Best Stairwell Carollers Podcasts (2024)

1
The Stairwell Carollers - 40 years of Song in Ottawa, Canada's Capital 14:38

1+ y ago14:38

14:38

Looking at this now from the perspective of 45 years singing - through the pandemic - it was so much simpler then! We were younger and no one cared about the jostling crowds - the more the merrier! We are still singing! This Christmas 2022 we have two live concerts coming up in Ottawa, Canada's Capital. Saturday Dec 10th at Southminster church 15 A…

1
CCPodcast S.2#14 - "I Am Not Yours" - Sneek Peek 3:16

6y ago3:16

3:16

Ottawa choral music fans are in for a real treat June 2nd. Pierre Massie and his award-winning choir The Stairwell Carollers will be celebrating the finale of their 40th anniversary season with a diverse program of six centuries of music sung in six languages. 2018 Spring concert Programme - Eya Eya The concert will feature a number of Renaissance …

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #13 - SSShort and SSSweet 2:29

6y ago2:29

2:29

This week is a physical warmup exercise for diaphragmatic breathing - done in a standing position. Teeth together, mouth slightly open, deep breath and release the breath in a controlled manner. Allow only the tiniest stream of air to be released in a smooth hisssss.SSSSSSSSSSSS...It's a room full of leaky tires.We revisit an earlier CC Podcast bre…

1
CCPodcast S. 2 #12 - Be like Fonzie 5:36

6y ago5:36

5:36

In this week's Choral Cacophony Podcast, The Fonz from Happy Daze fame and spaghetti are featured.Pierre uses both these vivid examples (and others) to illustrate vowel quality and production. He runs the choir through the vowel sounds with his own brand of colourful descriptions of how the sounds should come out and what shape they should take.Thi…

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #11 - Spring Concerts Sneak Preview - Abendlied 6:05

6y ago6:05

6:05

If you've been following our Choral Cacophony Podcasts (and why not???) you may be motivated to hear us LIVE IN CONCERT! Here we are at a recent rehearsal preparing Abendlied by Joseph Rheinberger for the upcoming concerts.Enjoy!The Stairwell Carollers:Pierre Massie began our a cappella choir in 1977 while a music student at Ottawa U. The Stairwell…

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #10 - Spring Forward with Octave Jumps 5:39

6y ago5:39

5:39

Whaaaat? This week's Choral Cacophony Podcast features a warmup you can do to help with Octave jumps AND relaxed open tones. The secret?? Looking down. Yes. Literally. Looking down. Looking UP to reach a high note - straining for a note - can close off your air flow and tense up your muscles unnecessarily. So, look down when you reach up for that n…

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #9 - Movable Do - Dissonance! 6:33

6y ago6:33

6:33

How high can you go? And can you hold that note?Does dissonance pull you away from your part? Stay with your section and stay in tune!Those are the two skills practiced in this week's Choral Cacophony Podcast. As an alto I know all about having to hold one note... for...ever. I've called us the Polyfilla of the choir since we always seem to fill th…

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #8 - Play Ball! 5:33

6y ago5:33

5:33

We're all on hold waiting and wanting the spring flowers to appear. Our new singing season starts and it's a whole new ballgame - 40th, contemporary, Canadian!Personally, I can't wait to see the first flowers pop up through the snow.It's early innings in our rehearsals and there are still songs to learn and skills to hone.So, for our Choral Cacopho…

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #7 - One Note Wonder 6:29

6y ago6:29

6:29

As a singer, in a chorus especially, we have to shape our vowels correctly (and the way the director prefers!) But, how do we do that?Like most skill development, it takes practice and guidance. Practice making the sound, shaping the mouth, and - where does that darn pesky tongue go?Hint - The tongue should lay in the mouth, as if ready for a yawn,…

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #6 - We Got Rhythm 10:31

6+ y ago10:31

10:31

This weeks Choral Cacophony Podcast episode is an extra long one - about 10 minutes. With two whole body exercises, the Stairwell Carollers work on rhythm.Pierre created special practice sheets for teaching rhythm to his students and uses a whole body approach to teaching it. For all rhythm exercises he stresses coordination between the mind and th…

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #5a - Working out Laud 6:47

6+ y ago6:47

6:47

In this weeks Choral Cacophony Podcast episode (Second of two parts) we work on a piece called Resonet in laudibus. It's a latin Sacred composition from the 14th century, transcribed by our director, Pierre Massie.About The Stairwell Carollers:Pierre Massie began our a cappella choir way back in 1977 while studying music at Ottawa U. The Stairwell …

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #5 - Resonet in Laudibus Rhythm 7:00

