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

Mt. Zion Gospel Choir brings 'gospel carols' to Madison (madison.com)

They’re called “gospel carols” – traditional Christmas carols with an infusion of soul.

This unique blend of genre and seasonal sounds is the brainchild of Leotha Stanley, the director of the Mt. Zion Gospel Choir in Madison. Stanley says the tunes were some of the first things he wrote when he started writing music. And they’ve served to introduce the decades-old gospel choir to many new fans in recent years.

The Mt. Zion Gospel Choir began performing with the ... continue reading

Oncology to encore-logy: cancer patients' choir demonstrates musical therapy with Christmas carols (scmp.com)

A group of cancer survivors have taken to song, celebrating Christmas with a choral performance at the Gold Coast Hotel in Tuen Mun.

Forty choir members from Maggie's Cancer Centre in Tuen Mun sang carols in the lobby of the resort hotel at the invitation of Sino Group, the hotel owner and a supporter of the centre's music therapy services for cancer patients.

Originating in Britain, the centre began operating in Hong Kong in 2008 to help people "live through and beyond the illness".

"We are delighted to ... continue reading

Watch: Northern Quarter Boys Choir sing Jingle Bells (Manchester Evening News)

Everyone loves singing at Christmas. A Perfect way to feel jolly and forget about your cares for a few minutes.

So, why not enjoy some Christmas music courtesy of the Northern Quarter Boys Choir - and help them raise money for charity.

They've recorded a ... 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

The Bach Choir proves itself Britain's brainiest cultural institution (independent.co.uk)

The Bach Choir, one of the world’s leading choruses, has sung in prestigious venues around the UK, collaborated with the Rolling Stones, and worked on blockbuster films including Ridley Scott’s Prometheus.

Now the choir, whose history includes such notable names as Sir Charles Villiers Stanford and Ralph Vaughan Williams, can also add the title of the brainiest cultural institution in Britain to its honours board.

The 140-year-old institution was ... 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

Vienna Boys' Choir visits patients at CHOP (6abc.com)

UNIVERSITY CITY (WPVI) --

An internationally recognized choir made a special stop in University City on Tuesday. They sang for some of the young patients receiving treatment at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The sound of 23 young voices filled the atrium of the hospital. The world renowned Vienna Boys' Choir made a stop here on their U.S. tour, and with each note they sang, the holiday cheer swelled.

Madeline Bell, President and CEO of CHOP, tells us, "It's just a way to get away from bedside and feel a little more normal like kid and enjoy some of the holiday festivities."

Patients and ... continue reading

St. Henry choir will perform for Pope Francis (cincinnati.com)

ERLANGER – Members of the St. Henry District High School Chamber Choir will sing for Pope Francis on New Years Eve at St. Peter's Square for the blessing of the Vatican Creche.

Twenty choir members and 32 adults will make the pilgrimage to Italy the day after Christmas. The trip will begin in Venice when the choir sings for Mass at the Basilica of St. Mark. The group will also tour the churches and holy places of Padua, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Assisi and Rome.

Following the blessing with Pope Francis, the choir will ... continue reading

St. Paul's Choir School releases debut Christmas album (cbsnews.com)

The boys of St. Paul's Choir School are in the holiday spirit, and these boys have plenty of reasons to sing. The school's choir recently released a debut album, "Christmas in Harvard Square," reports CBS News correspondent Vladimir Duthiers.

From the rehearsal rooms to the church, music bellows through the Cambridge, Massachusetts, middle school where only 12 new students are accepted each year.

Thomas Potts, a 7th grader, said the audition was "very friendly."

"It was ... continue reading

The Choir: New Military Wives, BBC2 - TV review (independent.co.uk)

Choirmaster Gareth Malone is back!" announced the voiceover for The Choir: New Military Wives (BBC2)– a valiant attempt to introduce a sense of occasion, but in vain. It's been barely six weeks since Malone was last on telly in The Choir's Children in Need special.

