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Friends of the Rockbridge Choral Society
  Vol. 42                                       ONLINE  ONLINE  ONLINE                                   December 2018     
Providing financial support   since 1999 for The Rockbridge Choral Society and The Rockbridge Youth Chorale


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December 2018   
Birthdays  in
 Music

Jacques Francois Gallay        12/8/1795

Jim Morrison     12/8/1943

Orlando Gibbons   12/25/1583

Mark Your Calendars

A European Odyssey - Rockbridge Chamber Singers, February 3, 2019, 3 PM, Lexington Presbyterian Church

A Handel Feast -
Rockbridge Choral Society, with chamber orchestra and soloists, April 7, 2019, 7 PM, Lexington  
Presbyterian Church

Spring Concert -
Rockbridge Youth Chorale, April 23, 2019,  
7 PM, Lexington Presbyterian Church
 
sparkling_gold_tree.jpg
Starting Off the Season with a Bang and Some Bells and Some Santa Hats! 
    The Rockbridge Choral Society and the Rockbridge Youth Chorale got the Lexington Christmas season off to a brilliant start on December 1.  They sang to a packed house, and everyone had a great time!  If you missed it, there's always next year.  Thanks to all the singers and their connections!  We could not do it without all the support of family and friends and the generous support o  f our donors!  If you were lucky enough to come and get a seat, and you enjoyed the music, please consider a donation toward our future efforts to make the Season bright.  All donations are greatly appreciated.   
It's easy to keep us singing.   
Playing to a full house.
Just go to our website and click on the Support tab   http://www.rcs.org/support-the-season  
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! 
 Composer and Knight Bachelor
- Sir James MacMillan
       The Rockbridge Chamber Singers have already started rehearsals for their February, 2019 concert - A European Odyssey.   Our director has again assembled a diverse portfolio for the Chamber group to sing for you.  And they have discovered the dazzling compositions of Scotland's James MacMillan (b.1959).  Sir MacMillan's music is influenced by his Catholic faith and traditional Scottish music.  He came to the attention of the classical establishment with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's premiere of  The Confession of Isobel Gowdie  in 1990.  Interesting fact: Isobel Gowdie was one of many women executed for witchcraft in 17th century Scotland.  In 1999 the Scottish parliament was convened for the first time in almost 300 years, and MacMillan's fanfare accompanied Queen Elizabeth II's entrance into the chamber.  In 2004 MacMillan was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and a Knight Bachelor in 2015.  The Rockbridge Chamber singers will be performing two of his compositions for their February concert. Click here.  You can listen to one.    
One Sound Thing -  
The Winds of Mars

    The Mars InSight landed about two weeks ago on the red planet and now it is sending back transduced sounds made by the winds of Mars blowing across the probe's seismometers.  Technically, the lander is not equipped to record sounds as we think of that process.  The robotic sensors are designed to detect vibrations.  As the winds, from the northwest as it happens, blow across these sensors, they produce low frequency vibrations which are translated into sound. NASA has enhanced them, but these sounds would be audible to the human ear if you found yourself on Mars and survived its extreme temperatures.  Listen here.

Friends of the Rockbridge Choral Society
communication@rcs.org
Rockbridge Choral Society
P.O. Box 965
Lexington, VA 24450