Choral Workshop

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10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

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#MfEMonday – 16th December 2024

16th December 2024 Music for Everyone

It was “All Aboard” the Polar Express and other festive favourites in yesterdays annual MfE Christmas is Coming concert! With over 200 performers and a full house in the audience, it was a joyous occasion – a huge WELL DONE to our youth Vocals choir, the Nottingham Community Voices and Nottingham Chamber Singers for all their hard work.

Congratulations to the Nottingham Daytime Orchestra for their end of term concert last Thursday, a great way to finish a busy term!

MfE do Carol singing at the Test Match Pub in West Bridgford on Wednesday 18th December from 6pm – come and join us! All welcome, carol books are provided.

The office will be closed from Monday 23^rd December – Thursday 2^nd January, reopening on Friday 3^rd Jan. Bookwise is still open (normal opening times) apart from bank holiday days. For details of MfE events and groups in 2025, check the website: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/

In a letter from Buckingham Palace, King Charles has conveyed “his warmest good wishes” to Music for Everyone and his “sincere thanks” for our invitation to His Majesty to attend our “In the King’s Company” concert in October. The King says he is most grateful for thinking of him, but was unable to accept our offer to attend due to the volume of requests he receives.

In the letter to our chair of trustees John Hess, the King says he was “most interested to learn a bit about Music for Everyone and our work in Nottingham.”

Devised by our artistic director Alex Robinson, “In the King’s Company” was a celebration of the baroque music and song from the royal courts of England and France.

King Charles also says he hopes the occasion was “enjoyable for all involved”, and thanks us for our “thoughtful “letter and “truly generous “invitation.

As this is our final MfEMonday of 2024, we’d like to take this opportunity to look back on a year of music-making and wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a joyful New Year – here’s to an even more musical 2025!

One of our members, David, has been getting creative to raise funds for Open Voices. He has turned one of his paintings into a Christmas card which has been purchased by singers at Beeston, Wollaton, and West Bridgford Daytime Voices and raised £150. Thank you so much David!

An uplifting video sent in by one of our members, OrchLab take on a Space Adventure with a project inspired by The Planets by Gustav Holst: https://orchlab.org/orchlab-film-2024-a-space-adventure/

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

16/12/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 21st October 2024

21st October 202421st October 2024 Music for Everyone

Christmas is Coming!

Is it too early to talk about Christmas? We don’t think so! Santa is already polishing his boots in preparation for our festive family concert at the Albert Hall on 15 December. Join us for a magical afternoon of traditional carols and seasonal songs!

Do you know any young singers who’d love to be part of the fun? Our Vocals youth choir welcomes young singers of primary school age. Find out more here.

For adults, there’s also the chance to sing with the massed Community Voices. Interested? Learn more here.

Tickets are selling fast, so don’t wait—book yours today! Tickets can be purchased online here or by calling the office on 0115 958 9312.

Lullaby Bank

We’re incredibly proud of our Assistant Artistic Director, Rachel Parkes, who devised and launched the innovative Lullaby Bank project—special music sessions for mums and their babies in local libraries. The first group in Beeston was a huge success, and now the project has expanded, in partnership with Inspire, to seven other libraries in Nottinghamshire.

Read about Councillor Kate Foale’s recent visit to a session in West Bridgford here

As we gear up for our next Nottingham Festival Chorus workshop and concert, The Singing Bride, we’ve got Mozart on our minds! Think you know your Mozart? Try our fun Mozart or No-zart quiz and see if you can beat our office score of 18/20.

If you would like to take part in the next NFC course, details are on our website here.

Nottingham Trent University’s Culture Team is on the lookout for an experienced freelance choral conductor to lead both their University Choir and award-winning Chamber Choir. Please forward this information to anyone you know who may be interested https://www.ntu.ac.uk/about-us/news/news-articles/2024/10/ntu-arts-seeks-choral-conductor

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

21/10/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

Workshop: Blow the Dust off your Instrument! (music-for-everyone.org)

#MfEMonday – 14th October 2024

14th October 2024 Music for Everyone

The Nottingham Chamber Singers launched their 40^th Anniversary Season in style on Saturday evening with a stunning performance at St John’s Church, Carrington.

Rachel Parkes skilfully guided the choir through a sublime programme including the Brahms’ Requiem accompanied brilliantly by piano duo, Angela Foan and John Hobbs.