6+ y ago7:00

7:00

In this weeks Choral Cacophony Podcast episode (the first of two parts) we rehearse a piece called Resonet in laudibus. It's a latin sacred composition from the 14th century, transcribed by our director, Pierre Massie.Please DONATE to support our 40th year events! All Donations receive a charitable receipt.A registered Canadian charity, we also hel…

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #4a - A Heavenly Pair 6:20

6+ y ago6:20

6:20

Here is the conclusion of a Two Part Choral Cacophony Podcast for lovers of English madrigals from the Renaissance.Part 2 continues with Fine Knacks for Ladies, by John Dowland. This podcast highlights Pierre's sense of humour in rehearsal, a question from Holly, pronunciation of key words and an answer from Maggie.Fine Knacks For Ladies - John Dow…

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #4 - Fine Knacks indeed! 6:53

6+ y ago6:53

6:53

If you love Renaissance madrigals, we have a Two Part CC Podcast for you. Starting this week with Part 1, Fine Knacks for Ladies, an English madrigal from the Renaissance will be dissected and refined. This week, specific pronunciation (to overcome singer's individual accents) is reinforced through our favourite method - practise, practise, practis…

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #3 - Contre Qui Rose Rehearsal 6:59

6+ y ago6:59

6:59

*If you live in the Ottawa region and love The Stairwell Carollers -- and would love to sing in our choir - email us to set up your audition NOW. *This podcast episode shows a typical rehearsal and illustrates how deftly Pierre our director leads us to perform such a subtle and wondrous piece as Contre Qui Rose.**To set up your audition time in the…

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #2 - By Heart 5:52

6+ y ago5:52

5:52

This weeks Choral Cacophony Podcast is a wee lecture from our director Pierre on "getting away from the book".Besides the fact that The Stairwell Carollers are known for connecting with the audience in a way that many choirs don't - we sing to the audience, rather than at them, knowing your music by heart is a great strategy to improve performance …

1
CC Podcast S. 2 #1 - New Ear Challenge! 7:29

6+ y ago7:29

7:29

Director, Pierre, warms up the choir with a simple arpeggios then starts some Movable Do work.Your task is to figure out what your part is. Along the way there are some hints!Use this episode to warm up your voice and test your listening skills.Then, guest conductor, Mark Sirett takes over with a direction to bring less sound neutrality with change…

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #18 - A Spanish Carol, Deconstructed 7:42

6+ y ago7:42

7:42

As I said in Podcast #16, En El Portal de Belen is a lively and fun Puerto Rican Christmas carol that we have really loved singing for a couple of years now. Yes, you will hear it at our Final concert for the 2017 Christmas season coming up THIS WEDNESDAY - Dec 20th.Our final concert of 2017!Come hear the Stairwell Carollers sing “A Canadian Christ…

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #17 Singing like the Angels 4:38

6+ y ago4:38

4:38

As Pierre always says, vocal strength, power, quality and control is in the diaphragm, not the throat, lungs, vocal chords or some mysterious chest muscles.In this simple exercise, Pierre leads the choir to focus on diaphragm control to release notes gently yet powerfully.To sing like angels A concert not to be missed!Come hear the Stairwell Caroll…

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #16 - En El Portal de Belen 6:08

6+ y ago6:08

6:08

En El Portal de Belen is a lively and fun Puerto Rican Christmas carol that we have enjoyed singing for a couple of years now. We couldn't have done it so well without a lot of help with the pronunciation. In this episode, you can hear Josée (alto) coaching us. More about why she is our resident Spanish expert in a later blog post.I couldn't includ…

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #15 - Give me a Yawn! 7:14

6+ y ago7:14

7:14

In this episode, Pierre leads us in an open humming exercise.I know, your mouth is closed when you hum so - open??Wait for it - all will be explained.He asks us to yawn, then close our lips and hum - while keeping the open space in the throat that the yawn creates. Got it?Go!_ *PleaseDONATE to support our 40th year events ! *_All Donations receive …

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #14 The Devil's in the Details 5:27

6+ y ago5:27

5:27

Pierre has written a brand new arrangement of one of the most popular carols on the planet.Carol of the Bells has always been a most requested Christmas carol at our concerts and our director/composer wanted to bring a fresh modern ring to this old Belle.In this episode of our Podcast, Pierre demonstrates the attention to detail all of our song reh…

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #13 on the 13th! 6:59

6+ y ago6:59

6:59

Back on October 14th, we were fortunate to have an amazing workshop with master teacher, choral director and composer, Mark Sirett.There were so many wonderful exercises he did with us that simply do not translate to written description or even audio clips; the only way to really appreciate the depth of the choral experience is to book a workshop w…

1
Canadian Choral Composers - Podcastlet BONUS! A Babe is Born 2:30

6+ y ago2:30

2:30

To celebrate the Stairwell Carollers’ 40th anniversary, director Pierre Massie has created a special Christmas program, featuring a wide variety of Canadian composers from across Canada and across different time periods, including himself.In this blog post, he shares a few thoughts about three of his own compositions.“To honour our 40th anniversary…

