We came, We heard, We love it!!!

What a great day!  Thanks to everyone who joined us, especially parents and siblings of our students.  A special thank you to all musicians who attended, and alumni musicians who were able to join us as well!  It was a beautiful day all around.  Don't forget to get your copy - look for our order form in a previous post or contact the Newman Center at 308-234-1539!

Amy, Mary, Dianne, Dave, Marta - the good 'ole days!

Ta-Daa!

We were so excited when the CDs arrived!!!

"Whatever could be in these wonderful boxes?"

"Opening very carefully!"

"Check out these beautiful CDs!!!"

Newman Center at UNK at 821 W. 27th. St., Kearney, Nebraska 68845 (Buffalo County) United States

Newman Center at UNK at 821 W. 27th. St., Kearney, Nebraska 68845 (Buffalo County) United States

Order form - taking orders now!

CD Cover

Here it is - the cover you've been waiting for - less than a month from now, it could be in your hands!

Release Party details!!!

Mark September 25 in your calendars!

It's in production!

Yay! 'With One Voice' is officially in production and being duplicated. Yay!!!!

Don't forget to sign up!

Update

I apologize for the delay - still working on some pictures from the concert, which I will post soon. But on more exciting details - I heard the entire mix of the CD, and it sounds FABULOUS! Looking forward to playing this CD so much, I'll need a replacement CD soon after :)

Vocal Recording - entire choir

Everyone came together mid-afternoon for our big group recording portion. Due to the microphones used, we had to be very close together in a small area for our sound to be picked up. Someone popped into the chapel while we were recording and later commented how 'together' we sounded. I had to inform her that we were so coordinated because we had headphones to hear the instruments, but to the casual observer/listener, they would only hear our vocal performances and be impressed by our in tune, in rhythm singing :)

It was a beautiful afternoon, and we took advantage of it at the break to 'soak up some sun'!

Vocal Recording - 1st group

We had a great time recording. More time was spent adjusting volumes, microphones, music stands, etc. We had people with sore throats, scratchy throats, allergies, the start of a head cold, etc. But we made through!

One Last Time???

Well, we had one last vocal music practice before the weekend. Went very well, and it was time to prepare for Saturday recording!

Last full practice

Well, we now know that our practice was successful :) Photos from our last full group rehearsal before the concert. It was after spring break, and yet we were able to come together and make it happen. We also tried our concert layout - how to set up for Sunday. It was a challenge to have a workable layout, without moving too many major pieces (drums, risers, etc), and still be able to see everyone. It was also the first time we introduced our 2 potential bonus songs that we weren't recording for the CD, but added to our concert list. So, for being the first time rehearsing them as a group (and not everyone was there), we did pretty well!

Vocal Recording & Concert - check

We're getting closer to the completion of our project! What a weekend. Not so great for the vocal cords, but boy, it was fun :) Thanks to everyone who participated, attended and supported. Details to follow.

Today is our 2nd recording session

Time flies - the big weekend is here :) One of my musicians informed me via text at 12:15 AM that she had a cough and sore throat! And no, it wasn't April Fools anymore. Hopefully she will recover quickly! And so the adventure continues :)

Getting closer!

Wow - only a few more days! Pictures from our last full rehearsal before the concert will be coming soon. Keep the prayers coming :)

It's almost time!

One more week! We have a busy week this week with 2 practices, and then we record on Saturday April 2! April 3 is our concert at 3PM. Wow - where has the time gone???

How to Get more information or Order a CD

These Alone - song preview

Song preview from vocal practice: These Alone

The ranks were thinning

By the time we got around to taking the group picture, we had already lost some musicians to other commitments!

Vocal Music Practice - take 2

We had a good turnout of singers for practice. It sounded so good (and yes, I'm probably biased)! Can't wait for the recording. Thanks to Russtanna for helping :)

We survived!

