Welcome


Welcome to Renate's Baton. This blog is mostly for and about my choir, The York Region Community Choir.

But, While I'm holding the baton, I'm in charge. So, if I want to talk about other parts of my life, I will. :)

The choir itself is a community and I'm discovering that we have a lot in common with one another besides our love of music and singing.

When I go off on a tangent, there is always a crowd coming along. Join us!

Thursday, January 16, 2025

YRCC first 2025 Rehearsal Review January 14

It's my first rehearsal review of 2025! This is our 30th Anniversary year! 

The YRCC was founded in 1995 as an inclusive alternative to the York Regional Police Male Chorus. You can see quite a bit of our history on the page on the website called Time Capsule. (Click that. It's a link.) It's found on the main/top menu right before the Photo Gallery. The  Photo Gallery is also a fun walk down memory lane. Those pages are available without needing to log in, so you can share them with friends and family. 

Tuesday's rehearsal was also our "festive party" since we didn't have time to celebrate the holidays together before the new year. Happy New Year, Everyone! We had a variety of sweet and salty snacks and some refreshing beverages (no red beer, or any other kind, though) while we caught up with our choir friends, chatting up a storm above the loud party music. 

We didn't do any learning, but sang through a lot of our music, almost all of it, just sitting and singing. We talked about the songs a little and why they're on the list. Mostly, I chose songs that you choristers identified as your favourites. And, I chose songs for their historical importance (choir history, that is) and to create variety in the program. As the 30th anniversary celebration theme, I want to focus on what the choir means to us choir members: joy, escape, friendship, community, contributing/volunteering, pride and purpose, etc. When you are part of our choir, the choir will be a part of you for good, forever.

Here's what we sang:

  1. Halelujah
  2. Blue Skies
  3. All the Little Rivers of Canada
  4. Canon of Joy
  5. Monday, Monday
  6. Shenandoah
  7. On Eagles Wings
  8. Hockey Song
  9. You Raise Me Up
Next week, we start learning and reviewing parts. If you want to get a head-start, you can go to the website and log in to see what recordings we have there, and I've got videos on my YouTube playlist for this season.

Next week, Tuesday, January 21st, we're going to sing:
  • All the Little Rivers
  • Hallelujah
  • Hockey Song
  • On Eagles Wings
  • Shenandoah
  • Wonderful World



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