That project produced his second hit record, but the first came in 2011, when he organised the first Military Wives choir, and their single "Wherever You Are" reached the Christmas No 1 spot. There are now more than ... continue reading

New York Choral Society and Orchestra to Play Rarely Heard 'St. Paul' by Felix Mendelssohn at Carnegie Hall, David Haynes Music Director (THE CLASSICALITE)

The New York Choral Society and Orchestra with Music Director David Hayes will present the rarely heard "St. Paul" by Felix Mendelssohn at Carnegie Hall.

The performance will be sung in original German with English subtitles. Soloist will include
soprano Sarah Shafer, mezzo-soprano Haejung Shin, tenor Vale Rideout, baritone Mark Delavan and the Princeton Girlchoir.

The New York Choral Society, founded in 1958, has become known by audiences and critics for the quality of its performances and the diversity of its repertoire, which encompasses well-known choral masterworks as well as many compositions rarely heard in concert halls

The story of St. Paul is filled with ... 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

Tidings of Comfort and Joy:' Sippican Choral Society performs jubilant 49th annual Christmas concert (Wicked Local Rochester)

MARION – The Sippican Choral Society performed its 49th Christmas concert “Tidings of Comfort and Joy” Sunday, Dec. 7, to a packed house at Tabor Academy’s Wickenden Chapel and set the tone for what lay ahead for the regional chorus as it enters its golden year.

For nearly 50 years, residents of the South Coast have kicked off their festive holiday season with a ... continue reading

Westland St. Damian Choir performs at the Fox Theatre (hometownlife.com)

Visitors to the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport will be treated to the sounds of the season Monday evening courtesy of the 24-member St. Damian School choir.

This is the third year the Westland school's choir, made up of second- through eighth-graders, has serenaded travelers and this year it's serving as a warm-up to an even bigger performance Friday evening at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. The choir will perform at 7 p.m. on the lobby stairs before the 8 p.m. performance of Cirque Dream Holidaze.

"I got a notice about it and ... continue reading

KC Chapel Choir launches 'Sing De Chorus (jamaica-gleaner.com)

Not even heavy showers could daunt the high spirits of guests and members of the Kingston College Chapel Choir's golden voices last Tuesday. The boys performed to launch their CD Sing De Chorus at the Alhambra Inn on Tucker Avenue in St Andrew.

Guest speaker Marigold Harding, custos of St Andrew, commended the choir members, recounting their 2012 performance at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, USA, as part of Jamaica's 50th anniversary of Independence celebrations.

"They were worthy ambassadors who helped to enhance Jamaica's reputation in the international arena as a country of talented persons," Harding said.

She noted that "the ... continue reading

Music review: Christmas with the Australian Boys Choir (The Sydney Morning Herald)

CHRISTMAS WITH THE AUSTRALIAN BOYS CHOIR ★★★☆
Auburn Uniting Church
December 13, 14

Coming to the end of its 75^th year of operations, this well-known choir entered into the celebratory spirit of the season with a solid program that gave a platform to all singers connected to the organisation – experienced and beginners – as well as calling on a large audience of family members and supporters to work through five carols woven into the afternoon's progress.

As a focal work, conductor/artistic director Noel Ancell chose John Rutter's three-movement Gloria, which requires a brass octet, timpani and percussion as well as organ, a band that added barnstorming meat to the congregational items.

Several passages made a ... continue reading

Reading Phoenix Choir seek new recruits for Cork Festival (getreading.co)

A leading amateur choir has been selected as one of just 10 in the world to compete in a prestigious choral competition.

Reading Phoenix Choir will be singing to win in the Cork International Choral Festival 2015 in the spring.

The choir beat competition from singing groups in 14 countries to take part in the contest.

Now they are looking for new recruits to help them come home from Ireland with a trophy.

David Crown, the choir’s musical director, said: “I am delighted that Reading Phoenix Choir will be taking part in one of the world’s most prestigious choral competitions.

