Holmfirth Choral Society
Members' Information
updated April 15th 2018 : NEW -
Concert Farnley Tyas Church, April 27th - see below
Rehearsals recommence April 19th.
SNOW / ICE : If we need
to cancel a rehearsal at short notice, I will post a warning
here, and send out an email to those who are signed up for
emails / Members' Newsletters (see below).
I know some areas are badly affected by the weather - if you
find it difficult or dangerous to travel, please don't risk
coming, but please don't email me either just for this reason.
REHEARSALS are at Holmfirth Methodist Church, Thursdays 7.30
as usual. New members welcome!
Rehearsals reconvene on April 19th.
As you know, we are low in numbers particularly in the tenor and
bass sections - if you know of any able tenors and basses, do
please invite them.
Many thanks for
your excellent singing at our performance of Elijah.
Yet another superb concert. Messiah was
also an excellent performance, perhaps an anticlimax so
soon after Elijah which must surely have been one
of the best in the Society's history of over 70 years. See
the Examiner Review at
http://www.examiner.co.uk/whats-on/holmfirth-choral-society-give-epic-13897302
CONCERT DATES
Summer Concert - to be decided, possibly Sunday July
15th. It's likely we will join in an event in
Holmfirth on June 17th.
10th November 2018 - Cherubini
Requiem, Mascagni
Cavalleria
Rusticana
8th December 2018 - Mozart
Dominican Vespers, Bach
Christmas
Oratorio (selection) with Valley Sinfonia who will also
play Bach
Brandenburg No 4
30 March 2019 (date to be confirmed) Verdi
Requiem
SIGN UP to the Members' Newsletter - this will be
emailed using mailchimp only infrequently (because the information
will be on this page anyway) and will be used primarily for
emergency purposes, e.g. if there is a short-notice rehearsal or
concert cancellation or alteration. You can sign up by
clicking here;
Mailchimp allows you to unsubscribe at any time too. (I will
need to check that the MailChimp database complies with the new GDPR
(General Data Protection Regulations) this year).
Several of you took part in the RSCM Festival in Leeds Cathedral on
23rd May 2015. If you are not on the
local RSCM mailing list, and you would like to receive information
about upcoming events of interest to choir members, you can sign
up the the mailing list at http://hudds.org.uk/rscm
. I've also some spare music copies from that event for
sale at £3.50 each.
Rehearsal Aids:
I've been told about a music teacher who records
rehearsal CDs and has built up quite a reputation, I
believe. You can order your own part from him. Some
recordings seem to be piano only, others include a vocal
line. He is called Quintus Benziger, on 01799 586269,
and his business is the Saffron Choral Prompt.
See also: http://www.saffronchoralprompt.co.uk/
and http://www.quintusbenziger.co.uk/
for further details.
A good source of midi files which are useful for playing parts
through if you have a computer is
http://www.learnchoralmusic.co.uk/
Covered by this site:
The midi player program I have mentioned before, MidiPlay_v2p6.exe
(actually this link is to a later version) will allow you to play
files from this site, and adjust the volume of your own part to suit
your learning.
We still have a number of items for sale, proceeds to Holmfirth
Choral Funds, including: our 2002 CD Holmfirth in Harmony
(which includes Last of the Summer Wine and Pratty
Flowers, hated by some but loved by others!!!); our 50th
anniversary souvenir booklet, a recipe book (recipes submitted
by members a few years ago), and still a few copies of Postcard
Pops, a cassette (if you remember these!) made some years
before the CD, and also with performances of those favourite(!)
pieces. Speak to me or email me for details or to buy
one. These are of course also for sale to people outside
the society (who may or may not be viewing this members'
page!)
Geoffrey Lockwood