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #12 - The Julie Andrews Connection 4:34

6+ y ago4:34

4:34

For some reason, we always call this warmup the "Julie Andrews" one. Despite searching, I haven't found an actual connection between her and this exercise.That doesn't mean there isn't one -- in my mind--- Imagining Ms. Andrews doing this warmup seems to encourage me, at least, to help my pronunciation be a bit more British- ey and crisp. Whatever,…

1
Choral Cacophony Special Podcastlet Treat! 3:16

6+ y ago3:16

3:16

Why would a novice composer choose such a treacherous path?Why create a new arrangement of one of the most popular and beloved German Christmas carols dating back to the 1600s?Here’s why.It began in the 1960s, when I was a boy chorister with the Christ Church Cathedral choir in Vancouver. Each Christmas we would sing the English version of “Es ist …

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #11 - Warmup, Tongue-Twister Time! 5:07

6+ y ago5:07

5:07

This week's warm-up seems a lot like whitewater rafting - an out of control ride, moving forward.In reality, rafting is about letting go and having control (so you don't lose it, tip or fall in.)So, to our warm up.I've included the start of the first song, Patapan - a popular french carol about the little drummer boy, to show how the warmup is rela…

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #10 - Do you Hear What I Hear? I think you do... 5:58

6+ y ago5:58

5:58

For everyone who is enjoying our podcasts, please be patient as our provider goes through some housecleaning. This may mean some delays in downloads but I am sure it will settle out soon.I have for you an early Christmas treat ! We all love the Xmas favourite "Do you Hear What I Hear?" so our director Pierre decided to do an arrangement for the cho…

1
Choral Cacophony #9 - It's all Latin to me... 6:44

6+ y ago6:44

6:44

Working on our most popular piece of Sacred music, Missa Brevis, by Antonio Lotti, Pierre gets into the Nitty Gritty of a Latin Ditty.Choral Cacophony podcast #9 focuses on a few vocal peccadilloes from sections of this lovely Mass.If you've ever wondered about Latin pronunciation for singing - yes, it is different! More on those differences in a l…

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #8 - Minor... is there anything finer? 3:50

6+ y ago3:50

3:50

Harmonic Minor Scales are tricky to say the least. They sound spooky too -- just in time for Hallowe'en.OoooooooooAhhhhhhhI could go on, but now I'm just being silly. This short and sweet warmup will test your ear -- don't be scared to do it over and over until you've got it right!Guaranteed to improve your feel for Minor scales and give you confid…

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #6 - Fair Sailing in French 4:55

6+ y ago4:55

4:55

Some of the trickiest navigation for a singer can be pronunciation. You can feel like you are thrown about like a canoe in a storm, especially if you are working in another language. To avoid drowning, you need skill - and to be in control.As a bilingual choir, we regularly sing songs in both French and English - as well as in many other languages.…

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #5 - Movable Do - DOH! 3:29

6+ y ago3:29

3:29

Link to short video of Movable Do Hand Signs _ **_ *PleaseDONATE to support our 40th year events ! *_All Donations receive a charitable receipt.About The Stairwell Carollers:* * Pierre Massie started our a cappella choir in 1977 while a music student at Ottawa University. The Stairwell Carollers are ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning b…

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #4 - Octaves and scales and warmups. Oh My! 3:17

6+ y ago3:17

3:17

Pete "sings" in the kitchen too! Making pesto from our garden.Our director puts us through a warmup of scales.Tackled - Legato/ staccato, and octave jumps using Movable Do .By Holly M

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #3 - Warm up those Vowels! 4:22

6+ y ago4:22

4:22

Our director, Pierre, leads the choir in a warmup to practice proper mouth positioning for vowels. French vowels are included. This episode can be used to improve your own mouth positioning for singing vowels and as a good general vocal warmup.By Holly M

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #2 - Fine tuning the Chorus 3:39

6+ y ago3:39

3:39

"A Little Pretty Bonny Lass" is a sprightly Renaissance madrigal with tricky timing. Podcast recorded at the dress rehearsal for a spring concert at St. Barnabas.Pierre's attention to detail -- rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!By Holly M

1
Choral Cacophony Podcast #1 - Tricky Vocal Hurdles 6:00

6+ y ago6:00

6:00

Rather than Twitter tweets, Renaissance madrigal bird tweets make up most of the lyrics in the song Le chant des oyseaux. Our director, Pierre, gives us direction in a particularly tricky section of the song and you'll get a taste of the intricacies of working this Renaissance madrigal by Clément Janequin (c.1485-c.1560).…

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