Category Archives: choirs

mental health in choirs

Posted on May 22, 2020 by vhk10

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week, and I have been thinking about how mental health issues can play out in choirs (under normal circumstances). Not so much mental health benefits to choir members in general, but to what extent choirs can … Continue reading →

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in praise of … choir committees

Posted on April 3, 2020 by vhk10

I’ve not spent a lot of time on choir committees, or ever had one of the more demanding posts. It’s a truism that they deserve lots of gratitude for what they do, and only if you’ve been behind the scenes … Continue reading →

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Shostakovich’s afternoon in Corpus

Posted on June 3, 2019 by vhk10

Still in Cambridge on the Monday, I had the Rare Books Room of the University Library almost to myself while I consulted back numbers of the Letter of the Corpus Association for information about Corpus chapel choir. I am trying … Continue reading →

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a new chapter for the South West Festival Chorus

Posted on January 26, 2019 by vhk10

I used to sing quite regularly with this choir, which puts on ‘all-comers’ concerts preceded by intensive rehearsal twice a year. But I haven’t done so since 2013. I dropped out partly because various friends no longer sang in the … Continue reading →

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joining the pub choir

Posted on October 25, 2018 by vhk10

I’ve been spending rather more time down my local recently. Part of the reason is that post-rehearsal church choir drinks now happen there, the former favoured watering hole having closed. I now feel more inclined to join in as I … Continue reading →

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Singers wanted for ADDUP

Posted on October 10, 2018 by vhk10

A course for choral conductors from France, Italy, the UK and Poland is happening in Bath 24-28th October and good choral singers are needed to form an adult chamber choir for them to work with. Details are here. There is … Continue reading →

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a new rehearsal room

Posted on January 14, 2018 by vhk10

Our choir is going to be rehearsing somewhere else next season, as our current venue will be for University use only after the summer. I’m not part of the process of choosing a new rehearsal location, but here are some … Continue reading →

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why go on foreign choir tours?

Posted on February 8, 2017 by vhk10

I haven’t actually been on many choir tours overseas. I like singing and I like travel, but I don’t necessarily enjoy mixing the two, because on a choir tour one’s free time and opportunity to explore and meet local people … Continue reading →

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review of the year – 2016

Posted on January 24, 2017 by vhk10

And what a year it was. I sang in the Three Choirs Festival Chorus. I sang lots of choral masterpieces (and Carmina Burana) for the first time. I made my débuts in several new venues, sang before a member of … Continue reading →

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three degrees of choral separation

Posted on October 8, 2016 by vhk10

A couple of times recently I’ve found myself sharing a choral acquaintance with someone I know and been told ‘Small world!’. But should people be all that surprised? How many removes am I from most active (by which I mean … Continue reading →

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