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Songs and How to Sing Them... With Help!

1/5/2019

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It all began when my wife Kay was practicing a duet and needed the tenor part to be sung. So I volunteered.... one could say this was truly my Eric Morecombe moment,
when I sang all the right notes (so I thought), but not necessarily in the right order!

From there on I was encouraged to join you all in Weston Choral. I enrolled in
September 2018 to be confronted with 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'! What had I let myself in for? However, I was warmly welcomed, given a seat with the tenors and then introduced to "Papa’s got a head like a ping pong ball" - one of Howard’s warm-ups. Could it get any better, I asked myself?! Simple answer: yes.

It took many hours with Kay, going over a few bars of music at a time trying to get my head around all the notes! With sheer perseverance I cracked it! Within the 'Twelve Days' there was a lovely spiritual melody and I found myself totally absorbed by the tune. I made it my go-to piece for a warm-up on my own.

After 68 years I had almost mastered English... but what now? Gaudete... LATIN! Good old Youtube came to my rescue and I spent many hours (and still do), finding the songs we were learning. Anything from Steeleye Span to the Kings Singers gave me a step up and hope!

The final rehearsal for the Christmas concert in St. John’s church was the moment of enlightenment for me. Our seating was organized in our SATB parts. We stood, then began to sing. I was surrounded by the most wonderful sound of voices coming together. It took my breath away. The concert was a step up again and I was really enjoying being a part of this company of singers supporting each other to perform at our very best. Maybe the glass of wine at half time helped!

My first term concluded on a high. Why had I not done this before? Music transports you to another level. Working with others gives you great satisfaction and when the end results sound like my first concert I can only imagine at the moment, what Mass in Blue will be like. BRING IT ON!!!

Bill Blake
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Weston Choral in New York!

28/4/2019

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Arriving for rehearsal in NYC!
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With Will Todd at the post concert reception
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The Full "Songs of Peace" Choir in David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Centre, NYC.
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In Central Park
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Outside David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Centre, NYC
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Autograph session with Will Todd
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With Will Todd
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With Will Todd at the post-concert reception
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Always last to leave the party....
What exciting things we do as Weston Choral members....

After a 7.5 hour flight a gruelling 3 hour wait to process through US immigration and a further 2 hours to battle along the 6 lane highway we finally made it to New York City! All that was left was to collapse into the absolutely massive bed and get some much needed shut-eye... Thursday dawned and we were off exploring! Spent much of my time that first day in the city trying hard not to look as gobsmacked as I truly felt. NYC can really feel like an assault on the senses - especially anywhere in the vicinity of Times Square where whole skyscrapers flash with the biggest and most intense media show ever and every other person on the street is intent on selling you a tour of the city.... Captivating in one sense but very quickly becoming overwhelming.

Friday dawned and we had an early rehearsal call for 8.30am. After preliminaries and issue of lanyards / security passes we met the Musical Director for our section of the concert Dr James Meaders. Due to my lack of inches I ended up in the front row... bang in front of Dr Meaders!  No need to worry though - an excellent and tough but brilliant and charismatic MD, he really showed us how to bring out the best in the music. The choir itself was fabulous - around 250 voices producing a super sound.  When towards the end of the intensive morning's rehearsal, Will Todd our composer entered the room, the younger members of the American choirs present might have been welcoming a rock star!

On Saturday we settled in well to our afternoon rehearsal call and did an amazing warm-up routine directed by Will Todd which energized everyone for the session. These rehearsals will live in my memory - so special and the music full of emotion.

The day of the concert was the first time anyone in our choir had seen the inside of David Geffen Hall - a cavernous space in warm wood tones. Filing onto the stage risers and rehearsing was thrilling - now I could understand why the 250 singers were appropriate... I had to keep mentally pinching myself to think that here we were, onstage in a famous hall in New York City singing with an amazing composer and musicians...


Later that day, waiting our turn in the Green rooms backstage the familiar excitement and nervous anticipation seemed to stretch the brief wait to climb to the stage... but finally there we were - front and centre facing a huge audience and singing Will Todd's fabulous music. We remembered what we could of Dr. Meaders’ advice "the expression on your face will come out in the music" and followed his direction to our best ability... We sang with all the joy and hope that we all felt.

The emotion in the hall was incredible and despite a programme instruction not to applaud until the end of the set of pieces, the audience responded to each movement. At the end we received rapturous applause and a standing ovation. The whole experience lived up to and went beyond my expectation and I wouldn't hesitate to do something similar again given the opportunity.  The DCINY organisers were really brilliant and they organised a reception banquet after the concert to round things off and give everyone time to come down from the musical high... it took a while!
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    Weston Choral

    Singing feeds the soul, enriches the mind and adds immensely to the enjoyment of life - great thing to do for health, happiness and well-being. Please join us!

    Quality

    We perform with professional orchestras and soloists of the highest calibre. We love singing and constantly strive to raise our performance.

    Inspirational

    We regularly perform in All Saints which has an amazing accoustic and we take part in concerts in stunning venues elsewhere - most recently some of our singers sang with Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) at David Geffen Hall Lincoln Centre, New York.

    Outstanding MD

    Our fantastic conductor, Howard Sayer, brings inspirational leadership and a wealth of experience, not to mention a lot of fun to our singing!

    Varied repertoire:

    We sing a wide variety of music, with emphasis on newer works by living composers. We also hold singing days where we meet other singers and invite distinguished conductors.

    Social

    We have fun! We make friends, and some of us go to the pub after rehearsals each week. We organise social events, singing days, quiz nights and anything else that members might like to arrange...

    Diary Dates:


    Looking ahead to 2021:

    26th September 2021
    Singing Day (St. Mark's, Worle) Theme: 'Great British anthems from the Great British isles' Conductor: David Ogden

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  • Home
  • COMING SOON!
  • Join Us!
  • SINGING DAYS
    • Singing-Day-2019 >
      • Singing-Day-2018
      • Singing-Day-2017
  • Past Concerts
    • June 2019
    • December 2018
    • Nov 2017
    • May 2017
    • December 2016
    • May 2016
    • November 2015
    • April 2015
  • About
    • STAGING HIRE
  • Contact
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  • Support Us!
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