Hello Friends,

Here's your November email with listings and upcoming happenings around our area. There are several great opportunities this month - I hope you'll take advantage of them.

I'm excited about an upcoming partnership with VIREO. We need a whole orchestra of players for a video shoot at the historic Oakland 16th Street Train Station in January. Check out that listing and join us! I'll be there and it will be great to see you.

Just for fun - I've included something out of the area for next summer that may appeal to singers: the Berkshire Choral Festival. Everyone I know who's gone tells me it's a real life-changer. 

Don't forget we are updating the website as listings come in, so it's worth checking back in from time to time. You will find more ongoing ensembles listed there -- we're growing that list too -- but the newsletter focuses mostly on upcoming special events, auditions, and date-sensitive opportunities.

Please forward this email to people who might want to join the list or might want us to list their ensemble or opportunity. I know there are a lot more groups out there and I want to include them − let's grow this network!


Lolly Lewis
Founder, Amateur Music Network

CHORAL WORKSHOP    ♦    EAST BAY    ♦    NOV. 17, 2016

CAL PERFORMANCES PRESENTS:
COMMUNITY SING WITH MELANIE DEMORE

A Song Can Hold You Up: Songs of Community and Connection

Melanie DeMore gives us the gift of connection with a combination of Spirituals, hymns, folk songs, civil rights and her own original community building songs. Join us to experience the art and joy of singing, part of Cal Performances’ Celebration of the Human Voice. Vocal activist, choral leader, and longtime Cal Performances master teaching artist, Melanie DeMore believes that “Everyone has a voice, everyone can sing,” and that singing is a beautiful way to bring people together. In her words, a community sing demonstrates “how connected we are, despite ourselves. There is power in raising our voices together, radiating our connection outwardly. We come together to grieve, to celebrate, to heal, to understand one another’s pains and joys… there is a human comfort in being connected and not isolated and alone.”

Free general admission event. Tickets are required and will be available after Oct 7 at www.calperformances.org

ALL AGES WELCOME

TO FIND OUT MORE: VISIT OUR WEBSITE

WORKSHOP/PERFORMANCES    ♦    SF    ♦    NOV. 20, 2016

FIELD DAY:
COMMUNITY MUSIC CENTER'S 95th BIRTHDAY PARTY
 

CHAMBER MUSIC AND BEYOND    ♦    SF ♦    NOV. 28, 2016

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAMBER MUSIC ACADEMY'S
MONDAY NIGHT WORKSHOP at DREW SCHOOL

Join us to explore ensemble playing in large and small groups. We work with a wide range of eclectic repertoire including contemporary Cuban, jazz, classical and more! Music will be available in advance for download.

Monday November 28, 6:30 - 8pm. FREE.

All ages, all instruments, all levels welcome.

REGISTER NOW

And don't forget!

JAM / OPEN MIC   ♦    SF

DEE’S KEYS

Every Thursday, 4-8pm at Beaux, 2344 Market St. btw. Castro and 16th; open mic piano bar open to all singers. All genres: show tunes, standards, pop, etc. I have hundreds of songs on site and can transpose for most ranges. Very laid back, non-pressured, friendly venue.

Age: 21 and older

TO FIND OUT MORE: www.deespencer.com

CHORAL JAM / OPEN MIC   ♦    SF

FUNTIMECHOIR!

FunTimeChoir! is a drop in, no-commitment choir that meets on Tuesdays twice a month to hang out, drink a beer, and sing. Here’s how it works: You show up, get a lyric sheet, and become a part of the choir. You will join a group of highs, mids, or lows, and by the end of the night, master three-part harmonies for a pop song. Every session will have a recording at the end so an audio clip can be shared with friends, family, and fans. 

Age: 18 and over.

TO FIND OUT MORE: https://www.facebook.com/FunTimeChoir/

ENSEMBLE/NO AUDITION   ♦    EAST BAY

REALLY TERRIBLE STRING ORCHESTRA

We rehearse the last Sunday of every month. 
6:30 - 9:00pm 
St. Clement's Episcopal Church
2837 Claremont Blvd., Berkeley CA

All experience levels welcome. 

Bring your instrument, a stand and your sense of humor! 

$20 suggested tax deductible donation, no one turned away.

Age: This is for adult amateurs. However, if your child wants to play, they’re welcome!

TO FIND OUT MORE: ww.rtso-sfbay.org

PERFORMANCE    ♦    EAST BAY    ♦    JAN. 20, 2017

VIREO

Be part of the final episode of Lisa Bielawa’s epic TV/internet opera VIREO!  Vireo is unprecedented in that it is being created expressly for episodic release via broadcast and online media, in partnership with LA-based TV station KCET. All twelve episodes of Vireo will be released on KCET in spring 2017. Find out more at http://operavireo.com

You will be part of the on-camera Audience for the final episode of the series, and you will play in a short musical sequence in the climactic scene.

All portable, acoustic instruments welcome, all ages welcome, all skill levels welcome!
 

Location: Historic 16th Street Train Station in West Oakland Friday, January 20, 2017 2 - 8 PM

REGISTER NOW!

WORKSHOP   ♦    SF    ♦    FEB. 4-5, 2017
DEL SOL CHAMBERFEST

ChamberFest is an exciting, intensive weekend chamber music workshop for adult non-professional string players. Held in the intimate setting of an Ashbury Heights residence in San Francisco, this dynamic program features two days of hands-on coaching by the Del Sol String Quartet.

Ensembles will receive two days of coaching on their choice of repertoire (plus a short work by our resident composer) with members of the Del Sol Quartet. (Suggestions will be made for other short contemporary works to explore during the weekend.) In addition to the extensive coaching, participants will enjoy great food & drink, an intimate concert by Del Sol, and two intriguing, pragmatic workshops. (Workshops have included topics on: ensemble, rhythm, intonation, the physical aspects of playing , contemporary repertoire and more.)

TO FIND OUT MORE: http://delsolquartet.com/chamberfest/

CHORAL FESTIVAL    ♦    VARIOUS - TRAVEL REQUIRED      ♦    SUMMER 2017

BERKSHIRE CHORAL FESTIVAL

The ultimate singing experience!

Is singing choral music your passion? A Berkshire Choral International singing experience is a chance to immerse yourself in this vital art form. You’ll rehearse with and learn from an eminent conductor and a professional faculty for a week, then perform in a full symphony concert. All in an inspiring, culturally rich setting. If that sounds like heaven to you…welcome to the Berkshire Choral International family!

Enrollment is open now!

TO FIND OUT MORE: https://www.berkshirechoral.org/