A 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 and...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   “In our choir we’re not allowed to use Words in concerts.”   Photo by Kaptain Kobold   Great idea. In principle. But how...

 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...

for SATB Chorus unaccompanied Words by Mary Elizabeth Frye: Public Domain Music by Stanley M. Hoffman © Copyright 2018 by Stanley M. Hoffman. www.stanleymhoffman.com All rights reserved. The poem above is sometimes called “I Am” due to its repet...  morefor SATB Chorus unaccompanied Words by Mary Elizabeth Frye: Public Domain Music by Stanley M. Hoffman © Copyright 2018 by Stanley M. Hoffman. www.stanleymhoffman.com All rights reserved. The poem above is sometimes called “I Am” due to its repetition of the phrase. Was the poem inspired? The Hebrew name for God, YHWH, means “I am” or “I am that I am.” And there does seem to be something magical about the poem, as it was written by a woman who, to our knowledge, had never written a poem before. Mary Elizabeth Frye was an orphan with no formal education. In 1932 she and her husband hosted a young Jewish woman, Margaret Schwarzkopf, who was fleeing the Holocaust. When she received news that her mother had died in Germany, the heartbroken houseguest told Frye in despair that she had never had the chance to “stand by my mother’s grave and shed a tear.” Frye found herself composing the poem above on a ripped-off section of a brown paper shopping bag. She said the Words “just came to her.”  less

[this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Last week in Part 1 of How to deal with song lyrics, I looked at the pros and cons of using written Words as opposed to learning entirely by ear.   &...

Award-winning composer Thomas Hewitt Jones wrote the music and Words of 'Love is the Answer' during lockdown in the midst of the pandemic in 2020, at a time when choirs were forbidden to meet to sing together. The result is an enchanting outpouring of lov...

EVOKX, a portmanteau of the Words ‘evoke’ and ‘vox’, was founded in 2010 as a non-profit choral group by music and artistic director Terrence Toh. At the heart of EVOKX, our singers share a passion to inspire our audiences with choral music that resonates...  moreEVOKX, a portmanteau of the Words ‘evoke’ and ‘vox’, was founded in 2010 as a non-profit choral group by music and artistic director Terrence Toh. At the heart of EVOKX, our singers share a passion to inspire our audiences with choral music that resonates with the soul, and instill empathy and charity through community engagement and choral performance. We stand strong in our pursuit for artistic excellence, and strive to nurture our singers’ love of choral music by giving them an avenue to further pursue their interest in choral singing. In evoking the senses, emotions, and memories through the music we make, we hope to bring meaning and purpose to the community at large, and stay steadfast to our fundamental belief that music can bring people From all walks of life together to do good.  less

Little Lamb Words by William Blake Music by Alejandro Consolacion II Himig Roseña Phoebe Bitoon, conductor

http://soundcloud.com/last-station/the-light-vessel-performed-by/s-9ExLP We would like to share with you a live recording of the first performance of a new choral work "The Light Vessel" by international musician and composer Trevor Watts, Words by Kay S...

In Swahili. Disputed authorship. Could be Kenyan. Probably Tanzanian folk song with added Words written in 1940s with extra verses added in late 1950s. Made famous by Miriam Makeba in early 1960s. The young man sings: "Angel, I love you. What should I ...  moreIn Swahili. Disputed authorship. Could be Kenyan. Probably Tanzanian folk song with added Words written in 1940s with extra verses added in late 1950s. Made famous by Miriam Makeba in early 1960s. The young man sings: "Angel, I love you. What should I do? I don't have any money. I would marry you if I did." This outdoor performance was the culmination of a six-week project which creates a choir From scratch for one night only. Each winter and summer, Chris Rowbury gathers a random bunch of singers From in and around Ipswich. There are no auditions and all songs are taught and learnt by ear. Usually eight songs are learnt in six two-hour sessions and in the summer are performed outdoors near Ipswich. http://chrisrowbury.com  less