Meet the Newbie: Katie Morrison

This summer, we scoured the District for some top talent to join our ranks. When the dust settled, only one candidate remained: alto Katie Morrison. 

Born in Germany, and schooled in the same Texas town as Redskins star Robert Griffin III, this Army brat (her words, not ours) has lived all over the place, singing in every choir imaginable along the way. But now that she has traveled the world, she is making her post-college home in metro DC, which is working out quite well for us. Katie is in her second year teaching elementary school music in Herndon, VA.  When not working with her well-behaved students, her many interests include catching jazz at HR-57, dogs (but not cats), the color yellow, and the film score for the 2000 historical war film The Patriot. We’re also particularly excited to hear that while president of her college choir at JMU, Katie planned a tour to England and Wales. This means that overseas travel is in our near future—right, Katie?? 

Meet Katie: The Facts 

Name: Katie Morrison

Voice Part: Soprano Alto

Born: Germany

Lives in: Herndon, VA

College: James Madison University (2010)

Day Job: Elementary school music teacher

How did you find out about 18SS?: A friend from college, Anna Robinson, recommended it and said it was similar to the choir we sang in together

Favorite food: Greek and German cuisine. Gyros!

Favorite spot in DC: HR-57

Coolest musical experience: Performing and competing in Wales at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

Favorite composers: Morten Lauridsen, John Williams (mostly for his breathtaking Oscar-nominated work in The Patriot)

Hidden talent: Singing with my mouth closed

Will you be planning an international tour for 18SS?:  (Laughing) “Nope, sorry. Did it once, not doing it again.”

So you’re interested, then: “I never want to do it again… It was the worst year and a half of my life.”

Thanks in advance, Katie! We couldn’t have made it to Europe without you!

Your favorite John Williams film score? I bet you didn’t even think of this one.

This post was written by communications director and master interrogator Mike Rowan.

The Season Begins

Alto and managing director Martha Keller is REALLY excited for some Benjamin Britten…or maybe just to see everyone again.

It’s hard to believe we’re back already! After a summer of relaxation, travel, and the occasional Call Me Maybe sing-along, Monday nights are rehearsal time once again. It’s been great to catch up with friends that I haven’t seen as much over the past few months.

We spent most of this week’s rehearsal working on Benjamin Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia, a setting of a poem by W.H. Auden. Aside from the music, there’s a fairly interesting backstory to the piece that I’d like to share with you.

Britten began work on the piece while living in the United States in 1940. However, in 1942, Britten decided to return to his native England, by then in the midst of the Second World War. As he departed from New York City, customs inspectors confiscated the partially-completed work, fearing that it contained some kind of hidden code. Britten was forced to begin anew, and re-wrote the score during his journey to Europe. The finished piece was first performed by on November 22, 1942 – both St. Cecilia’s Day and Britten’s 29th birthday.

With our fearless leader Ben Olinsky unavailable this week, we were capably led in rehearsal by Assistant Music Director Sarah Redmond. Upon first glance at the 44-page score, I wasn’t sure how much we’d be able to cover. I was pleasantly surprised when we managed to work through a large portion of the piece, and I came away feeling like I had a great handle on it. Personally, I’ve had a mixed experience singing Britten in the past, but I’m really enjoying the Hymn to St. Cecilia so far. It has a nice mix of tempos, and selfishly, there are a couple of great tenor lines. It should make a great centerpiece to our concerts this season!

This post was written by tenor and 18th Street Singers webmaster extraordinaire Tim Schmitz.

Our New Blog

Welcome to the new 18th Street Singers blog! OK, sure, we may be a little late to to the blog bandwagon, but you know what they say – better late than never. Over the course of each season, we’ll use this space to post information about upcoming performances, updates from rehearsals, and the occasional thoughts or anecdotes from members of the choir. If you’re lucky, we might even throw in a photo or video here and there!