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GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Carpe Musicam! isn’t just an orchestra and a choir and a pops band and a trio and a duo.
It is much, much more than these, it's conductor and arranger of music, Norman Carless, says.
He and the director and pianist, Elsabe Barkhuizen, head up Carpe Musicam!
It's practices are seen variously by members of Carpe Musicam! as a therapeutic space, a social space, a “highlight of the week” and a place to relax the psyche while exercising the mind.
Share their interests
But, most of all, they create a space where the average Garden Route musician and singer can meet others who share their interests and get together to rehearse and perform in various groupings from duos right up to a 50-piece orchestra or choir (about 85 when combined for concerts). Oh, what a glorious sound.
Members get together once a week in George for rehearsals and originate from places as far afield as Mossel Bay, Springer Bay and Sedgefield.
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Unique institution
Carpe Musicam! has been said to be a unique institution in South Africa, being an all-comers organisation - a concept which is more common in the Northern Hemisphere. It started in July 2015 with 16 orchestra members.
The only requirements for membership are an ability to read standard musical notation, a passion for making music and the ability to operate an orchestral instrument or - for choir members - to hold a note. (And a small annual subscription.)
No formal auditions have ever been held and members’ ages range from nine to 79 years of age.
The players’ and singers’ standards range from virtual beginners right up to the practically virtuoso.
As every item performed by the orchestra and choir is custom orchestrated and/or arranged, it is possible to ensure that every player and singer receives a part that is within his or her capabilities, while still presenting a reasonable challenge.
This gives everybody a meaningful contribution to the whole. As the group’s name would suggest, the aim of Carpe Musicam! is to seize the music.
Expression
Musicality and expression are considered more important than just playing all the notes correctly.
As one orchestra member has put it: we make music, rather than just reproducing it. Every piece that is performed is the result of a long musical journey: from the time the new music is issued, through the steps of learning the notes, then digging out the music that lies behind them, finding one’s place in the ensemble and putting together at the performance all one has learned.
Enjoying themselves
Audience members often note how the musicians and singers seem to be enjoying themselves. This is mainly because the rehearsal process is driven by a positivereinforcement approach – taking what is present and building on it in as light-hearted a manner as is practicable.
The result is that as concert time approaches, the performers make the music more and more “their own”, leaving the conductor free to give the performers their head rather than having to tightly control performances.
The music choice is “audience-friendly” in that every item tends to have a whistleable tune and is known to the majority of average concert-goers.
Carpe Musicam! Orchestra and Choir present an average of 12 concerts per year, in four “seasons” which cover Sedgefield, Mossel Bay and George.
As each concert consists of about 90 minutes of music it is truly remarkable that these “average” musicians and singers have generally only eight or nine three-hour rehearsals to put each show together – from scratch – and that their performance standard is so high.
Pops Band
While the orchestra and choir have been making something of a name for themselves, the Pops Band is a newcomer to the fold. Having humble beginnings as the Youth Orchestra with eight members, it has grown in such a way that it has taken on a repertoire of jazzy, fun music, suitable for outdoor functions of all types.
If all goes according to plan, it will be making its debut in April, and will be performing as often as possible at markets, malls and the like.
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