[The views expressed in this blog are from my personal experiences from 25 years of leading non-auditioned community choirs in the UK, as well as adult singing workshops. My focus is on teaching by ear using a repertoire of songs from traditions across th...

This post was orginally found on our Embro Thistle Singers blog. I remember when we had Professional Development Days when I was teaching, the teachers would complain that they were more tired that day than from a whole day of teaching.  I had had...

Who are we? Well, we are the Kórus Spontánusz! That was our answer, unexpected even for us, since we hadn’t thought of a name yet. It happened on a December night in 2001 in Sopron in front of the Dömötöri Patisserie where we sang Christmas carols for ...  moreWho are we? Well, we are the Kórus Spontánusz! That was our answer, unexpected even for us, since we hadn’t thought of a name yet. It happened on a December night in 2001 in Sopron in front of the Dömötöri Patisserie where we sang Christmas carols for the passersby. We didn’t notice being founded, only the joy of polyphonic singing. It was, and still is our experience that making music together strengthens existing friendships and facilitates the development of new ones. We started out with 13 people and our numbers have only been growing ever since, we count 25-35 members on average. We gladly sing anything may that be it religious or secular, Hungarian or from abroad regardless of its period or language if it fits our skills and numbers. We sing in churches, restaurants, museums, the Academy of Music, small villages in Hungary or Austria, at international competitions, libraries – anyplace where we are welcome. Singing in a choir is a demanding activity; it takes a lot of time, energy, discipline a...    less

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Even though I’ve been teaching for almost 30 years, I still get affected by that glum-looking face in the third row.   ... and it's no...

The Lassus Scholars, named after the great Renaissance composer Orlande de Lassus, seek to achieve excellence in expression and interpretation in all musical styles from the 16th century to the present day.

The fundamental connection between music and scenic performance – this will be the intent with which CHOREOS wants to produce a new quality of musical scenic performances. The long-term experience of scenic choreographic work with different choirs shows ...  moreThe fundamental connection between music and scenic performance – this will be the intent with which CHOREOS wants to produce a new quality of musical scenic performances. The long-term experience of scenic choreographic work with different choirs shows us that singing or experiencing music is always connected to a primal impulse to movement. This primal impulse is unfolded our production, connect it to space and light and bring it all together in our performance. The result is a new musical work in a physical wholesomeness in which sound and movement do not compete but complement and enhance each other in fruitful ways. We are not interested in creating pictures for the music – we enhance the uncompromising sound to another level of perception, we heighten and amplify the body consciousness of our singing performers. We use the knowledge about the space and the powerful energies therein for our performances of choir singing. The dialogue between the perception of the inside and outside, the area of tension ...    less

If you’re a singer on your way to a voice lesson, rehearsal, or audition, it’s always good to do a bit of warming up in the car, because there are few things more annoying to music directors than Singers wasting time complaining that they&rsqu...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Many’s the time I see Ann lean over to Gill (not their real names) to help her get her part right. And every time I see a pained expression on ...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   It’s the final rehearsal before your big concert. The warm up is over and everyone is ready to go. But a handful of Singers (the usual suspects...

[The views expressed in this blog are from my personal experiences from 25 years of leading non-auditioned community choirs in the UK, as well as adult singing workshops. My focus is on teaching by ear using a repertoire of songs from traditions across th...