Why singing in a choir is so good for you (scmp.com)

Creative self-expression is an innate desire and a reason why performing arts are an important part of a well-rounded education. In the case of choir practice, there are also physical benefits.

Jane Engelmann, head of performing arts at The Peak School, grew up in a musical family. "It was a noisy household. I was in the church choir, the school choir, the school orchestra, drama group. Any chance to get on stage, I'd be there."

She says the benefits of singing are ... continue reading

Choir keeps it in family as little Emily makes it a quartet of songbirds ( Belfasttelegraph.co.uk)

It's a talent that runs through four generations of the one family.

Rosaleen O'Hagan (79) will be bursting with pride when she leads her daughter, granddaughter and great-grandaughter in the same choir at a Christmas carol service to raise charity funds.

And while she has sung for VIP guests in the past, she says nothing will beat performing with her family.

The family of singers are believed to be ... continue reading

Christmas Carols by Andrew Gant review – surprising stories of how seasonal songs came to be (The Guardian)

In the middle of this year’s carol service you may find yourself ambushed by one of the following random thoughts.

a) “Good my page” (“Good King Wenceslas”). Why isn’t it just “my good page”? Oh, hang on, maybe that’s how it was in the original ... Czechoslovak?

b) “G-l-o-o-o-o-o-r-i-a” (“Ding Dong Merrily on High”). I can’t hold my breath much longer. Actually, I think I might be hyperventilating. I’m definitely feeling weird. I need to hang on to the pew in front.

c) “I Saw Three Ships”. But Bethlehem is landlocked! Isn’t it? If I keep my phone in my handbag, I can Google it during the next reading.

Carols inspire untidy thoughts because ... continue reading

A Cornucopia of Choral Christmas Carols (the cherry creek news)

Call me a glutton if you wish, but I can’t seem to stay away from the glorious music that re-emerges each December. No, not all those silly ditties about Santa and his reindeer. It’s songs of the True Meaning of the season that never fail to touch me. There is a gentleness and simplicity in so many of the choral works, new and old, that eloquently remind us of a long-ago story about an infant in a manger who would one day change the world. That event, so rudely converted into an excuse for a year-end buying spree, is still observed by amateur and professional choirs in churches visited by those who embrace the sanctity of the season and the wondrous beauty of the music celebrating it. There are oodles of such events – I caught three of them in one weekend recently – and it’s not too ... continue reading

Letter: Choral Society's 50th thrills audience (southcoasttoday.com)

Anyone lucky enough to enter New Bedford’s First Unitarian Church on Sunday afternoon was treated to a musical delight: the Greater New Bedford Choral Society’s 50th anniversary Winter Concert.

Led by director Gerald P. Dyck, the chorus presented a wide-ranging program featuring nostalgic winter ballads, gems of the Classic period and original compositions by Mr. Dyck. The Choral Society is known for tackling difficult material, and this concert was no exception; the choristers handled even the most challenging pieces with fluidity and vigor. Even the uncharacteristic “Binary Fifty,” Mr. Dyck’s demanding rhythmic composition, was delivered with precision and energy.

To this listener, the ... continue reading

County's oldest choral group to host holiday concert (Orange County Register)

The Master Chorale of Saddleback Valley, the county’s longest-standing choral performing group, will host A Merry Little Christmas concert on Sunday in Mission Viejo.

The concert features classic holiday favorites as well as other songs by the group’s nearly 50 vocal musicians.

The Master Chorale of Saddleback Valley began in ... continue reading

Kokomo Children's Choir comes to an end (Kokomo Tribune)

That’s why seeing the choir come to a close at the end of the year will be difficult for Swartzendruber, who founded the choir in 1997.

The Kokomo Children’s Choir has provided weekly training through three choirs for singers who came from as far away as Upland, as well as opportunities for travel.

Singers spent a week living in the Precinct of Canterbury Cathedral in England, toured part of Europe with the Alaskan Children's Choir and traveled to Hawaii, first learning songs in Chinese, Japanese, Maori, Filipino and Hawaiian.

Numbers for the choir have dwindled in recent years, however, causing it to come to an end.

“The main reason [we’re closing down] is I have ... continue reading

St Mary’s signing choir in Dublin: ‘For deaf people, their voice is their hands and their bodies (THE IRISH TIMES)

It’s often assumed that when profoundly deaf children are involved in any kind of musical performance it’s mainly for their therapeutic benefit: a worthy attempt at confidence-building or something that might help with their speech development.

But watching the teenagers of St Mary’s School for Deaf Girls choir perform the traditional Irish song May the Road Rise Up to Meet You in Irish Sign Language (ISL) is to witness something special. Not special in the “special needs” sense. Just special. Hands moving, faces animated, bodies swaying; it’s a compelling performance, not least because it is effectively bilingual.

The girls are signing in time to ... continue reading

Fantastic Media backs Huddersfield Choral Society (Huddersfield Examiner)

Marketing agency Fantastic Media hit the right note with its latest client.

The award-winning Birstall-based agency has been appointed by the world-renowned Huddersfield Choral society to undertake a full brand review and review of their marketing strategy.

The campaign – to begin in January – will promote the the society through new branding, website, email, PR and social media to increase overall awareness, ticket sales and concert bookings for the internationally recognised choir.

