that we’ll have everything ready to go by concert date. Things always work out in the end! 

 

The elusive timpani! They like to gather in large packs and make loud noises. We’re on the hunt for them for the concert. …we’re coming to get ‘cha!

Timpani

 

 

 

Meet our flautist!

Planning

I’m excited to announce that Christen Stephens will again be performing with us for our summer Chase Concert! 😀

Christen performed with us last year, and was just AMAZING! Did I mention that I love how cellos and a flute sound? After last year’s concert, I was truly tempted to start learning how to play the flute (seriously!), but I was not getting enough cello practice as it was…

Anyway, check out our video from last year’s concert created for Chito (who loves Disney) featuring cellos and a flute: Aladdin’s A Whole New World:

http://youtu.be/OdS6n38A2G0

This year we will have two songs with the flute: Simple Gifts and an original composition by our resident composer created specifically for Kati.

Christen

A little bit about Christen: she began her study of music over twenty years ago taking private flute lessons. She was classically trained on the flute and piano and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education with an emphasis in flute at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Most of her flute study was under Mark Thomas, an international soloist and the founder of the National Flute Association. Christen performs extensively locally and teaches flute and piano. As an adult, Christen began pursuing her lifetime love of the cello and is continuing to take private cello lessons while performing as a cellist with the Boulder Symphony Orchestra. To learn more about her, visit her website at christenstephens.com

 

Christen you’re amazing!!  😀

Truly inspiring are these talented and wonderful professionals who play alongside our group (consisting mostly of beginners to intermediate cellists) for the pure enjoyment of creating music.

Thank you Christen for sharing your love of music with us!

~gemma

 

Arranging Music

Planning,

I’ve been working hard the past few days to arrange all of the songs we’re planning on playing for Kati’s concert. I’m planning on finishing all of the songs that feature only cellos now, so that Gemma can post the parts and get rehearsals going! Once those are complete, we’ll finalize our instrumental collaborators and do the remaining arrangements and the composition.

I’m also making recordings of my arrangements, for the cellists to practice with, so we might publish some preview audio soon 🙂

First post!

Planning

I’m testing and learning how to use WordPress and am doing my first WordPress blog post! SWEET! 😉

We’ve been busy firming up details for Kati’s concert, and so far I think it’s going to be an AWESOME concert! Better than last year’s dare I say? I also have some really fun ideas with regards to attire for the concert, but we’ll see what Kati and the guys (Nick and Clark) will think and vote on.

I’m also really enjoying planning this concert for Kati because she has similar tastes in music as I do; that is, more Pop music than Classical – and Musicals too! How cool is that??

The guys and I have also finally selected the songs for the concert which are:

  • Call Me Maybe
  • Rolling in the Deep
  • Viva La Vida
  • Somebody That I Used to Know
  • Simple Gifts
  • Fanfare for the common man
  • Climb Ev’ry Mountain
  • Chim Chim Cher-ee
  • Original Composition for Kati by Nick

I’m a little hesitant at posting the song selections since I still need to research the copyright and get the performance licenses first, but what’s a concert without a few last minute song selection changes, right? 😉

So, what’s nice about collaborating with Clark and Nick, besides their wonderful caring personalities? It’s the skills and talents they bring to the table. Clark is the “face” of these concerts and will meet with the nominee and their parents so we are able to create a special concert tailored specifically to their preferences! He’s also our “go-to-guy,” when we need to find venues and obscure instruments, like tubular chimes! Who has those…?? And this year, we’ll need a timpani! Seriously Nick, are you selecting obscure instruments just to mess with us? 😉

And then there’s Nick – our composer extraordinaire! He will be researching the songs and creating arrangements of Kati’s favorite songs and also creating an original composition for her. Nick is also our website expert and will make sure that I don’t run amok with this website.

Although missing from last year’s concert is my favorite cellist Clayton Vaughn who was instrumental (pun intended!) in creating the Boulder Cello Project and who led all of our rehearsals last year. I miss you Clayton!

After this blog entry is completed, the next few items on my agenda is copyright/license research, sending out notifications to musicians regarding our concert, firming up dates and times for rehearsals, and learning more WordPress!

Here’s to a great start to the concert,

~gemma