We were also joined by two exceptional soloists, Will Burn and Alison Rose. Thanks to all those who came to listen, we can’t wait for the next performance!

BOOKING NOW OPEN!

Blow the Dust off your Instrument – Workshop day

Saturday 11^th January

Did you learn to play an instrument at school but haven’t got it out of the case for a long while? Have you taken up playing an instrument in adult life just for fun? Do you like playing orchestral music?

If the answer is YES to any of these questions then come to Blow the Dust off your Instrument January 2025. Click the link below for more information:

Nottingham Festival Chorus – Mozart C minor Mass

Rehearsal weekend: Saturday 25th/Sunday 26^th January

Concert: Saturday 1^st February

Come and sing Mozart’s greatest musical present to his wife, the C Minor Mass, a beautiful solemn mass which featured solos just for her, as well as an assortment of music inspired by love from composers Weir, Durufle, Tallis and Ferrario. Click the link below for more information:

NFC Singing Course & Concert January 2025 (music-for-everyone.org)

There have been a lot of reasons to look to the skies recently what with the spectacular sightings of the Northern Lights, Comet of the century and the mind-blowing SpaceX catching a starship booster!

Here are some sky themed classical pieces to enjoy whilst gazing upwards:

Ēriks Ešenvalds – Northern Lights – https://youtu.be/rXKJCdGMUas?si=sofm3bX53z2oYv8F

Ēriks Ešenvalds – Stars – https://youtu.be/ngqbf6mNpuE?si=uK7EU5utKb9RxQte

Ola Gjelo: Northern Lights – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg-TGaNKqhk

Uuno Klami: Aurora Borealis – https://youtu.be/ZqgsAExhVvM?si=AMcI9F05WA7umrEa

There’s a chance to see the incredible female a capella group Papagena at Southwell Minster this evening – they will be performing underneath the giant ‘Moon’ installation. Those of you who were lucky enough to see them at our Summer School a couple of years ago will know how amazing they are! https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/papagena-moonset-tickets-932429149687?aff=oddtdtcreator
If you can’t make this evening it’s still possible to visit the Minster while the Moon installation is on display from 11-22 October. https://www.southwellminster.org/events/event/moon/

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

14/10/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMondays are Music for Everyone’s weekly emails designed to keep you up to date with MfE events & to circulate interesting finds, special features, and musical musings for your Mondays! We are aiming to send out something new each week.

#MfEMonday – 30th September 2024

30th September 2024 Music for Everyone

Preparations are well underway for our In the King’s Company concert at St John’s Parish Church, Beeston this Sunday, and we are really looking forward to hearing the results of the Nottingham Festival Chorus’s hard work. We are delighted that Soprano, Rachel Parkes, can join us to sing the heart-breaking Dido’s Lament from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and that our Artistic Director and Conductor, Alex Robinson, will also be directing some of the concert from the harpsichord.

Tickets are still available and it would be wonderful to see you there. Tickets can be purchased online here, or on the door.

———–

Dido’s Lament is one of the most beautiful and heart-breaking pieces of music ever written. In one of the most well-known and loved baroque arias, Dido sings of lost love and betrayal with a melody that seems to literally sob.

This sense of deep sorrow and profound loss has resonated with audiences and performers across the centuries. Some less conventional performances include those of Jeff Buckley at the Meltdown Festival in 1995, Annie Lennox with the London City Voices during the Covid pandemic, and cellist Yves Dharamraj in protest at the death of George Floyd.

Click here to hear mezzo soprano Sarah Connolly talk about why she finds the piece, sung by the likes of Janet Baker and Emma Kirkby, so extraordinary, and the skill it takes to perform it.

The sad news of the death of Dame Maggie Smith has put us in mind of one of her best-loved films, Quartet. If you haven’t seen it, you must! It revolves around a retirement home for former professional musicians, Beecham House, and its residents who prepare for a benefit concert to keep the place going. The charming comedy-drama explores themes of redefining old age, the human spirit and the joy of singing with friends, something very much at the heart of our work at Music for Everyone!

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

30/09/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

If you can’t view this email properly or you would like to unsubscribe from future #MfEMonday emails, please get in touch.

#MfEMonday – 8th July 2024

8th July 2024 Music for Everyone

What an enjoyable weekend with the Nottingham Festival Chorus and a wonderful performance of Haydn’s Harmonie Mass! Masterfully directed by Artistic Director, Alex Robinson and skilfully accompanied by organist Peter Siepmann. Thanks also to our four amazing soloists as pictured.

