The vocal octet Octarium, based in Kansas City, has gained a national reputation for performances suffused with what composer Morton Lauridsen called, “stunning artistry combined with an absolutely beautiful blending of voices.” Composer Stephen Hatfield ...  moreThe vocal octet Octarium, based in Kansas City, has gained a national reputation for performances suffused with what composer Morton Lauridsen called, “stunning artistry combined with an absolutely beautiful blending of voices.” Composer Stephen Hatfield raves, “Octarium’s ability to change the nuance of their tone and timbre without disrupting the flow of the music enables them to pack their performances with riches without ever over-reaching for their effects.” At each presentation, Octarium offers the polished choral sonority and embodiment of the philosophy, “Eight Singers, One Voice” for which the ensemble has become well-known and respected. The Riverfront Times writes that the “eight members of Octarium go beyond raising their voices together in song; their voices warp and weave together, coalescing as a single instrument of tremendous power and depth. Octarium wields this might gracefully, never overpowering, opting instead to revel in the pliancy of the human voice.” In addition to a Kansas City-a...    less

[The views expressed in this blog are from my personal experiences from almost 30 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 ac...

[this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   I was running a one-day workshop a while back and it seemed to me that the whole thing wasn’t gelling. People seemed uninspired, energy was low, and i...

[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...

[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...

[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...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] I get regular emails from people asking questions about Songs and copyright. I’m certainly no expert, but I have written a few articles that you migh...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]Just because a song is in a foreign language, you still need to respect its origins. Sami family by Morten Oddvik There is a huge amount of misinformation ...

[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...

[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...