Concert Attire and Stage Decorum

 CONCERT ATTIRE

Ladies

·    Long (to the ankle at least) black dress, or ankle length skirt

or dress pants (fluid, not tight-fitting) and top. Dress pants means not jeans, not leggings.

·     Blouse sleeves are a must: long (to the wrist) or three quarter (to below the elbow). No bare arms.

·      The simpler the fabric and neckline and overall styling the better: no frills or lace or sparkle or low-cut necklines. Anything that draws attention to the individual singer takes away from the ensemble.

Men

·      Black tuxes, white shirts, black bowties.

·      If not a tux, a regular dark lounge suit will also work.

All

·      Black closed-toe shoes. No open toe sandals, no bare toes.

·      If you must make a choice between glamour and comfort, go for comfort, so long as it is closed-toe, and put the glamour into your performance.

·      Hose or socks are required. Black socks for men; dark/opaque hose for women.

Tuxes!

Hair

·      If you have long hair, please style it so that it is off your face, pulled back or swept up in an updo.

. Facial features are so much more expressive than hair!

 No scent!

·      No perfume or scented hairspray or body lotion.

It's close quarters and some folks are allergic...I mean are allergic to scents.

Jewelry

·      Pearl earrings and pearl necklaces, choker or opera string

. Flashy will be seen; discreet won't.

Electronics off

·      Electronic phones and watches switched off (or left offstage) and singers switched on!

Choir onstage at Carnegie

MUSIC

·   Paper music in a choral black binder or three ring binder or your scores wrapped in black paper covers (lightest and least bulky.

·   Or I-Pad with black cover.

 ·   Singers who have the music memorized, and want to perform off-book—bravo!

No need to hold a book in concert but have at rehearsals.

·   Pages of solo passages or movements paper-clipped together so that you can turn to next choral movement/entry in a one-clump turn. e.g. Coronation Benedictus paper clipped to m 60.

 ·   Remove tabs sticking out of your binder for the performance.

STAGE DECORUM

Before entering the stage, there is lots of excitement— it's easy to forget about binders.

·      For entering the stage, have your binder, closed, in hand away from audience.

Help each other with this: check singers in front and back of you in lineup.

·      Silent onstage—no chit-chat. You can ask someone to move a tad with just a silent signal.

·      We want everyone’s rapt attention on the music—ours and the audience’s. So avoid looking around the hall or at the audience.

·      Keep your binders closed and at your side until I give the cue. If I start the music without the binder cue….you have two choices…