Last week saw the end of term performances for our Daytime Orchestras in Loughborough and Nottingham. Some fabulous playing everyone, well done! Hope you enjoy a well-earned break and we look forward to welcoming you back in September.

Our Lunchtime Voices singers also gave a final performance in very blustery conditions outside Yarn this week. A special mention to Alex for keeping the accompaniments going despite his music flying away!

Upcoming performances:

Our Youth Bands and String Orchestras have their Sound of Summer performance on Sunday 14^th July at 3.30pm at The Grange Hall in Radcliffe-on-Trent. Book your tickets here: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/yth-concert/

Open Voices Sherwood are putting on a show of Oliver! Come and join them on Friday 19^th July at 11am at St Martin’s Church, Sherwood.

Following the election of our new Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week, did you know he had such a musical background? Click the link below to hear him talking about the importance of music, playing flute, recorder, piano and violin and his love of Beethoven:

Song Community Festival taking part in Derby on Sunday 14th July: Are you a singing practitioner, facilitator, choir director or teacher, who runs community choirs, amateur choirs or singing groups for health conditions such as dementia?

Or, do you want to learn more about singing and its benefits for health and well-being? Do you want to find out more about how to lead Mental Health Inclusive Group Singing? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the questions above, come to the Community Song Festival! https://www.derby.ac.uk/events/latest-events/song-community-festival-/

The Villiers Quartet is hosting an event Friday 12^th July in Nottingham: Haydn Emperor Quartet play-along. It is guided playing, open to amateurs, students, everyone, and promises to be informative and great fun! https://nottchamberfest.com/events/haydn-play-along-vq-discovery/
See all the Nottingham Chamber Festival events taking place from 11^th – 14^th July here: https://nottchamberfest.com/

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

08/07/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 1st July 2024

1st July 2024 Music for Everyone

How is your obscure Haydn knowledge? Ahead of the next Nottingham Festival Chorus event focussed on Haydn’s Harmonie Mass, click here to see Alex quiz Rachel on some of the lesser-known facts about Haydn’s life. Let us know how you get on!

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to hear this magnificent work performed by our wonderful choir and soloists at Beeston Parish Church on 06 July. Concert tickets are available here.

Our youth groups will be presenting a delightful summer concert at Grange Hall, Radcliffe on Trent on Sunday 14 July, 3.30pm. Tickets are available here or on the door. Come along to hear our wonderful young musicians in action!

Ahead of our trip to the Olympics at this year’s Summer School, here is three-time Olympic swimmer Elizabeth Beisel opening the final day of the US Olympic Swim trials with a performance on violin that blew the audience out of the water!

P.S. Summer School places are still available – no sporting prowess necessary!

One of our members has a bass recorder (Hornby Bass 900H) that they would like to give to a good home. If anyone is interested, please contact the office.
If there are any young string players in your family looking for something to do over the Summer, the Charnwood Youth Strings Experience takes place from 19 – 23 August at Mountsorrel Memorial Centre. See the attached flyer for more information.
Our Lunchtime Voices will be performing at Yarn, adjacent to the Royal Concert Hall, on Thursday 04 July at 1pm. Join us for some lovely music and maybe a chilled glass of wine before you head off to the Polling Stations!

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE

01/07/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

https://youtu.be/X69P_Vce9vw?si=rMKwOYS4udiJGv_i

#MfEMonday – 19th February 2024

19th February 2024 Music for Everyone

A message from Bookwise:

Bookwise need your help! They are planning some furniture moving around this week and would appreciate any help if anyone can come in any time this week to help.

There will be heavy lifting involved so please bear this in mind!

For more info, contact Gary Directly on 07818423536. Many thanks!

Hello Eveyone,

We hope you’re all feeling energised and ready for some more music-making!

A spotlight on our Musicals workshop and cabaret for adults on Saturday 23rd March at the Rushcliffe Spencer Academy.

Enjoy the glitz and glam of the theatre with our special guest compere and baritone soloist Simon Theobald, conducted by MfE’s Assistant Artistic Director, Rachel Parkes, and accompanied by Angela Foan.

Come along and sing a selection of foot tapping numbers from Oliver and Guys and Dolls, unforgettable melodies from West Side Story and Chess, and moving songs from hit musical Blood Brothers.

The day will finish with an informal cabaret-style concert and we are really excited that singers from our Open Voices choir will be performing their favourite musical hits for us!

