Author Archives: vhk10

2020’s carol services

Posted on December 22, 2020 by vhk10

We did actually get to sing our Advent and Christmas carol services in person, though the usual scramble (they happen 2 weeks apart) got even more compressed with our limited rehearsal time. So we didn’t try to learn anything new. … Continue reading →

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my verdict on the entries

Posted on December 14, 2020 by vhk10

Right, as promised here are my unedited thoughts on the finalists: I’m writing this a week before the final of the Mary Otty Carol Competition, hosted by Bristol Choral Society. In seven days’ time my thoughts can be compared with … Continue reading →

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In the can

Posted on November 27, 2020 by vhk10

I’ve now submitted all my carol tracks for our competition. I’d got practised at co-ordinating with the clicks and was able to ‘go with the pro’ singing my line, but one thing I couldn’t do was look at the waveform … Continue reading →

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keeping with the clicks

Posted on November 14, 2020 by vhk10

We have moved our carol competition online, which means recording our own contributions and sending them in to be edited. For this one we have no video of a conductor to guide us, just an audio track. Or rather tracks, … Continue reading →

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choirs go away again

Posted on November 8, 2020 by vhk10

Just getting into a routine with various choirs when there is a second lockdown and they all go away again. I managed to fit in a second visit to Gloucester just in time, in the process becoming aware of some … Continue reading →

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Choir returns: (3) Gloucester

Posted on October 26, 2020 by vhk10

The last to return of the three choirs I sing with that are currently functioning was Gloucester Choral Society. It looks as if auditioning for this choir was one of my best decisions of 2020 (not, admittedly, a year in … Continue reading →

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how to return

Posted on October 20, 2020 by vhk10

Before I post an account of my third return to choral singing, I’m going to reflect on some of the difficulties that have had to be faced and the questions to be answered. Firstly is there a place where rehearsals … Continue reading →

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singing in the mask

Posted on October 9, 2020 by vhk10

This expression is no longer just a way of describing good vocal projection. We are now wearing face coverings to sing in church choir, to forestall any objections that we might not be protecting our congregation sufficiently. I haven’t heard … Continue reading →

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Portsmouth to the rescue

Posted on October 3, 2020 by vhk10

We are now beginning to see which Cathedrals have been hit hardest by the loss of revenue in 2020. I’d made a booking for a choir to sing for a week in Salisbury in 2021, and this week got a … Continue reading →

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Choir returns (2): Bristol

Posted on September 28, 2020 by vhk10

Bristol Choral Society has in one sense had less of a break than in many years. Very often we’d do nothing after the concert in June until the AGM at the beginning of September, but this year we carried on … Continue reading →

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