Tenso CONNECT Interns

Half way of the internship is already gone, it feels like I would have been here for weeks. Many faces from the choir seem familiar now and even some rehearsal words in Croatian start to be (almost) understandable.

Today it was a great rehearsal for the choir, the programme was going forward and some very beautiful moments were starting to arise with Veton. It also made me feel proud that my work on Poulenc on the day before was helpful in the overall preparation process for the concert. My conducting time today was devoted to Rheinberger. It felt so amazing to work on Romantic music with this group, it totally suits them. Rehearsal went very smoothly, we perfected intonation, created different sound layers and also worked on sound and diction. It was also very useful to be able to try out some of the suggestions both from my mentor and…

Second day in Zagreb has not been less intense than the day before. The main conductor of the programme continues with his work on the repertoire, and some interesting nuances start to arise, especially on the Rheinberger, a pieces which suits the choir perfectly. How important is to find a good balance between pieces that will have a great result, and others that can be more challenging but will get the choir to the next level! During breaks, I had some relevant conversations with choir singers about their experiences with different kinds of conductors, how is the feeling of the group with diverse kinds of methodology, communication, etc. "We all love music, and that's what unites us". A simple truth of great value not to forget!

Today I also had the chance to finally meet the Artistic Director of the choir and mentor of my internship, Maestro Facini, and work…

This first day in Zagreb with the HRT Choir has been magnificent. Singers, team and conductor have all been so welcoming and friendly from the very beginning. There is always this excitement when meeting a new choir and discovering their soul, both musically and as a human group. During the observation time today it was wonderful to hear for the first time the pieces on their voices and how they feel with the different styles of the programme (Rheinberger, Lachner, Poulenc). Some performance and sound questions start to pop-up in my head and make me think on some possibilities to work with them in the next days. Tomorrow it is time for some Poulenc, I will probably focus on "Timor et tremor" and "Vinea mea electa".

In the afternoon, I had some time to go for a walk in the city centre and to learn a little bit more about…