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-Frequently Asked Questions-
When
does the next rehearsal season begin? Our Spring 2009 Season will begin rehearsals on Monday, January 19, 2009. Where
does the choir rehearse?
We rehearse every Monday evening from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00
p.m. at Francis Tuttle Technology Center's Rockwell Campus, N.W.
128th & N. Rockwell Ave. (on Rockwell between N.W. 122nd St.
& Kilpatrick
Turnpike/Memorial Road). Is
Spiritful Voices affiliated with Francis Tuttle Technology Center?
No. Spiritful Voices
Community Choir, Inc., secures rehearsal space
each week during our seasons from Francis Tuttle Technology
Center.
Although Spiritful Voices is indebted to the school
district for their hospitality and community spirit in
allowing us to rent a portion of their facility for our
choir participants,
we’re an independent, non-profit organization and are not
affiliated with
Francis Tuttle Vocational-Technical School
District #21 or the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology
Education. Is
Spiritful Voices affiliated with any church or religious group?
No. We are an
independent, non-profit corporation formed under the laws of the
State of Oklahoma to bring choral music to our community in
northwest Oklahoma City. Although many of our participants belong to various faiths
and sing each week with a choir in their church or house of
worship, Spiritful Voices is a community-based choir comprised of
participants from all walks of life, and is not associated with
any church, faith, denomination or religious organization. Does
Spiritful Voices sing choral pieces other than religious ones?
Absolutely! Although
we do perform some sacred works, most of our season’s repertoire
consists of secular choral pieces.
Season after season, our participants consistently rank the
variety of music in our repertoire as one of the top reasons for
being a part of our community choir. We often perform pop, classical, contemporary, ballads,
gospel, Broadway showtunes, patriotic, jazz, spiritual, swing,
humorous and ethnic pieces. While
some of our songs are a cappella pieces, many of our selections
are accompanied by our talented pianists and even by our own
instrumental ensembles consisting of various woodwind, brass,
percussion, and string instruments. We do recognize that the vast majority of choral works
published are religious-based, and many of these are truly
beautiful compositions, but we make strong efforts each season to
offer a variety of secular songs in our repertoire, as well.
Of course, because most of our performances during our fall
season occur during November and December, several selections in
our fall repertoire are typically holiday-based, including both
sacred and secular Christmas works. When can
I audition to join Spiritful Voices?
There are no auditions for participation in our community
choir. We accept new
participants at the beginning of each season (spring and fall).
Our choir is open to anyone 18 years or older who is
enthusiastic for the love of music, can learn the music well, can
commit to rehearsals, and has a pleasant, blending voice. Can
I join Spiritful Voices even if I can’t read music?
Yes! Part of
the experience of participating in this community choir is
learning along with others. Many of our choir participants cannot sight-read music.
During our weekly rehearsals, we practice our repertoire
continually which helps those who learn by listening.
We also provide a CD containing our entire season’s
repertoire so each participant can practice on their own
throughout the week. When
during the year can I join Spiritful Voices?
We accept new participants for our fall season in
mid-August, and for our spring season in late January. Can I
join Spiritful Voices even though I’ve never sung with a choir
before?
Yes! While
many of our participants have sung with church choirs, school
choirs, and other community choirs, still others have never
rehearsed or performed with an organized chorus in their lives.
By joining our community choir, you will sing and learn
along with many talented musicians in a fun, educational, and
supportive environment. You’ll gain invaluable experience while
you expand your musical abilities and repertoire. What is
the average age of participants in Spiritful Voices?
Although we don’t keep track of this information, we have
had singers in past seasons as young as 18 and as old as 92.
The median age of a participant in Spiritful Voices is
around 48 years old. Is
Spiritful Voices a women’s choir or a men’s choir?
We’re a four-part mixed choir consisting of both men and
women—basses, tenors, altos, and sopranos. Is
Spiritful Voices a children’s choir?
No. Participation
in our community choir is restricted to persons aged 18 years and
older to ensure that each participant has the ability to provide
his or her own transportation to and from rehearsals and
performances. Is there
any cost to participate in the choir?
Yes. Because
we’re a non-profit organization with a very limited annual
budget, every season each singer in our group contributes a
nominal fee to participate in Spiritful Voices. Currently, the season’s participant fee is $75.00 for
individuals or $135.00 for married couples.
An 20% "early bird" enrollment discount is available for
those who register at least two weeks prior to the beginning of a
season. This fee represents only about $5.00 per week. What does
my participant fee pay for?
About two-thirds of a participant’s fee are used to
purchase a copy of each of the choral sheet music (called
“octavos”) in our season's repertoire for his or her use.
The remainder of participant fees are used to cover our
needed expenses such as rental of our rehearsal facility, binders
for our music, practice CDs, postage,
promotional materials, photocopies, etc. Is the
sheet music mine to keep?
No. Although
we only purchase enough copies of our choral music each season to
accommodate paid participants, all music must be returned to our
choral librarian at the end of each season.
