Written by: Mattie Kiser
At noon yesterday, the members of the 29th Edition of the Cardinal Chorale gathered for the first time for their annual summer workshop. The singers met at Muskingum University in New Concord to begin their week-long journey into learning a fresh repertoire for the 2024 season. This year’s program is titled “Hand In Hand” and it perfectly encapsulates the message of the Chorale: to bring others from all walks of life together so they can share their experiences and find human connections.
The first order of business for the Chorale was meeting in the rehearsal room to get a feel for singing together. It’s tradition to sing together for the first time in front of some singer parents! The practice began with warm-ups and some inner-group bonding/icebreakers, and then we were off to practicing for this season’s repertoire.
After a few hours of work, we headed to the dining hall to have the most delicious dinner of roast, potatoes, stir fry, and other amazing food provided by the wonderful Muskingum Dining staff.
At the conclusion of our final rehearsal of the night, we had our first opus huddle of the workshop. We talked about opus cheers, challenges, and early-set plans for our upcoming Opus Olympics(GO OPUS 3!!!). For those who are new here, an “opus” to us is our group that we lean on throughout the week, share breakfast with, and consider a “home base” through the workshop experience.
Finally, the Chorale settled down in their dorms for a good night’s sleep… resting up for the busy week ahead!
We look forward to a really really fun workshop and a great experience for our singers!
(Pictures to come!)