Time to revisit my musical resolutions for 2004 and see how I did.
a) singing items on the wishlist. Priory Voices provided two of these: Purcell’s Jehovah, quam multi and Howells’ St. Paul’s Service. In addition there were other things I sang for the first time, such as the Swayne Magnificat and music by James MacMillan, which had been significant gaps in what I’d done.
b) Bath Festival Chorus. Total failure here as this choir hasn’t performed since summer 2003 so there was no opportunity to sing in it.
c) Cathedrals. I sang in Gloucester and Sheffield as planned; in each case I could see, for very different reasons, why I hadn’t sung there before. I also performed in Westminster Cathedral for the first time.
d) Auditions. I heard nothing from the Paragon Singers (I wasn’t really expecting to!) but did audition for the Exultate Singers and have performed with them so this one worked out.
The main solo I did was in Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb; as it happened there were few available in the Cathedral visits I made this year. I found that with one choir I needed actively to volunteer myself as a potential soloist; I had been too modest to do this before, thinking rather that it might disqualify me!
For 2005: opportunities to sing more items from the wishlist or in of the four remaining Cathedrals (Birmingham, Wakefield, Bradford and Leicester) would be welcome. Nothing planned as yet but you never know what will come up during the year. I ought to add a resolution which depends on me rather than on others: to abolish the ‘all-purpose low note’ of rather indeterminate pitch which I sometimes use below about the F above middle C. This is just due to laziness so I ought to banish it for good.
the parragon singers are known to be hard to get an audition with. My advice is to be persistent – don’t take No for an answer!