All music purchases remain the property of Spiritful Voices
Community Choir, Inc., and are stored in our library for possible
future use. What can
I do if I want to sing with Spiritful Voices, but can’t afford
to pay the required participant fees all at once?
Although our community choir operates on an extremely
limited budget and the participant fees we collect each season are
by far the primary source of revenue that is used to purchase
music and essential supplies, we have never refused anyone to
participate in our community choir based solely on their ability
to pay their participant fee.
Those with a demonstrated financial need may request a
monthly payment plan. A
limited amount of scholarship funds, contributed by other
participants and friends of our organization, may help reduce or
even waive the participant fees for those in need.
If you would like to participate in our community choir,
but are hesitant to do so based on a financial need, you should
contact the organization’s treasurer and request an
“Application for Financial Assistance” form as soon as
possible. Am I
required to sell tickets or participate in other
fund-raising activities if I sing with Spiritful Voices? Unlike similar volunteer performing arts organizations throughout the country, Spiritful Voices Community Choir has no requirement for its participants to sell a minimum number of concert tickets for performances each season. However, as a volunteer, non-profit organization, we provide printed materials and other assistance so that each of our participants can actively pursue at least $200.00 in corporate or individual sponsorships each season from those in the community. This individual goal provides needed additional financial support for our performing arts charity. Are there any other costs associated with being part of Spiritful Voices?
Yes. At
spring season performances, each participant is required to wear
their own beige/khaki shorts, slacks, or skirt, in addition to a
custom-made blue-and-green Spiritful Voices Community Choir
“camp shirt” embroidered with the choir’s matching logo.
These shirts are made of 100% lightweight, high-quality cotton,
and are produced in all unisex sizes (XS to 5-XL) by a performance
apparel company in Dallas. These shirts must be purchased,
kept, and worn by each participant during our spring season
performances. The cost of this custom shirt is currently
$43.00. The same shirt is expected to be used every spring
season, so this is a one-time charge (provided, of course, that a
participant’s shirt is well-kept and does not show obvious signs
of wear). For those who have a demonstrated financial need,
scholarships and other financial assistance (i.e., “matching
funds”) may be available to help with the one-time purchase of
Spiritful Voices spring shirt. Do
participants in Spiritful Voices get paid for performances?
No. Our
singers and instrumentalists are all volunteers, performing for
the love of music and to enrich the cultural experiences of those
in our community. Spiritful
Voices does not charge our sponsors for our performances, although
some of our sponsors do make voluntary donations to our group to
defray our expenses and help continue our choir’s mission. How many
participants are there in the choir?
This varies from season to season, but during one recent season, there were 55 singers and 11 instrumentalists who
participated. What is
the breakdown of men and women in Spiritful Voices?
This varies from season to season, but during one recent season, there were 40 women (26 sopranos and 14 altos) and
15 in our men’s sections (7 tenors and 8 baritone/basses). Where
does Spiritful Voices perform?
Since our inception, we’ve performed at such venues as the
Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts (where we were featured on OETA-TV
Channel 13), Opening Night, the Paseo Arts Festival, the National
Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Quail Springs Mall, Penn
Square Mall, the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory at the
Myriad Gardens, the Braum's Ice Skating Rink, the Oklahoma City
Holiday Parade, and at dozens of retirement centers and skilled
care facilities throughout the
metropolitan area. Several
of our performances have been featured in The Daily Oklahoman
and The Bethany Tribune, and on Eyewitness News 5 (KOCO-TV)
and NewsChannel 4 (KFOR-TV). How many
performances does the choir do each season?
Typically, our choir performs from five to seven times
each season. These
hour-long performances are usually scheduled on weekends, although
some performances may be in the evenings on weekdays.
During our fall season, our performances are usually
scheduled from mid-November to mid-December.
In the spring, our performances are usually from mid-April
through Memorial Day. As a
participant in Spiritful Voices, am I required to be at all
performances?
No. We realize
that most of our participants have active lives, family
commitments, and demanding work schedules, any of which can
interfere with a performance or two.
Of course, actually performing the music we’ve rehearsed
for several weeks for our friends and neighbors in our community
is one of the most exciting aspects of being with Spiritful
Voices, so we do encourage our participants to make every effort
to sing at as many performances as possible. As a
participant in Spiritful Voices, am I required to be at all
rehearsals?
Participation in our community choir is a serious
commitment to faithful, consistent, and punctual attendance at our
rehearsals. Each
singer holds a valuable place in Spiritful Voices, and therefore,
participants are expected to attend all regularly scheduled
rehearsals as well as any sectional practice sessions for their
vocal part. We
realize that unavoidable circumstances will occasionally interfere
with a rehearsal or two, but participants should make every effort
possible to regularly attend our weekly rehearsals. How are
the vocalists chosen for solo parts each season?
Our singers are first and foremost a part of a choir.
The fact that we occasionally select vocalists to be
featured in solo parts is secondary to our goal of performing
together as one collective, blended voice.
Depending on the complexity of a solo part and the number
of participants interested in performing it, a vocal audition or
other means of determining competency may be employed in the
selection process. Always,
the final selection of vocal soloists is at the sole discretion of
the Music Director.
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