Dear Friends of Choral Music, We're excited to invite you to the 13th World Peace Choral Festival in Vienna, from July 18th to 21st, 2024. This year, we continue our mission under the motto "Coming together to sing, Singing for a better future," promotin...

[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...

Dear friends  IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR CHOIRS SINGING RENAISSANCE MUSIC!!Requiem Mass by Antonio Gallego (c.1530) (Spanish composer recently discovered!!)(SATB) (Also contains preliminary study) Available in digital edition PDF files. Ours is the onl...

Dear all,   For those of you in Madrid this weekend, I'm happy to announce In Hora Sexta's end of season concert, this Sunday at 8:15pm:   In illo tempore: Raúl Mallavibarrena dirige a In Hora Sexta   For this very speci...

[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...

Dear friends, we are offering the last 2 places for choirs at our IFAS Festival Pardubice, Czech Republic. If you are interested, please contact us quickly by e-mail ifas.pardubice@seznam.czWe look forward to you :-) Alena Mejstříková...

(This post was orginally written for the Embro Thistle Singers blog.)   I think sometimes we get so focused on making the music as directors and singers, we forget that the people around us have "baggage" Good and bad that we need to unpack before ...

My musical re-imagining of the Nativity story, with a surprise in the 2nd verse. Dedicated to my Dear cousin, Madeleine Shaw. NB: choirs interested in obtaining copies of the score can contact The Leading Note at info@leadingnote.com. I would lik...  moreMy musical re-imagining of the Nativity story, with a surprise in the 2nd verse. Dedicated to my Dear cousin, Madeleine Shaw. NB: choirs interested in obtaining copies of the score can contact The Leading Note at info@leadingnote.com. I would like to acknowledge the a capella choir that I sing in, The Stairwell Carollers, and our director Pierre Massie, for their musical inspiration these past 25 years. I would also like to thank my friends in our "Ad hoc Chorale" for testing out this piece in one of our informal workshops and offering valuable comments. And with deepest appreciation to my brother Adam Rain and my friend Geneviève Lajoie for their invaluable support throughout my composing journey.  less

From our concert ("Our God Is God") on March 23, 2013 How sweet the name of Jesus sounds In a believer's ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, And drives away his fear. Dear name! The rock on which I build, My Shield and Hiding place, ...  moreFrom our concert ("Our God Is God") on March 23, 2013 How sweet the name of Jesus sounds In a believer's ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, And drives away his fear. Dear name! The rock on which I build, My Shield and Hiding place, My never-failing Treas'ry filled With boundless stores of grace. Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend, My Prophet, Priest, and King, My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, Accept the praise I bring. Weak is the effort of my Heart, And cold my warmest thought; But when I see Thee as Thou art, I'll praise Thee as I ought. Till then I would Thy love proclaim With ev'ry fleeting breath; And may the music of Thy name Refresh my soul in death.  less

Is singing Good for stress? Yes, it can actually stress you out a bit... By rushing to rehearsals, trying to park the car and not finding a space, or getting stuck in public transport at peak times (I really wish there were more morning choirs) By ...