The wonderful musicians who shared their gifts that day! Laura, Rachel, Jennifer, Brooke, Dianne, Russtanna, Elizabeth, Kent & Marta :)

Instrument Recording

Wow - Hard to believe that the instruments are almost all completed! We started setting up Friday night. The chapel underwent a temporary transformation :) Tone-Tree brought in their equipment, and ran cords everywhere! Then Saturday we began the fun. Chocolate covered donuts (yum!), and some missing music that had to be retrieved, but we got everything going. Sound checks were fun - we quickly learned to be cautious with the headphones on.

Thanks to the Martins for preparing our lunch - yummy tacos and brownies!

Final Instrumental Practice

Here is a taste from our last instrumental rehearsal before we recorded the next day!

Final Instrumental Practice

Instrument Practice

We had a practice of our core instruments (those who could make it). We've learned that scheduling is our biggest challenge! Can't believe it's almost time to record!

Schedule

Okay - I know you've been patiently waiting, so here are the details I have:

Friday March 11 - 5:30-6:30 PM Instruments only (Laura S, Elizabeth E, Russtanna, Kent, Brooke, Jennifer R, Rachel, Dianne [Marta, I know you can't make it - sorry])

Saturday March 12 - 9AM - mid-afternoon - record instruments only - lunch will be provided

Monday March 14 - 7-9 PM - Vocal music only - WE NEED MALE VOICES!

Monday March 28 - 7-9 PM - Rehearsal with everyone for the concert

Thursday March 31 - 6-8 PM - Vocal music only - prepare for recording

Saturday April 2 - 1PM-early evening? - record vocals - supper will be provided

Sunday April 3 - 2:30PM gather, 3PM Concert, meal following (possible recording of 2 bonus tracks - I Rejoiced & What Have We Done)

TBD - final recording, any touch-ups, electric guitar overlay, etc.

NOTE to all vocalists - if you are interested in participating, and you haven't made it to a practice yet, I need you to make 2 of the next 3 vocal practices (3/14, 3/28, or 3/31).  If you have conflicts, please talk to me.  I want everyone to have the opportunity to participate in this exciting project!  I especially encourage the guys to consider participating as we have very few male voices right now.  I will also post this to the Music Facebook page, and feel free to share with anyone I might have missed.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Dianne :)

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
   my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
   and with my song I praise him.

Sample from our vocal music practice

Our vocal music practice went very well!

Our first practice

Our first big group practice (with everyone who could be there) - trying to fit everyone's schedule is a challenge! We had to do some music sorting before we could start, but it was a lot of fun and we sounded good!

Our Steering Committee

Here are some pictures from 2/10/11. This is the group that is heading up the project: Dianne on piano (that's me!), Kent on drums, Marta on guitar, and Russtanna on vocals. And our honorary choir member is Miss Leonella - she can play a mean shaker and she has a killer smile!

Newman Center CD - Part 2!!!!!

Hello to my wonderful friends. I can hardly believe it, but we at the Newman Center are about to embark on another adventure (besides the one we call life)! It seems as though the time has come for another CD.

First, this would not be possible without many, many prayers. It was after much prayer and discernment that we decided to start the process. We are preparing for the purchase of a new piano when our current piano breaks down. One way we would like to do this is through a Newman Choir CD. As we discussed the possibilities, we learned that:
1 - There is interest in making a CD
2 - One of our community members has a recording business and is willing to work with us to make the project happen.
3 - Several musicians will graduate in May, and this semester seemed like a good time to try to make this happen with the group we have.
4 - Along with the CD, we plan to hold a concert as well.

We will keep you posted with the progress of this exciting project. If you wish to contribute time or money to this venture, or are interested in more information, please contact the Newman Center at 308-234-1539.

Thanks,
Dianne :)

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:7

Shall We Try This Again?

Well, I think I'm going to take over the blog to share some news once again. I won't promise that this will stay updated after that, but who knows? You can also visit our website http://newmancenter.unk.edu to contact us or find us on Facebook at either "Music Group at the Catholic Newman Center at UNK" OR "UNK Newman Center".