Angela Kay

Simply Romantic – the workshop

Music for Everyone

cropped-logo_darkblue_green-copy.jpgAs the Indian Summer continued, over 100 singers enjoyed a day of Romantic choral music. There was a relaxed and cheerful mood to the day. For example, Angela said Mendelssohn’s Grant us thy Peace was so beautiful she would like it to be sung at her funeral!

P1110399It was good to have time to look at the pieces in depth and learn some singing techniques. Angela and Alex talked about the importance of supporting the breath with those abdominal muscles. (Did anyone see Strictly? Weren’t there some abs on view!) We considered the importance of posture, and how to lift the sounds of our voices from strangled-cat in the throat to beautiful and resonating in the mouth.

After the tea break we muddled up to sit next to someone singing any part but our own. This encouraged us to listen to the other parts and blend with them, while also concentrating on our performance – no hanging onto the sound-tails of our neighbours! Although a little daunting, it proved enjoyable. The tuning improved and there was more expression and musicality. Angela stopped conducting to encourage us to listen to each other P1110404even more. The front two rows then turned round and faced the back three and we sang the piece again, just as a small group would do. Fantastic.

The next Nottingham Festival Chorus event will be the January course for the February concert of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. Angela enthused about what a great work it is but also mentioned that it is one of the harder pieces in the choral repertoire, and so singers will need to be well prepared before the course: no sight reading on the first day of the course! Singing done, we went home to the rugby. Nuff said.

The Grand Finale!

Music for Everyone

P1110328Imagine a very large rectangular hall, high-ceilinged. The orchestra filling a third of the space, the choir in four rows along a wall running the length of the hall, and an eager audience of about a hundred.

First Robin Reece-Crawford introduces the evening and comperes the concert with information about the composers and the musicians.

Every configuration of instrumentalists and P1110376singers from the Summer School perform several pieces with great enthusiasm. The atmosphere is fantastic. As I’m tucked away in a far corner, which is fine – love those tymps! – I’d handed my camera to Charlotte Pullen, daughter of one of the violinists. See what happens when you sit in the front row! During the concert she takes some wonderful photos to give us a collection of happy memories. Well done, Charlotte, and thanks.

P1110378There is music from Byrd to the Beatles, Pergolesi to Gershwin, Vivaldi to Rutter. In addition to the groups, tutor Owen Cox plays as he conducts Winter from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and tutor Gill Henshaw, accompanied by the orchestra, plays a movement of Weber’s Clarinet concerto. Stunning.

The choir sings in different configurations under the ‘baton’ of three conductors. (Not that we’ve have seen a baton all week, have they gone out of fashion?) Here is the lower voices’ moment of glory, with Mike enthusing them from the front. P1110356

The concert comes to an end with a rousing performance of Johann Strauss’s Radetzky March, and choir and audience clap along. Beat that for enthusiasm, Vienna Philharmonic!

P1110382And then our three amazing days of music making, learning new pieces and techniques, listening to first class music, being lead by dynamic conductors who worked so hard and brought out the best in us for the short time of the School, is over. Not forgetting the concerts and masterclasses. We trip off into the night with tired bodies but light hearts, new friendships made, challenges risen to, fine music and much laughter.

More photos to follow – it might take a few days!

Here’s hoping there will be another Summer School – this one was aided greatly by the generosity of the University of Nottingham (my alma mater), who provided the space and facilities. Thanks too for the Summer School go to the Assistant Artistic Director of MfE, Alex Patterson P1110368(I think this was his baby, if you see what I mean), Artistic Director Angela Kay, Adult Programme Co-ordinator Robin Reece-Crawford, Anne, Su and Gemma from the office, tutors and conductors Owen Cox, Mike Gregory, Gill Henshaw, Jane McDouall, Isobel Bounford, accompanists Stefan Reid, Tim Uglow and Martyn Parkes, and other musicians who kindly gave of their time to fill in the gaps or to encourage parts and sections, and of course to all the delegates. (Apologies if I’ve missed anyone.)

Now you might be wondering what happened to Quote of the Day. Well, it was awarded to Angela Kay, we had a titter about it but it is unprintable, so come along to a Music for Everyone event and join in the music making and fun. Thanks for reading – around the world, we gather!

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Helena 

Repertoire Day One: Morning

Music for Everyone

P1110208Today’s blog posts will be the bread either side of the filling that’s my dinner. Chicken salad. What a day!

Jane McDouall led a warm up for the SATB choir – keep the shoulders down and your face bright – as though greeting someone you’re pleased to see. Alex took over and we sang movements from Vivaldi’s Gloria, shaking off all ‘not quite awake’ feelings.

I slipped out to see what the orchestra was up to and walked into the tranquillity of Elgar’s Nimrod being played with great sensitivity. Hang on, though, what an unusual configuration of instruments! Strings as you would expect. Then how many? Yes, 13 or so flutes and a similar number of clarinets, but no one blaring out, the orchestra blending well under Angela’s baton. There were saxophonists, a tympanist, and to add to the loan double bassist, Chris McDouall on electric bass guitar.

The choir then split in two (no pain was involved, you understand). Sops and altos staying put, P1110212and bases and tenors heading to another room. Jane and Angela introduced the ladies to music by Richard Rodney Bennett and Kodály – unison songs (written really for single voice) and songs for 5 part upper voices.

