We have until the end of this month (November) to submit any recordings for the virtual Concert. It would be really lovely to have everyone participating and included in the video. There is an alternative for the recordings. You could just send in a recording without the video but please send a photograph of yourself so you can be added. If you don’t want to do any of the singing then perhaps you could send a short video of yourselves saying Merry Christmas (or something appropriate) or failing that just a photograph of yourself in uniform so that it can be included somewhere, can you do one with a christmas hat and one without please.
Lillian would also like some individual performances, solos, duets (if you are in a bubble with someone), and readings. Perhaps it might be a good idea to let her know what you are doing just in case someone else chooses it.
WHAT TO WEAR
Ladies could you wear your sparkly red tops, silver jewellery (a nice display of suitable ones in the photograph). I know some ladies do not have the red tops and wear sparkly black. I do have some spare red ones but of course with the lockdown it may be difficult to get them to you.
Men Jerry has already submitted a video wearing the sparkly red ties so could everyone wear that one please, and of course your dinner suits and white shirt.
And for “THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR” could you wear a Christmasy hat/thing on your head.
Don’t you all look amazing in your christmas hats especially Chris 😆
The carols that will be included are as follows:-
1. Hark! The herald-angels sing (#23) – ALL
2. We wish you a merry Christmas – ALL
3. O come, all ye faithful (#54)
4. The first Nowell (#81)
5. O little town of Bethlehem (#57)
6. In the bleak midwinter Holst (#39)
7. Joy to the World (#47)
8. Once in Royal David’s City (#61)
You have been informed which songs Lillian would like you to record. She has requested could you please send those one in first and the ones that everyone is recording at the end. If you are only doing the three with everyone send them in when they are ready. Make sure it is clear which recording (which song) you have sent in.
It is not too late to add you to the recording of the other carols just let Lillian know which ones you would like to do.
Here is the link to the backing tracks again. You can record to any of the backing tracks as the accompaniment is the same on all of them.
Please set your camera running before you press play on the music and sing along to it.
Please wear earphones with video in so that your microphone just picks up you. (Ideally earphones – not massive headphones)
Please stand still for a few seconds after Chris has finished before stopping the tape, rather than as soon as you have stopped singing.
Which room should I film in? Please be in a room with soft furnishings (i.e. living room rather than kitchen), as this helps with sound recording. It helps if your background is at least slightly different to your skin tone. Please consider whether there is anything distracting in your backdrop, eg flags, reflective surfaces, personal pictures, posters etc (a blank background may be your best, safe option – having said that, a few homely touches are nice!). There are too many issues with noise outside so please stay inside.
What should I film with? Use a mobile phone, rather than a webcam, as the cameras are generally superior. A DSLR or camcorder will generally be even better.
Which way round? Generally please shoot landscape.
What about lighting? You probably need more light than you think you need.Natural light is good! Ideally make sure natural light is coming from behind the camera roughly 45 degrees to the line between you and the camera (ie not behind you). One tip: try having the camera on the window sill and face the window. If you have to just use artificial light, try to use whiter lights rather than warmer (orange) lights.
Where should I put the camera? Please make sure you are not holding the camera – either use a tripod, or try putting it on some books / a steady surface. If you visualise the screen as three vertical sections, your eye-line should be approximately a third of the way down the image. If you are standing (as you normally will be) please shoot from approximately the waist up. Have the camera horizontal to your eyes – don’t peer down into it. You may find this video helpful.
Where do I send it?This link. To my email address (lillian.sediles@gmail.com) Please give the files names which describe them eg. the name of the song and your name.
Are you looking for some inspiring, high-quality online activities for your choir this winter?
We know that some choirs have managed to keep activities going online using ZOOM and YouTube but many, perhaps the majority, have not gathered at all since March.
Also, many choirs that have been rehearsing online for the past six months are now looking for something new and inspiring for their members.
We want to help.
At the heart of Koor is a collective of professional singers, instrumentalists and conductors. We are all painfully aware of how devastating COVID-19 has been on the activities of choirs across the country.
We thought that one way we could support choirs – bringing some light and inspiration during a second lockdown – is to present a series of FREE online courses.
Each course will be led by musicians that make up the professional performing element of Koor; hand-picked singers and instrumentalists, many of whom are soloists in their own right: A stellar group of musicians who, under normal circumstances, would be performing with groups such as The Tallis Scholars, Tenebrae, The Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, The Gabrieli Consort, The Sixteen, the Choir of the Age of Enlightenment and the BBC Singers.
