2023-2024 Cover Letter
Home School Choir Opportunities for 2023-2024
Welcome to our online registration! Questions/Problems? Contact Susan Kludtke sdkludtke1981@gmail.com.
Thinking about having your children join? Please take a moment to read the information below and complete online registrations Steps 1-4.
Registration Deadlines
Arioso and Cantabile: July 22
Con Brio and Staccato: August 12
Please try to meet the deadlines so that we may order music in a timely fashion. If for some reason you miss the dates, contact Susan Kludtke at sdkludtke1981@gmail to check about registering.
Participating in choir offers a child the chance to experience the joy of singing and the opportunity to sing to God’s glory with a group of excited and disciplined homeschool children. In addition, your child learns about different styles of music and some basic musical concepts as they pertain to the selections we work on. Lastly, children will have the privilege of standing up in front of an audience and bringing to fruition all of the hard work and energy they have put forth. Think of the great memories! We hope that choir will be an enjoyable experience for all families that are involved, and to ensure this, we will have a set of guidelines that will be sent along with the schedule by August 31 to those who sign up.
Choir draws students together as a group to share in God’s gift of music and fulfill an arts component in our home schools. All of the ensembles rehearse at Calvary Evangelical Free Church (5500 25th Ave. NW, Rochester) on Thursday afternoons.
First Session
Arioso, Cantabile, Con Brio weekly rehearsals start September 7
Staccato weekly rehearsals start Oct. 5
Dress rehearsal (all choirs): November 14
Fall performances: November 16 & 17
Second Session
Arioso, Cantabile, Con Brio weekly rehearsals start Jan. 4
Staccato weekly rehearsals start Feb. 1
Spring concert/musical dress rehearsal (Con Brio, Cantabile, Staccato): March 11
Spring concert/musical (Con Brio, Cantabile, Staccato): March 15 & 16 (TENTATIVE)
Arioso local choir tour: April 5
Arioso & Cantabile Accelerando! Concert: April 11
Detailed information, including the rehearsal and performance calendar, will be emailed to participants by August 31. We look forward to working with students who desire to improve their voices and group singing skills in our 28th year!
For RAACHE Choirs,
Suzy Johnson
Please note: There will be a brief mandatory Arioso, Cantabile, and Con Brio parent meeting on September 14.
ARIOSO:
Arioso is our high school audition choir for ages 14 and up. Young men (under 14) whose voices have changed can also audition to sing with this group. The choir performs a wide variety of music, with a focus on “classic” choral music (folk, classical, sacred, hymns, international, Broadway, spirituals.) Most of what we perform is at least four parts, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. This choir is under the direction of Stephanie Rauh. Singers will participate in the November and April concerts, in addition one spring tour date in early to mid-April. Rehearsals are from 2:00-3:30 pm. Arioso auditions ha been held. If you missed the auditions and would like to sign up, please contact Susan Kludtke at sdkludtke1981@gmail.com.
CANTABILE:
Cantabile is our non-audition choir for ages 12 and up. This choir is under the direction of Alissa Kludtke and sings a wide variety of music that is more challenging than Con Brio, but not as difficult as Arioso. Participating in Cantabile is critical as it builds the skills needed to sing with Arioso. We strive to cultivate an encouraging environment that focuses on learning about singing and music by doing just that—singing and making music! Though most of the singers will have higher (treble) voices, when a boy’s voice starts to change, he will be allowed to sing lower or transition to Arioso may be considered. For the fall session, Cantabile will sing in the November concerts. For the winter/spring session, Cantabile will join Con Brio for the musical drama which will be presented in mid-March. Cantabile will continue their session for the April concert. Rehearsals are from 2:00-3:15 pm. Each singer will need to sing for Alissa to help her select music that fits the capabilities of the singers who will be participating. If you want to register your child, but they have not sung for Alissa yet, contact Susan Kludtke sdkludtke1981@gmail.com.
CON BRIO
Con Brio is our non-auditioned choir for boys and girls ages 8-11. (The date we are using for deciding which choir your child is in is Sept. 1.) This choir is under the direction of Amanda Walston for the fall session and Suzy Johnson for the winter/spring session. Singers will sing a variety of songs in the November concerts. The choir presents a musical drama in mid to late March if we have adequate volunteer support. Rehearsals from 2:00-3:00 pm.
STACCATO
Staccato is the non-auditioned choir for boys and girls ages 5 through 7. This choir is under the direction of Rebecca Walters with Clavonne Holter joining Rebecca for the fall session only. Students must be 5 years old by September 1. A student who is 7 years old on October 1 and soon to be 8 when joining Staccato in the fall, remains in Staccato for the whole calendar year. He or she does not move to Con Brio until the following fall. Singers will participate in the November and mid-March concerts and only rehearse for 6-8 weeks prior to these concerts. We will have two sections of this choir to allow all interested singers to be able to participate. One will rehearse from 1:30-2:15 pm and the other from 2:30-3:15 pm. Both groups will work on the same music and will join together at the rehearsal on the day of the concert to perform together.
In order to register, please complete all online Steps 1-4.
AND
Save the date for the mandatory parent meeting on September 14 at 2:00 pm.
NOTE: If you aren’t able to pay tuition at once, contact Susan Kludtke at sdkludtke1981@gmail.com to discuss other options.