Earthrise Chamber Choir
music that enlightens the human experience

Our next performance will be Friday, May 31st, 2013, 7:30 pm at Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 7141 California Ave SW, 98136

“The Tree of Life – Women Poets and Composers”

Our Mission Statement

Earthrise Chamber Choir performs secular choral works from the Western choral and literary traditions that elucidate the human experience and celebrate life in all of its beauty and complexity.

Our Vision

  • To explore universal themes of the human experience such as love, service, peace, community, freedom of thought, the connectivity of all living things, and respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all by presenting music inspired by works of the Western literary tradition
  • To perform choral music that challenges the intellect as well as the heart; music that is transformative as well as emotionally satisfying
  • To present concerts that push the envelope of traditional choral music expectations
  • To commission new choral works that underscore our values
  • To become an influential choral ensemble, both in our community and the broader world of music

Earthrise Chamber Choir is a nonprofit auditioned community choir that is a resident ensemble of Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation. In addition to the support we receive from Westside UU, Earthrise members pay a small fee to participate and are expected to participate in fundraising projects.

Membership requirements and expectations

  • A passion for vocal ensemble singing
  • A mind-set that promotes a spirit of success and confidence
  • The capacity to read music or to quickly and accurately learn music
  • A personal commitment to make the calendar a priority and come to rehearsals prepared to rehearse by knowing and understanding the text, pitches, and rhythms
    • Rehearsals twice per month August 26th through May 16th
    • One weekend retreat each month
    • Concerts in January and May
    • Child care available at rehearsals and concerts
  • A valid email address or access to a valid email address

Audition

To set up an audition contact Bertram Gulhaugen at earthrise@wsuu.org or 206-851-3518.

  1. Please review the 2012–2013 Calendar before the audition
  2. Be prepared to sing an aria, standard, hymn or simple patriotic song a cappella
  3. You will be asked to sing a few simple vocal exercises to determine your range and tessitura
  4. Your tonal memory will be checked as you sing a series of pitches after hearing them played on the piano
  5. You will be given basic melodic and rhythmic sight reading exercises
  6. You will be asked to demonstrate your keyboard skills or explain how you intend to learn your parts (the conductor provides practice files in MP3 format)

Earthrise

1968 was a year that dramatically changed the world. Social and political tensions throughout the United States had not reached such extreme levels since the Civil War. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated, the Vietnam War escalated, and war protests were ubiquitous and often violent. Worldwide, there were bombings in Europe, massacres in Vietnam, Yasir Arafat’s rise to prominence in a volatile Middle East, American passenger jets repeatedly hijacked to Cuba, and serious concerns about environmental damage. The Soviets flexed their Cold War muscles, as did the U.S., and for a while it seemed the entire world would implode in its own rage.

Then, in December of that year NASA launched Apollo 8, the first manned mission to orbit the moon. On Christmas Eve, while in lunar orbit, the capsule emerged from the dark side of the moon and saw a stunning sight--the Earth rising over the horizon; a beautiful, little blue ball floating in the vastness of space. Astronaut William Anders then reached for a camera and captured what is considered to be the most influential environmental photograph ever taken, and named it “Earthrise.”

The effect on Earth was stunning.

For the first time in human history we witnessed the inescapable revelation of our precious, delicate Earth floating alone in the vast universe and for a brief time our collective problems seemed less crucial.

Composers, visual artists, musicians, dancers, writers, actors, photographers, and artists of all kinds found validation for what they had been saying for centuries; that Art enlightens the human condition by teaching us that all living things are interconnected and that all we really have in the universe is one another, love, beauty, creativity, imagination, knowledge, and a unique capacity to attempt to comprehend the seemingly incomprehensible.

It is the hope of Earthrise Chamber Choir to nurture the spirit of the Earthrise.