To sign up for the workshop visit: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/ncm-come-and-sing/

If you would like to come and watch, tickets are £8 and include a free pre-concert glass of wine or soft drink from 4pm. For tickets visit: https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/from-west-end-to-broadway/

There is still time for any younger singers to sign up for our next Vocals ‘at the Movies’ event on 9th & 10th March. Music packs have now left the building and the excitement is building for this special weekend! https://www.music-for-everyone.org/event/vocals-mar-24/

Continuing the Musicals theme here are some fun facts about a couple of the shows which will feature in our workshop:

Chess – It’s written by the boys from ABBA and Sir Tim Rice!

What’s it about? Cold War, East vs West. In today’s era of Russia’s cyber-threat to Western Democracies, that seems more relevant than ever. Chess takes the rivalry, subterfuge and political plotting of two global super-powers and transfers the action to the World Chess championships, where defection, gamesmanship and espionage are as rife as in the corridors of power. It’s a love story between characters whose lives are torn apart by powers they cannot control. Chess is probably best summed up as “The Thinking-Person’s Musical.”

According to The Guinness Book of Records, the single “I Know Him So Well” remains the most successful ever by a female duo, retaining the No.1 spot in the UK Singles Charts for 4 weeks. It may also have broken the world record for the most cans of hairspray used on the video!! https://youtu.be/s2SDInk6voA?si=wsor_qnbPdt5wvGz

Guys and Dolls – A modern classic that explores the lives of two seemingly mismatched couples. It premiered on Broadway in 1950 and ran for 1,200 performances. In the smash-hit 1955 film adaptation of Guys and Dolls, the swingin’ and swoonin’ Frank Sinatra took on the role of powerful gambler Nathan Detroit. This was his first major film role, and the gamble paid off, he received critical acclaim for his performance!

The songs from the musical are total bangers and have been covered and adapted by numerous artists over the years, including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Barbra Streisand. ‘Luck Be a Lady’ in particular gained widespread popularity and recognition and has even made appearances in shows such as The Simpsons, Family Guy and can even be heard in the family favourite movie Mrs. Doubtfire!

String players! The Villiers quartet are about to launch their next online string quartet course this Sunday studying Haydn’s Emperor Quartet. The course is for amateurs who love to study their music in greater depth and want to explore the art of string quartet playing. For more information and booking visit: http://villiersquartet.com/vqdiscovery

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE.

19/02/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF

#MfEMonday – 29th January 2024

29th January 2024 Music for Everyone

We are busy putting packs together for our next vocals singing weekend – ‘Vocals at the Movies‘! On Saturday 9^th March, our young singers will gather at Nottingham Trent University for a day of rehearsals and fun activities. On Sunday the 10^th they take to the stage at the Albert Hall to entertain the audience with well-known songs from classic shows and films including Trolls, Annie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. To sign up for this course, click here.

Our Nottingham Festival Chorus Singers were in excellent voice at Nottingham Trent University this weekend, and we can’t wait to hear them alongside the Nottingham Concert Orchestra at the Albert Hall this coming Saturday. To ensure your ticket for this not-to-be-missed concert, online booking has now reopened, click here. Alternatively, contact the office on 0115 958 9312.

2024 is well underway and all of our regular groups are back to rehearsals. Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes to get these groups up and running? For the Daytime Voices groups alone we prepare 430 packs with 6 pieces of music. A massive thank you to our volunteers for coming into the office to help prepare and stuff music folders!

That’s 2,580 individual pieces of music that are chosen, sourced, printed, numbered, stamped and put into folders, not to mention 180 pieces of music for our Lunchtime Voices singers, 880 for our Daytime Orchestra players, and 270 for our youth bands and string ensembles!

And let’s not forget the 1,120 pieces of music that our Blow the Dusters got through last weekend and the 750 vocal scores our Nottingham Festival Chorus singers will use on Saturday. That’s a whopping 5,780 pieces of music this year and it’s still only January! Right, I’m off for a lie down!

As you know, at MfE we are great believers in the power of music to make you feel good and enhance wellbeing. Here are 10 pieces of classical music that will, according to Classic FM, 100% change your life. Enjoy! 10 pieces of classical music that will 100% change your life – Classic FM

Have a great week!

Your friends at MfE.

29/01/2024

www.music-for-everyone.org | 0115 9589312

10 Goose Gate | Hockley | NG1 1FF