The Major Minors Children's Choir (aged 5-12) are really looking forward to their concert  "One Small Voice" on Sunday June 8th.   The New Zealand based Choir have been working on a variety of songs and this fun concert has something for every...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Apparently it’s the summer break here in the UK. The weather is sunny, Choir doesn’t start back until September, kids are off school and ice c...

The Choir at St Mary’s Cathedral is one of Scotland’s finest. It is made up of boys, girls, women and men from all walks of life and with many levels of musical expertise and experience, who give of their time and talent on an entirely voluntary basis to ...  moreThe Choir at St Mary’s Cathedral is one of Scotland’s finest. It is made up of boys, girls, women and men from all walks of life and with many levels of musical expertise and experience, who give of their time and talent on an entirely voluntary basis to sing to a professional standard. Membership of the Choir currently stands at around thirty-five adults and sixteen to twenty children. The Choir’s principal function is to provide the music and help lead the worship at the Cathedral’s two main services every Sunday: Sung Eucharist at 10.30 am and Choral Evensong at 6.30 pm. Services are preceded by a rehearsal, and there is a rehearsal once a week, currently on Thursday evenings. In addition to these important duties, the Choir also sings for regular special services, occasional concerts, broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio, has appeared on TV, and every year they sing in one of the great British Cathedrals for a weekend, or sometimes a week. St Mary’s Cathedral Choir performs a very wide range of music, ...    less

 five-star review in the Telegraph for the Howells Requiem from Trinity College Choir and Stephen Layton. “A fluid lyrical gift, an imaginative harmonic spectrum and a sense of occasion … the Trinity College Choir brings clarity of words...

The roots of Cantilena lie within the children’s Choir “Gumpoldskirchner Spatzen”. The memories of the wonderful and exciting years, the great musical and personal experiences gained while singing in the children’s Choir motivated a group of former membe...  moreThe roots of Cantilena lie within the children’s Choir “Gumpoldskirchner Spatzen”. The memories of the wonderful and exciting years, the great musical and personal experiences gained while singing in the children’s Choir motivated a group of former members to reunite and to found a female vocal ensemble – in January 2004, students, mothers and young professionals come together to sing for the first time as “Cantilena”. Prof. Elisabeth Ziegler, conductor of the “Gumpoldskirchner Spatzen”, was entrusted to be the artistic director of the new women’s Choir. She was tempted by the possibility to go beyond the limits given by the repertoire of a children’s Choir and to discover new choral literature with the now adult singers. From the very first moment of the foundation of “Cantilena” until today, Elisabeth Ziegler guides and supports the plans of the enthusiastic young women by sharing her extensive musical expertise. It was her lifelong passion for choral music that was planted into the singers’ hearts back in ...    less

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Lots of mixed Choirs don’t have enough male singers, and many established male voice Choirs are not managing to find younger recruits (see my series of ...

Dear Choir Directors, Congratulations on successfully completing another semester filled with beautiful choral performances and uplifting musical experiences. As we wrap up this chapter, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on the accomplishments ach...

【wow! 合唱】音樂會 時間/ 2014年9月20日 地點/ 大東文化藝術中心 指揮/ 張成璞 耶洛(Ola Gjeilo， 1978-)，挪威人，於2006年在茱莉亞音樂學院取得作曲，現居美國紐約。身為鋼琴家和作曲家，他的音樂在世界上超過三十個國家傳唱、錄音。此外，耶洛的音樂也在美國公視，還有主流的斯堪地那維亞電視頻道播放，許多傑出的音樂家、合唱團也曾演出耶洛的作品。 耶洛於2001年寫出這首《被捕獲的獨角獸》，同年三月由挪威音樂學苑室內合唱團首演。這首曲子歌詞與材自中世...  more【wow! 合唱】音樂會 時間/ 2014年9月20日 地點/ 大東文化藝術中心 指揮/ 張成璞 耶洛(Ola Gjeilo， 1978-)，挪威人，於2006年在茱莉亞音樂學院取得作曲，現居美國紐約。身為鋼琴家和作曲家，他的音樂在世界上超過三十個國家傳唱、錄音。此外，耶洛的音樂也在美國公視，還有主流的斯堪地那維亞電視頻道播放，許多傑出的音樂家、合唱團也曾演出耶洛的作品。 耶洛於2001年寫出這首《被捕獲的獨角獸》，同年三月由挪威音樂學苑室內合唱團首演。這首曲子歌詞與材自中世紀晚期瑞士英格堡修道院中的經文，耶洛並非為了特定場合或是委託創作而作，而是純粹被這篇經文吸引，讓他靈光乍現。作者提到，經文裡面充滿了強烈的象徵主義，戲劇化的故事發展，還有勝利的喜悅歡樂。這首樂曲同時隱含耶穌基督死而復生的意義。 本曲開頭以中世紀調式音樂的風格呈現，四四拍與六八拍輪替之節奏也引入中世紀舞曲風味。哈利路亞段落以歡快的節奏、豐滿的和聲帶出，四四拍與七八拍轉換則顯出高昂的精神。隨著歌詞劇情推展，音樂漸趨神秘，所提到的各類動物皆具有宗教上的象徵意涵。當歌詞走到「然而牠卻復活了」段落，出現了天堂般的樂音，由女聲合唱與男聲合唱接替構築了綿長的線條與虔敬的和聲。突然轉入的新段落，則是全曲最神祕隱晦之處，象徵沉睡的國王。而後樂風一轉，最終以哈利路亞段落發展，並將樂曲帶入高潮的尾聲。  less

"Pater Noster" by Jonathan Adams, performed by the Famiglia Sala at the Rimini International Choral Competition 2012. They were the winners in Class E.