A really good day. New repertoire, stepping outside the box, new insights, some new ideas and an inspiring concert.
Publishers are putting a lot of new material out there. The five big boys- O.U.P., Faber, Music Sales, Boosey and Hawkes and Peters - presented a selection of their new pieces in handy takeaway booklets. David Lawrence was charged with introducing us to 25 pieces in 75 minutes, which he did with expertise and entertainingly. I came away with several potential new works.
Rhiannon Gayle has several community choirs. She gave us a thorough warm-up and so I stepped out of my comfort zone to attend her session. An hour on one piece that was then sung from memory with choreography. Great fun and a useful physical workout.
Barbershop has not featured in abcd Conventions for some years. It was refreshing to attend Sally McClean's session with the White Rosettes. In fact this was one of the best sessions I had ever been two. Sally demonstrated how the White Rosettes success is built on dedication, meticulous preparation and training combined with personality and enthusiasm. In her session she explained how the choir is "stacked" based on the natural resonance of the individual singers to obtain the optimum sound. The other main aspect of the sound is the technique they call "platforming". There are three platforms: personal (to oneself); to another person and "to the world", each with its own stance. Combined with each platform is a sound e.g. Orchestral, spooky etc. She also touched on how they de-emphasised words to help with rhythm and the effect of the "church" sound.
The York Chapter House Choir is one of the most highly regarded in the country. It remains at the top because it is constantly developing. Stephanie Williams outlined how he keeps a good choir moving forward with contributions from choir members and demonstrating some fine singing.
The concert in Leeds Town Hall was inspiring. Beginning with the excellent Lindley School Choir who sang a well constructed programme with great enthusiasm, control and skill and finishing with a community choir who had only met that morning under Ken Burton's direction Vocado and the York Chapter house choir demonstrated ensemble singing of the highest quality. Vocado is a young Swedish a Capella group. Two girls and three boys. They managed to fill Leeds Town hall with their cultured singing. Restrained, perfectly balanced and expressive they presented a varied programme with an entertaining professionalism. The Chapter House Choir showed why they are one of the country's leading Chamber Choirs being equally assured with a great Victoria motet and complex contemporary harmonies and rhythms.
Slept well.
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