MUSIC 159

Early Music Singers

Choral Ensembles

The Early Music Singers is a small choir led by Dr. William Mahrt specializing in Medieval, Renaissance, and early Baroque vocal music. Participation is open to both students and community members.

Auditions

Auditions for 2023-24 will be held in Braun 216 on Tuesday, September 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon and from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Attendance Policy

We rehearse Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 9:30pm.

1. This is chamber music; each person makes so significant a contribution to the whole that his or her absence affects the sound and shape of the pieces. Moreover, with a whole concert to prepare in about eight rehearsals, every rehearsal represents significant progress on the pieces, including pronunciation of texts, translation of texts, securing accurate reading of the parts, and achieving a balance between the voices. Therefore, I urge you not to excuse yourself from a rehearsal, except for absolutely essential reasons. This includes not scheduling anything avoidable against a rehearsal.

2. Reasons for missing a rehearsal, in order of acceptability:

  • Communicable disease, including flu and serious cold (with a cold, you can sit in the auditorium and follow the rehearsal)
  • Funeral of a close relative, religious high holydays, e.g. Passover
  • Travel out of town for work or conference
  • Performance in a concert of another group
  • Pre-existing commitment  from before joining the group

3. Dubious reasons for missing a rehearsal:

  • Vacation
  • Dress rehearsal for performance in another group (would that group allow us to schedule a dress rehearsal against their regularly-scheduled rehearsal?)
  • Mid-term examination (exams should not be scheduled against another class)

4. Unacceptable reasons for missing a rehearsal:

  • I'm too tired
  • Dinner engagement or other social engagement (don't make dinner engagements against a regularly scheduled rehearsal)
  • I have a paper due (whether you have registered for credit or not, this is a class and deserves as serious attention  as any class you take)
  • I have to pick someone up at the airport
  • I have to attend a concert

5.  Please inform me in advance when you must miss a rehearsal; I leave it to your judgment whether to miss and trust you to follow the guidelines above. mahrt [at] stanford.edu (mahrt[at]stanford[dot]edu)

6.  Please arrive on time for rehearsals; the warm-up period is very important for timbre and ensemble; I have noticed that when someone regularly comes late and misses the warm-up, it begins to show. Since parking is difficult, you might allow an extra few minutes in order to ensure arriving on time to the rehearsal.

7.  It should go without saying that there will be no use of cell-phones, texting, checking e-mail, surfing the internet, etc. during rehearsal (OK during break). If you want to use an iPad for your music that is fine; I can send you a pdf of all the music. But this use presumes that you agree not to use the iPad for other purposes during the rehearsal.

Listserv Instructions

Go to this URL in a browser: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/early-music

You will see instructions for joining the list, as well as a description of its etiquette. Appropriate messages to this list pertain to the Early Music Singers: coordinate rehearsal, performance, or social activities; or share information of interest to the group. Please do not send messages of a commercial or marketing nature to our list.

Members with a non-Stanford email address (one that does not end in "@stanford.edu") will need to create a password for themselves.

Follow the instructions and click on "subscribe". Please do not select "digested" as that will delay your receiving messages.

Please contact mcheng2 [at] stanford.edu (Marisa) or rleigh [at] stanford.edu (Rowen) in the Music Office or mwpalm [at] stanford.edu (Miriam) if you have questions.

Once you are a member of the list, you can send messages to it using this address: early-music [at] lists.stanford.edu (early-music[at]lists[dot]stanford[dot]edu). Some messages with attachments may be delayed for review by the list managers.

Photo/Video/Audio Consent

The Choral Studies Program now asks all participants in ensembles to consent to the use of photographs, video and audio recordings at rehearsals and concerts, for publicity purposes.

Matriculated students (undergrad and graduate) need to enroll in EMS on Axess, even if you are not taking it for credit. There is now a zero-unit enrollment option. The policy and steps for this option are on the Music Department website. The student form includes the consent described above.

Students will need to follow this policy each quarter they participate.

Community members who sing in EMS need to sign and submit a photo/video/audio consent waiver. The form and complete information on the policy is located here. This is a one-time submission.

Please review these forms and instructions, and submit them within two weeks of the first quarter's rehearsal.