Once that was underway, I went in search of the lower voices – not all male, you understand, some women’s voices are naturally low enough to sing tenor.

P1110216Their session was being led by a new-comer to MfE (I think), Mike Gregory, who is awarded quote of the day: ‘Sing it like Jeremy Clarkson would.’

I’m sure you can hear it already. Then again, looking at the picture… But once the ignition was turned… !

Right. Dinner time. More for dessert.

Helena 

Back to Basics

Music for Everyone

The first day of the Summer School was intended for those with little experience of the technical aspects of music, but it was helpful that some with more experience had chosen to come too, they lentP1110183 their neighbours a hand.

Through the double act of Angela and Alex, we got to grips with notation, time signatures and rhythm. Angela used various beverages to help us feel the difference in length of notes: tea – crotchet, coffee – two quavers, coca cola – four semi quavers, and beer – a minim. Someone wanted to know the drink for demi-semi-quavers. Suggestions on a postcard please.

The instrumentalists went to the recital hall to look at transposing instruments, how individual parts work and how they fit together. Angela talked about the importance of counting rests by numbering the bars on the first beat: 1 2 3 4, 2 2 3 4, etc. She explained that brass players with oodles of bars rest can “read the newspaper, drink a pint of beer and still come in on time”. That’s what the trumpeter in me likes to hear.

Alex helped the singers tackle intervals (the gap between one note and the next) and reading the dots. Oh, and not forgetting reading the rests, of course.

We were all reminded of the importance of inserting pencil marks into copies:

  • to mark our particular part and aid navigation
  • to highlight the dynamics and the style the conductor requests
  • to make it easier to not just sing this note and that but to produce a nuanced performance that comes from the heart

As Angela said, no one can remember all those details, there is no shame in using a pencil!

After tea we tried our hand at conducting. P1110196For this session instrumentalist played and vocalists sang – fun as well as informative.  Then that was it for today. Repertoire days to come. Now where’s my music… ?

Helena 

We have lift off!

Music for Everyone

Oh yes, we were given a pencil! And a wrist band and a delegate pack full of useful information before being welcomed by the ever Tiggerish Angela Kay and Robin Reece-Crawford.

Many moons ago, aged 14, I joined a small choir where one piece became my favourite, The Lover’s Ghost by Vaughan Williams. Imagine my joy when Apollo 5 opened the Summer School by singing this to us. Sublime.

P1110171The group are not named after the space rocket but Apollo, the god of music, and the number of vocalists. They taught us using the Voce8 method. We limbered up body and brain, adopted a good singing posture and began building up layers, including the pop beat of Western music, rhythms from sub-Saharan Africa, Latin-America and India, sol-fa from Hungary (Who knew? Thanks Kodály!), Asian vocal inflections and melodic lines. We got physical, we got vocal, and we did all this in up to 7 parts. As the session progressed more delegates volunteered to co-lead a section. Some parts were beat-box or vocal percussion in sound, others melodic or to add harmony. Fantastic, and then we were ready for coffee.

We returned to Houston, I mean the rehearsal room, and took off with three new songs that used the techniques learned earlier. After a quick lunch (do bring a packed lunch, would be my advice) we were ready for Apollo 5’s wonderful concert.

P1110174Clare Stewart, Greg Link, Alex Haigh, Ciarán Kelly and Charlotte Brosnan sang Dylan, Adele, Java Jive, Finzi, Bairstow, Sondheim and others with such attention to detail, listening intently to each other to keep the tuning and harmony tight, conveying the story of the lyrics and the emotion of the music. There was rapturous applause before we said goodbye. They set off to teach a lucky group elsewhere.

News of the afternoon to follow.

Helena Durham

Apollo 5 are part of a music education charity based at the Gresham Centre, London.

Here comes the first Music for Everyone Summer School

Music for Everyone

logo_GreenSometimes everything goes quiet in August, but not this year!

A large, brown envelope dropped through my letter box a few weeks ago brimming with information and music for the three-day Music for Everyone (MfE) Summer School. It starts next Monday, the 17th of August, at the University of Nottingham. I’m looking forward to excellent music-making with the other 203 delegates, lots of fun, and relaxing breaks (Ice cream!) in the beautiful surroundings of the University Park.

Visiting professional musicians, a cappella ensemble Apollo 5, mezzo-soprano Carris Jones, violinist Owen Cox and clarinetist Sarah Watts, will be giving workshops, masterclasses and short public concerts.

No doubt the tutors, Angela Kay, Alex Patterson, Gill Henshaw, assisted by Jane McDouall, Mike Gregory, Isobel Bounford, Owen Cox, and Stefan Reid, will bring out the best in us. Having sung with MfE before, I know it’s going to be great. MfE have invited me to blog about it, which I’ll happily do between singing pieces from Byrd to Rutter, Vivaldi to Kodaly, and a few surprises yet to be revealed. I’ll pop in on the instrumentalists too. They appear to have an exciting programme of classical music, jazz and swing awaiting them. Maybe I should dust off my flute… Did I mention we’ll also be learning how to conduct?!

Helena Durham

A note from the MfE office: Details of the concerts and tickets can be found here.