Walking home after choir one Night my friend and fellow chorister Barbara and I agreed the hardest piece we’ve ever done was Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.   Here’s what I wrote about it at the time, (referring specifically to the Cr...

2012十週年音樂會 高雄市文化中心至德堂 2012-11-16 指揮: 朱如鳳 伴奏: 許溎芳 詩：James Agee艾吉 曲：Samuel Barber巴伯 二十世紀美國作曲家巴伯（Samuel Barber, 1910-81）生長於賓夕法尼亞州，畢業於費城寇蒂斯音樂學院，除鋼琴和作曲外，還學習歌唱和指揮。他是傑出的美國新浪漫主義作曲家之一，樂曲中充滿詩情，往往在緊緻與複雜的音樂結構中，展現出乎意外的優美樂句。 〈在這閃亮的夜晚〉原為男中音與鋼琴的獨唱作品，後來改編為混聲...  more2012十週年音樂會 高雄市文化中心至德堂 2012-11-16 指揮: 朱如鳳 伴奏: 許溎芳 詩：James Agee艾吉 曲：Samuel Barber巴伯 二十世紀美國作曲家巴伯（Samuel Barber, 1910-81）生長於賓夕法尼亞州，畢業於費城寇蒂斯音樂學院，除鋼琴和作曲外，還學習歌唱和指揮。他是傑出的美國新浪漫主義作曲家之一，樂曲中充滿詩情，往往在緊緻與複雜的音樂結構中，展現出乎意外的優美樂句。 〈在這閃亮的夜晚〉原為男中音與鋼琴的獨唱作品，後來改編為混聲四部合唱曲，歌詞取自美國詩人艾吉（James Agee, 1909-55）的詩集《允許我行旅》（Permit Me Voyage, 1934）中的〈描述天堂〉（Description of Elysium）一詩，旋律主題在女高音、男高音及女低音聲部間交織，情感綿延不絕，而男低音則以長音為全曲和聲支柱，樂曲充滿表現力。 Sure on this shining Night Of starmade shadows round, Kindness must watch for me This side the ground. The late year lies down the north. All is healed, all is health. High summer holds the earth. Hearts all whole. Sure on this shining Night I weep for wonder Wandering far alone Of shadows on the stars. 在這星影環繞 閃亮的夜晚， 仁慈必看顧我 在地球的這一端。 北國的歲暮， 萬物皆復甦。 盛夏臨據大地， 我重拾完整的心。 在這閃亮夜晚， 我為奇蹟落淚 獨自漫步 在星影下。  less

Come to Fundão, to the first edition of BEIRA INTERIOR International Choir Festival & Competition The BEIRA Grand Prize is waiting for you! Don´t you like to sing at a new Choir Festival and Competition in Portugal? So why don´t yo...

[this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   There was an article by Alex Petridis in The Guardian a few years back in which he claimed that:   “Singing out of tune can convey emotions tha...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Sometimes we’re asked to lead a rehearsal or run a Singing workshop or perform a song and we do our job very well. But afterwards we don’t feel...

Grand Champion at Wir Feiern 5 Novelty Song Fest: A Choir Competition last November 12, 2012 in Quezon City, Philippines. for more of Sechron's Videos, Click more and subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/user/SeChron Don't forget to Like our Facebook ...  moreGrand Champion at Wir Feiern 5 Novelty Song Fest: A Choir Competition last November 12, 2012 in Quezon City, Philippines. for more of Sechron's Videos, Click more and subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/user/SeChron Don't forget to Like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Sechron/  

Performance of "O Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem" by Patrick O'Shea (2010). The work was written for His Eminence John Patrick Cardinal Foley, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, and was premiered on the March 2011 t...  morePerformance of "O Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem" by Patrick O'Shea (2010). The work was written for His Eminence John Patrick Cardinal Foley, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, and was premiered on the March 2011 tour of the Saint Mary's University Chamber Singers to Rome. This performance is from the choir's homecoming concert, March 17, 2011, with the composer conducting.  

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

Les Sirènes' competition-winning performance of Billy Joel's beautiful And So It Goes arr. Michael Neaum from the Grand Final of the 2012 Choir of the Year competition held at London's Royal Festival Hall on 28 October, broadcast on BBC4. Conductor - A...  moreLes Sirènes' competition-winning performance of Billy Joel's beautiful And So It Goes arr. Michael Neaum from the Grand Final of the 2012 Choir of the Year competition held at London's Royal Festival Hall on 28 October, broadcast on BBC4. Conductor - Andrew Nunn Accompanist - Fionnuala Ward  

I wrote an essay about group Singing for Time, and I mentioned ChoirPlace as one of the places to find a choir.    This is a picture of a summer sing I went to on Monday, hosted by the West Village Chorale.