Between them, these artists have an immense wealth of experience working in all the major concert halls in the UK and abroad and they excel in both historical and modern music.
We’re bringing this incredible knowledge and talent together in our three, exceptional online courses:
A programme of beautiful Christmas music from the 20th & 21st Centuries with a satisfying balance of the well known and new.
So how do the courses work?
Just head over to www.koor.app and register for as many courses as you would like to attend. Remember, they are free.
Once registered, we will send out:
further information on how to access sheet music for each course
what each workshop will consist of
links to each workshop
Practise your part with professional singers.
Inspired by our singers, you will want to practise your part between each weekly workshop. With Koor, you can learn your notes by engaging with interactive recordings of professional singers. You can isolate your part or create a personal mix with the other voices.
If you haven’t already got an account, sign up for Koor via www.koor.app. The app is also free.
I hope that these courses will be of interest to you and your choir, and we look forward to welcoming you to our virtual workshops.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to drop me a line.
Starting in 5 days – the perfect ‘lockdown’ project
Join over a thousand singers from the UK, US, Australia and across the world as we come together online to rehearse and perform this incredible work.
Organised by the ‘RunbySingers’ team the course will include online access to sectional (voice part) rehearsals, full choir rehearsals, the concert performance with Baroque orchestra, online chat, a high quality PDF choral score, Viennese recipes and a private lecture by former King’s Singer Jeremy Jackman.
Last but not least, you have chance to be part of a new CD recording and raise money for Cancer Research.
Musical Director for Bath Light Operatic Group for over 25 years, Matt completed his music degree at Bath Spa University where he conducted the choir and orchestra.
Since Lockdown Matt has recorded six virtual choirs on video which led him to organise Choirshow – a live broadcast of 13 virtual choirs of over 250 singers which has already had over 1200 views and has raised over £1000 for charity.
Members of the Baroque orchestra have completed and submitted their recordings. All we need now is YOUR voices.
This is Louise Strickland our Bassett Horn player – one of the top players in the country , We also feature two Guildhall professors on sackbut (trombone) – Adrian France and Emily White
Mozart Requiem – Preparation
Prepare in advance of the course with a ChoraLine rehearsal recording for Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass.
My name is Laurie Denman, and I’ve written to you previously using the Making Music website Contact Form regarding an exciting online choir programme, Carry On Singing.
As we enter into another lockdown for November, I would be very grateful if you could share the below information with your choir members once again. I think many of us were confident that we were back in the clear and that we were able to sing in our communities once more, however the uncertainty of Coronavirus has meant that this can’t happen for a while longer.
As such I have created an all new and exciting Christmas Choir Course which your members may well be interested in! This course focusses on a unique and creative SATB arrangement of ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’ by Slade, as well as learning important vocal techniques and festive exercises throughout the programme! The course begins on Friday 13th November (unlucky for some, but lucky for us, I say!) and lasts 4 weeks, with the fourth being reserved for our members to record their vocal parts at home which will later be added to our Virtual Choir Performance. You can find out more information about our Christmas Choir Course on our website:
With over 200 singers from across the world coming together in our previous programmes, I’m really pleased with the results we produce, so if you’d like to see what that looks like, do check out one of our previous Virtual Choir Performances here:
I would again be extremely grateful if you could please share this information with your members by forwarding them this message, keeping your choir in good health and happiness as we enter another uncertain time! We must all remember the power of song in these usual circumstances and, with your help, we can cut through the chaos of Coronavirus, embrace the magic of music, and, of course, put the sing in social distanc-sing.
We also go into lockdown again, I guess that does not effect us too much with the choir, good old zoom. Hope you all keep safe and if anyone needs anything let me know and I can see if we can sort it out. We have ways of contacting people.
We don’t have any birthdays this week but it would have been Martin Small’s who passed away earlier this year, his was on Guy Fawkes Night.
As I have mentioned we inherited all of Martins videos which Chris will go through eventually and save them to hard drive. This does leave me with a lot of excess video copies (around 30) that I inherited from Mon these are no longer needed but before I dispose of them is there anyone that would like them?
These are the ones from Martin, it may keep Chris busy for a while!
I spoke to Mary Gunn the other day and she is much better, she is still very weak and can’t manage the stairs yet but she is pleased to be home she found it very cold in the hospital. She has a good friend who goes in every day and also her daughter manages most evenings.
Our Zoom this week will be singing over Oh Come All Ye Faithful and we are having some Rutter in our lives. You can’t have Christmas without Rutter, OK maybe not everyones choice?