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST

Email from the Trinity
Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
Dear Sir or Madam,
I recently came across Holmfirth Choral
Society on Facebook and I am writing to you about an
exciting opportunity run Trinity Laban Conservatoire of
Music and Dance, in partnership with the Open University, that I
think will be of great interest to many of your members.
The Certificate: The Practice of Music Making
is a unique one-year distance learning programme It is designed
for those who regularly sing in a group or ensemble of any genre
whether it be classical, jazz, pop or religious, who would like
to develop their skills in practical music making. There are no
formal musical qualifications needed to apply and no audition to
gain a place, only some singing experience and a passion for
music and a desire to advance their performance skills.
We’d love to share this programme with you
and your members, along with other music making opportunities.
We can happily send flyers and materials if you provide an
address.
However, the best way to stay up-to-date is
to sign
up to our mailing list and select ‘Adult Music Classes’.
Alternatively, we can sign you up if you give consent.
To find out more information about The
Certificate visit trinitylaban.ac.uk/certificate
I do hope that this opportunity will excite
you and your members, please do not hesitate to get in touch if
you have any questions at all.
All good wishes,
Hannah
Jacobi
Learning
and Participation (Music)
Trinity
Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
Faculty
of Music
King
Charles Court
Old
Royal Naval College
Greenwich
London
SE10 9JF
UK
Tel
020
8305 9354
Email
h.jacobi@trinitylaban.ac.uk
Web
www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/take-part
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of
Music and Dance is a company limited by guarantee registered
in England and Wales Company No: 51090 Registered Charity No:
309998. King Charles Court, Old Royal Naval College, London
SE10 9JF
Email from the
Derbyshire Singers
Dear singers
We write to you as someone who has shown an interest in or attended
The Derbyshire Singers' choral weekends.
Attached are the details of our next choral weekend in May this
year.
We are delighted to have Nigel Perrin lead the Saturday workshop on
Mozart's Mass in C Minor and Neil Ferris lead the Sunday one on
Verdi's Requiem.
Many of you will know Nigel as he has led most of our workshops over
recent years. Neil has worked with us since 2016: he was appointed
as Chorus Director of the BBC Symphony Chorus in March 2017. More
details about both of them may be found on the attached form and on
our website www.derbyshiresingers.org
We very much hope you will wish to join us in May.
Download the Brochure
and Booking
Form
CHOIR CAMP 2018

A booking form can be downloaded here.
Members of Holmfirth Choral qualify for a £50 discount off the
booking price - ask me for the code you need to quote on the
booking form.
The text in the image above is not very clear, but reads:
Following the success of last year’s first camp with Peter
Straker, this exciting gathering returns to Ingestre Hall.
Commencing on the Friday evening, a buffet will be served as we
mingle and settle in before singing pop, gospel, musical theatre and
classical. I’m already busy writing six-part arrangements especially
for the occasion. After some parlour games and a nightcap or two,
it’ll be ‘lights out’ before waking up to a full English breakfast
to set us up for a busy Saturday of music-making.
Set in some thirty acres of Staffordshire countryside, we’ll have
the exclusive run of the Jacobean mansion. There’ll be time during
the day to explore its grounds including a private tour of St
Mary the Virgin, the only Christopher Wren church outside London. In
the evening, we’ll don our glad rags and, after a champagne
reception, dance the night away as I host one of my legendary
black-tie parties! And for those who dare, ghost stories will be
read into the early hours…
The weekend will culminate in a very special session on the Sunday
morning with none other than the iconic Kiki Dee. Best known for her
1976 international number one duet with Elton John, ‘Don’t Go
Breaking My Heart’, Dee was the first white British artist to be
signed by Motown. After solo success with ‘Amoureuse’ and ‘I’ve Got
the Music in Me’, she went on to play the starring role of Mrs
Johnstone in Bill Kenwright’s original production of Blood Brothers.
An audience of local villagers will hear the fruits of our labour
and we’ll enjoy a Sunday roast before saying our goodbyes, until
next time.
As far as I’m concerned, there is no activity more inclusive than
group singing so whether you’re a complete beginner or seasoned
professional, I invite you to join me in what promises to be another
unforgettable experience.
An email received from Phillip Tolley:
The latest version of the British Choirs on the
Net ‘Chorister’ Newsletter is now available online.
For those new to this mailing British Choir on
the Net, www.choirs.org.uk,
is a free listing of over 4000 choirs across the UK.
Listings are both alphabetical and geographical. The
site was originally set up in 1995 to help people who were
relocating to a new area/town/city to find new choirs to join.
Since then it has grown into so much more, but retains the UK’s
largest free listing of choirs at its core.
This edition includes features on the London A
Cappella Festival, Holocaust Memorial Day song sheets, the Messiah
4 Grenfell project and an interesting article of the benefits of
Singing from the Bach Choir
To view the Newsletter please visit http://www.choirs.org.uk/chorister/jan2018.pdf
Please feel free to print off, forward or
simply ignore.
You can also view past issues of the
‘Chorister’ Newsletter at http://www.choirs.org.uk/chorister.htm
To see how email data is collected and how it is used please visit www.choirs.org.uk/mailings.html
Phillip Tolley
British Choirs on the Net
www.choirs.org.uk
philliptolley@colcanto.co.uk
British Choirs on the Net is a member of
the Singing Network UK and an associate member of the Association
of British Choral Directors (ABCD)
The British Choirs on the Net 'Chorister' Newsletter (NEW JANUARY 2018) is now available
online. To view the newsletter please visit
http://www.choirs.org.uk/chorister/jan2018.pdf
(Earlier newsletters are at: http://www.choirs.org.uk/chorister.htm
Please feel free to print or send on the
Newsletter
Thank you for your continued support
Phillip Tolley
www.choirs.org.uk
www.concertfinder.co.uk
Please try to communicate
information with those of your colleagues who might not have
access to web pages such as this.
G.L. 688487