[this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   This post is part of a series of occasional Questions and Answers. Just use the contact form if you want to submit a question.       Bl...

Sancta Sunniva Chamber Choir: Mitt hjerte alltid vanker, Music: Norwegian variety of a Swedish traditional. Lyrics: H. A. Brorson Arranged by Tore Kloster Soloist: Guro Houth Fjellseth, Alto From the experimental album Kven Kan Seie Ut Den Glede, r...  Javascript:void(0);" onclick="$(this).getParent().getNext().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">moreSancta Sunniva Chamber Choir: Mitt hjerte alltid vanker, Music: Norwegian variety of a Swedish traditional. Lyrics: H. A. Brorson Arranged by Tore Kloster Soloist: Guro Houth Fjellseth, Alto From the experimental album Kven Kan Seie Ut Den Glede, released January 2012. Sancta Sunniva Chamber Choir from Bergen, Norway, have with this new cd reinvented a selection of the old hymns used in the Norwegian church, experimenting with new resonances and sounds.  

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Most singers in choirs don’t fit neatly into choral vocal ranges. Yet we try to squeeze them in to our off-the-shelf arrangements, chastising them when ...

'Noȅl nouvelet', a contemporary setting of a traditional French carol arranged for mixed choir in 2014 by Swedish conductor Sofia Söderberg. Recorded by Cuore Chamber Choir in Dublin on Thursday 23rd November 2023 under conductor Amy Ryan. https://linktr....  Javascript:void(0);" onclick="$(this).getParent().getNext().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">more'Noȅl nouvelet', a contemporary setting of a traditional French carol arranged for mixed choir in 2014 by Swedish conductor Sofia Söderberg. Recorded by Cuore Chamber Choir in Dublin on Thursday 23rd November 2023 under conductor Amy Ryan. https://linktr.ee/CuoreChoir Score published by Gehrmans and Walton (also available for TTBB).  

[this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   The choirs and workshops that I lead are run on the principle that music should be accessible to all. This means that I don’t use written music to te...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   We’re in the middle of learning a song. People are struggling a bit. Then someone asks: “What note is that?”   Photo by ph...

The stage lights fall, the crowd goes quiet, and four harmonious voices rise up and fill the air. The melodies unfurl into something both familiar and fresh. What comes next may be a classic song by Joni Mitchell or Louis Prima. It may be an old bebop st...  Javascript:void(0);" onclick="$(this).getParent().getNext().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">moreThe stage lights fall, the crowd goes quiet, and four harmonious voices rise up and fill the air. The melodies unfurl into something both familiar and fresh. What comes next may be a classic song by Joni Mitchell or Louis Prima. It may be an old bebop standard or cheeky arrangement of a 1980s hit. But these are arrangements like you’ve never heard them before—containing all the richness of a full band, but performed using just four voices. This is Cadence, Canada’s premiere vocal group. Based in Toronto, this a cappella ensemble has been wowing audiences across the country and around the world for nearly 15 years. Whether performing at sold-out jazz clubs and concert halls, at music festivals, for educational outreach, or for corporate functions, the members of Cadence bring an infectious energy and uncanny verve to every song they sing. The group’s four critically acclaimed studio albums, Cool Yule (2011), Speak Easy (2010), Twenty for One (2005), and Frost Free (2000) have won or been nominated for nume...    Javascript:void(0);" onclick="$(this).getParent().getPrevious().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">less

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Some people are put off when they come across a song with foreign words. They prefer to sing songs in English. photo by Chell Hill Not only are they missin...

A Prayer for Chanukah for Baritone Solo, SATB Chorus and Chamber Orchestra Music by Stanley M. Hoffman (2001) NotePerformer 3 Audio, Scrolling Score Video Words: "Al hanisim" traditional Hebrew Prayer for Chanukah English singing translation by...  Javascript:void(0);" onclick="$(this).getParent().getNext().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">moreA Prayer for Chanukah for Baritone Solo, SATB Chorus and Chamber Orchestra Music by Stanley M. Hoffman (2001) NotePerformer 3 Audio, Scrolling Score Video Words: "Al hanisim" traditional Hebrew Prayer for Chanukah English singing translation by Stanley M. Hoffman Music and Translation: © Copyright 2002 by Ione Press, Inc., a division of ECS Publishing Group. www.ecspublishing.com All rights reserved. Used by permission. ECS Publishing Catalog No. 5906 --- A Prayer for Chanukah We thank you for the wonders, for the liberation, for the powerful actions and deeds of deliverance, performed by you, and for the victories of our ancestors in their struggles in ancient times at this time of year. In the days of the Hasmonean, Mattathias, child of Johanan the High Priest, and his children, a tyrant rose up against the people of Israel to make them forget your laws and violate the rules of your commandments, then, in your abounding compassion, you rose up for them in their time of distress;...    Javascript:void(0);" onclick="$(this).getParent().getPrevious().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">less

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   A while back I taught a song wrongly. Not for the first time!     Even though I corrected myself quickly, the original version stuck in peo...