O Come all ye Faithful Number 54
Rutter – Jesus Child. Number 24
Rutter – Nativity Carol. Number 14
Rutter – Shepherd’s Pipe Carol. Number 20
All of these can be found in the Carol Book and Jerry has very kindly put them on the one drive under Xmas and also put PDF’s if you do not have the music.
You have some of the backing tracks for the “Virtual Christmas Concert”, and what Lillian wants you to sing. It would be lovely if everyone could have a go of at least one of the ones that everyone is singing. It would be so much nicer if everyone was involved, somehow, like a normal Concert. Anyone that would like to be added on any of the other tracks let Lillian know she would love to add you to the list. Come on Men you know you want to do it!!!
For those of you who have been in the choir from 1979 to 2009 and were lucky to get involved with the twinning in Germany, Tom informed me that one of the people, Eberhard Glaser, who instigated the starting of the Choir twinning with Kornwestheim, has sadly passed away. I have sent a sympathy card on behalf of the New Music Makers.
If you watched the video that I sent out some time ago of a panto that was held in Germany, it was in Eberhard’s Barn. An amazing building that just seemed to be in the middle of an urban street. You went through some gates and it opened up to a fantastic place for parties. They used to spit roast dozens of chickens and of course there was gallons of German Beer to drink. Sandra and I sang the flower duet there one year and one German lady said “that was lovely it was like having a French Lesson at School”. I am still not quite sure if it was a compliment!
This is what Tom wrote to me:-
It was Eberhard who was instrumental in starting the exchange of the two choirs after we had made inquiries. Four members of the choir went to Kornwestheim to make choral arrangements and I as choir chairman stayed with Eberhard and his wife Doris, Eberhard being the Liederkranz choir chairman. The exchange lasted for 30 years and was one of the most successful twinning arrangements ever made within Eastleigh Borough. He was 93 years old and will be laid to rest in Kornwestheim cemetery on 26th October, a beautiful cemetery that the NMM visited.
I spoke to him a few days before he died and he tried to speak to me in English, which was nice for me, I gave him the choirs best wishes. He had been listening to our 2002 concert in Kornwestheim with his daughter Christiane and enjoyed it very much, so it was lovely to have the opportunity to say a few words.
Sandie and I joined in 1999 when the Liederkranz came to England that year and we were lucky to go twice with the choir and stay with our German Hosts. Sandie and I went back with Tom and Diane on our own for a celebration concert as guests and my Chris and I went over for another celebration concert and met up with Rita and Andy. We were always made very welcome and were looked after like royalty. So many happy memories and so glad that I was a small part of the experience.
Talking of Sandie and David, the card has been sent and the gifts and vouchers have been given.
I did mention on the zoom call last week that Steve and Deborah Swan have left the choir for personal reasons, we wish them both well.
Well we know what we are doing for zoom this week, so here is the details again:-
Lillian has sent the backing videos and details of recording see below.
This week we will be rehearsing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. And will also take request for any other difficult sections.
I have not yet recorded the ladies voices for Joy to the World and Once in Royal. I am still waiting on voice parts from Chris to add for the men.
Here is my proposal for who I’d like to sing/record for each song:
1. Hark the Herald – ALL
2. We wish you a merry Christmas – ALL
3. O Come all Ye Faithful – Louise, Lin, Marg, Ann, Sharon, Maggie, Rosie, Gilly, Percy, Keith, Roy, Peter B.
4. The First Nowell – Sarah, Pat, Hilary, Sharon, Margaret W, Jerry, Terry, Peter B
5. O Little Town of Bethlehem – Louise, Marg, Jane, Maureen, Rosie, Terry, Roy
6. In the Bleak Midwinter – Beccy, Ann, Jane, Maggie, Maureen, Margaret W, Jerry, Roy
7. Joy to the World – Sarah, Pat, Beccy, Lin, Hilary, Sharon, Maggie, Margaret W, Rosie, Percy, Keith, Roy, Peter B
8. Once in Royal David’s City – Pat, Gilly, Jerry, Peter B
9. The most wonderful time of the year – ALL
Sorry that some ladies have 6 songs to record, and some men have 7 songs. We didn’t have as many volunteers as I hoped, so many voices are doubling up. If you CANNOT record, please let me know especially if you are the ONLY voice part represented in that song. And also, if you want to go above and beyond, you can record ALL the songs anyway, though I may not include it if I didn’t list it here. And, if I missed anyone, please let me know. I’d love to add you to the lists.
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