Huddersfield Choral Society is renowned for its ... continue reading

Winning bid for Lauridsen choral score sets new record (Providence Journal)

A fragment of a musical score, hand-written and autographed by  acclaim choral composer Morten Lauridsen,  has fetched $741 on eBay to benefit the Knight Memorial Library in the Elmwood section of Providence. The previous record for a Lauridsen autograph was $650.

The winning bidder was ... continue reading

Concert review: Auckland Choral, Auckland Town Hall (NZ Herald)

Uwe Grodd chose his words carefully, introducing Auckland Choral's Monday Messiah.

The conductor urged us to remember Handel's 23-day vigil writing this oratorio, combining the best elements of all his other music to create a "potent mix that binds us together as only a great masterwork can, regardless of race, religion or background". Last year, Handel's score was proudly given to us without cuts, but tonight there were nips and tucks. The losses were telling, from the brief choral burst of Let all the angels of God worship Him to the graceful conciliation of the air, If God be for us.

Soprano Madeleine Pierard commanded the ... continue reading

Leif Solberg: Orchestral, choral and organ music CD review – celebrating a neglected Norwegian symphony (The Guardian)

This remarkable disc marks a double celebration: the 200th release from the innovative Toccata label and the 100th birthday of Leif Solberg, the unashamedly tonal Norwegian composer whose undeservedly neglected 1951 symphony was rescued from obscurity by Martin Anderson, the redoubtable founder of Toccata. The Liepaja players unearth the dark thread that runs under the ... continue reading

Choral Society welcomes student singers in Friday concert (Your Houston News)

Celebrating its 43rd season, the Montgomery County Choral Society is in preparation for its upcoming concert with sounds of “Christmas Inspirations” on Friday night.

Continuing its tradition of educational outreach, the Choral Society will be joined by the Fourth Grade Choir from Giesinger Elementary School of Conroe and the Fifth and Sixth Grade Choir from Coulson Tough K-6 School of The Woodlands.

The selected fare for this festive evening includes ... continue reading

MUSIC REVIEW - Bourne Choral Society, Programme of Advent and Christmas Music, Bourne Abbey Church (Spalding Guardian)

Town choir making a chorus line exceedingly festive

No Christmas season would be complete without the annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols held at King’s College Chapel, Cambridge.

As a setting, Bourne Abbey was far from a distant second on Saturday when the town’s choral society put on its own version of the university city’s Christmas Eve fixture which was first held in 1918.

Bourne Choral Society, directed by ... continue reading

Community Choir Looks To Expand Girls' Horizons (News Leader)

When eight-year-old Staunton resident Christiana Evans stood up in front of the crowd that had gathered at Tinkling SpringPresbyterian Church on Saturday evening, it was a small, first step in a big dream. For Evans it's the beginning of what she plans will be a lifetime of music. The group that she was about to perform with, the Virginia Girlchoir, would be her stepping stone.

When choir director Julia White discusses the newly formed group the term "possibility" comes up often. White sees the ... continue reading

Huddersfield Choral Society's Dennis Holmes is (probably) the oldest singer in town - aged 90 (Huddersfield Examiner)

He added: “I was surprised when I was told that I was the oldest. I had the impression that another person who I thought had gone past 90, was. But apparently he was only in his late 80s!

“Anyway, I am finishing at the end of this year, I think it’s a good time.”

And he joked: “As the old adage has it: ‘It’s good to get out before they find you out.’

“Huddersfield Choral Society is a wonderful choir and I have found my experience with them extremely rewarding.”

Trustee Stephen Brook said: “Dennis was ... continue reading

Enter the Chant Claire Chamber Choir (Leader-Telegram)

When something is missing from your life, sometimes you need to fill the void yourself.

That’s exactly what UW-Eau Claire graduate Benjamin Bedroske did after earning his music education degree in 2011.

Bedroske, a Marshfield native, moved to the Milwaukee area to start his career. He joined local groups, including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Chorus, to fulfill his love of music and singing.

“I had a good time, but I was ... continue reading

Bach Choir celebrates Mary and her faith (M Call)

Christmas is coming, and even if we might not all be singing carols, we'll at least be hearing them, even if just from gas station loudspeakers. Shepherds, the wise men and angels are the frequent flyers, mentioned multiple times in repeated verses. Surprisingly, Mary is typically mentioned only once, if at all, and sometimes that reference is itself oblique, with a mere allusion to the "virgin," "mother" or "woman."

"I think Mary is an ... continue reading

LOOKING BACK: Morecambe Fishermen’s Choir through the years (The Visitor)

The Morecambe Fishermen’s Choir first began in 1904 with several choristers featured in the 1935 edition of The Visitor.

Founded in 1904 the choir began after the Rev. G. H. Kennedy, who was the minister at Clarence Street in 1904, took inspiration to start a choral team.

In 1935 the choir still retained many of its ... continue reading

Abington Town Choir to perform Dec. 7 ( Gatehouse Media)

Members of the Abington Town Choir will provide a musical program for the Dec. 7, 2:30 p.m. meeting of the Historical Society of Old Abington at the Dyer Memorial Library, 28 Central St., Abington. The choir was formed in 2012, by HSOA president Doug Ulwick, when he invited Abington singers representing the various town churches and local people who just like to sing to form a community group. The one and only intended performance was for the ... continue reading