We’re going to ... continue reading

Nine Lessons and Carols: Grand Rapids Choir of Men and Boys celebrates the season (mlive.com)

GRAND RAPIDS – In November 1918, World War I ended with an armistice, and war-weary people to celebrate peace on earth for the first time in four years.

At Cambridge University in England, a former British Army chaplain organized “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols” to be held on Christmas Eve.

The service of lessons from the Bible followed by anthems and carols reflecting the readers that was born at King’s College soon spread throughout the English-speaking world.

The Grand Rapids Choir of Men and Boys celebrates its ... 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

Youth Chorale leaders take time to reflect on choir (Sctimes.com)

The Youth Chorale of Central Minnesota started in 2005 with a small group of 55 singers and one choir. Now, 10 years later, it has 385 past and current singers that perform in three choirs.

The chorale is taking the chance during its 10th season to reflect on how far it's come, and where it hopes to go in the future.

Choir members performed at a holiday event Sunday night, the choir's first fundraiser, to raise money for a choir tour to Chicago next summer.

Ten years ago, artistic director Garrett Lathe was the ... continue reading

Messiah review – Cardiff Polyponic Choir celebrate their anniversary in stirring style (theguardian.com)

Cardiff Polyphonic Choir has been celebrating its 50th anniversary in some style already this year, and it is a measure of its standing that it has by tradition sung Handel’s Messiah on a triennial basis taking turns with the BBC National Chorus of Wales and Welsh National Opera. Soprano Rebecca Evans - an acclaimed Rodelinda at ENO earlier in the year - had appeared as soloist with the choir early in her career and, now the choir’s president, returned for this festive performance. Particularly in the first half of the evening and the aria Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, Evans’s graceful phrasing and the elegant ornamentation – an ongoing legacy of the role of Charles Mackerras in her singing – were a treat.

It was also the ... 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

Hospital Choir raise Music Hall roof in Christmas cancer concert (Aberdeen Journals Ltd)

Festive harmonies and Christmas carols echoed around the Aberdeen Music Hall as the NHS Grampian Hospital’s Christmas Carol Concert gave a children’s cancer charity a major boost.

The annual event raises money for CLIC Sargent, which supports young people and children whose lives have been affected by the illness.

An enormous choir and a string section played holiday classics to a packed audience, including favourites such as Joy to the World, Hark The Herald Angels Sing, and O Holy Night.

However, the biggest rounds of applause were ... continue reading

School Winter Concert Features Choral Groups (CapeNews.net)

Falmouth High School’s award-winning chorus, repertory singers, and a cappella group, Soulfege, will present their annual winter concert on Thursday, December 18, at 7 PM in the high school auditorium.

Students will ... continue reading

Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival (Manila Standard Today)

THE Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) invites choirs from all over the world to compete in the 2nd Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival, Manila, 2015 that will take place on July 22-25, 2015 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The competition is open to choirs that will qualify in the following categories: Folk Song, Vocal Ensemble and Chamber Choir.

The Festival, which follows the highly successful Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival held at the CCP in July 2013, is named after the ... continue reading

York High School choral holiday concert (seacoastonline.com)

YORK - The York High School music program will present the second of its two annual Choral Holiday Concerts at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, at St Christopher's Catholic Church in York Village. The concert, under the direction of Rob Westerberg with accompanist Deborah Clough, will include performances by the York High School Honors Treble Choir, Chorus and Chamber Singers. The program will ... continue reading

Review: Scarborough Choral Society (The Scarborough News )

The first half of the choral society’s Christmas concert was a performance of a fresh telling of the nativity story by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy with music by Sasha Johnson Manning.

The choir was joined by singers from Scarborough College and Bramcote School, trained by Becky Leeson and Martin Richardson.

First performed in Manchester by local choirs, this revised 2009 version places narrative links between the verse-repeating forms of 12 new carols that range from jaunty dancing rhythms reminding us of the carol’s dance origins, to a serene and flowing lullaby.

The musical style is ... continue reading