Mistango Choir Festival
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  • Why aren't there more mixed age-group choirs?

    Added March 1, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 5455 views - 8 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   There are choirs for gay men, choirs for women, choirs for socialists, choirs for hire, choirs for weddings and choirs for the deaf. There are Welsh choirs, youth choirs, gospel choirs, Bulgarian choirs, barbershop choirs, school choirs, church c... read more
    8 comments

  • 10 reasons why people don’t join choirs (but love to sing)

    Added February 23, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 59399 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I know quite a few people who love to sing with others, but somehow don’t ever get around to joining a choir or attending a singing workshop.     Photo by toel-uru   They know they will enjoy it, singing is very import... read more

  • Why we don’t sing, even though it makes us feel good

    Added February 9, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 4888 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   “I love singing, but I haven’t sung for years and I really miss it.”     So why haven’t you joined a choir or come to a singing workshop?   missing singing At the end of a workshop a woman came up to... read more

  • Singing competitions are for losers

    Added February 2, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 1499 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   It’s that time again here in the UK: Choir of the Year 2012 auditions are under way.     Quite often choir members come up to me to ask why we don’t enter. I tell them that’s it’s just not something I’... read more

  • The singers shall remain nameless

    Added January 26, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 982 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I regularly run weekend workshops with up to 40 singers.     Photo by Dennis Mojado   Sometimes I include name games to get to know people, but I never, ever end up remembering the names!     weekends are differ... read more

  • Calm down dear, it's only a song!

    Added January 18, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 1508 views - 2 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I was running a workshop recently, and somebody grabbed me in the break and said: “I can’t believe how patient you are with us!”.     I have heard this before in various forms, but this time it set me thinking: wh... read more
    2 comments

  • Do you know the name of everyone in your choir?

    Added January 12, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 1555 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I’m ashamed to say that I don’t know the name of every singer in my choir.     Unless choir members come for a drink after a session or attend one of our social events, then I don’t get the chance to chat to them.... read more

  • No matter how prepared I am, I still get nervous

    Added January 4, 2012 by Chris Rowbury - 1106 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I reckon I’m a fairly experienced teacher and workshop leader. I’ve been teaching in one form or another for almost 35 years.     Photo by nickb_rock   But I still have sleepless nights before a workshop!  ... read more

  • The calm before the concert storm

    Added December 29, 2011 by Chris Rowbury - 3309 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   There’s always a strange sense of calm that descends on the choir before a concert.     People seem unusually relaxed and more people start turning up late for rehearsals. What’s going on here?   I build up to a ... read more

  • A day in the life of a concert

    Added December 22, 2011 by Chris Rowbury - 1762 views - 0 comments
    [this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   This is a busy concert time for most choirs.     I thought I'd give an account of a typical concert by one of my community choirs. This is a description of one particular spring concert some years ago, but the pattern is very simil... read more