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WORKSHOPS

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WORKSHOPS ~ 2020



3 pairs of hands; 1 keyboard
PIANISTS TOGETHER 
Weekly workshop group for adult pianist
s

Mondays 1
0.30am – 12.30pm

Priory Church of St Laurence, Blackmore CM4 0RN

Prospective members may drop in any time for a free taster session

Spring term 2020 enrolment

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St MAry's, S WoodfordSaturday 18 January 2020

OPEN WORKSHOP DAY
hosted by Valentine Singers

BEETHOVEN ~ MASS in C

St Mary's Church, S. Woodford E18

Enrolment and further info






flier
Writtle Singers OPEN REHEARSAL

Monday 20 January 2020
7.30pm for 7.45pm until 9.45pm

Come along and sing. No obligation
This might be the choir for you!

If you hope to come along please let us know if possible: info@writtlesingers.org or call 01708 688 572.

Further info


TawneySOLO SINGING WORKSHOP
Saturday 8 February 10am - 1pm

A workshop for singers
focusing on communication and presentation.

Info sheet and enrolment  form

St Mary's Church,
Stapleford Tawney RM4 1DQ


Hils and guitar
Saturday 29 February 2020
SING THE SHOW ~ THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Come and spend a day singing your Favourite Things from The Sound of Music in the company of experienced vocal coaches who will help you get the best from your voices and brush up your Do-Re-Mi. Whether you've sung the show before, or never sung a note, come and join in with all the favourites, including The Lonely Goatherd, Edelweiss, Climb Ev’ry Mountain and even try to solve a problem like Maria! So whether you’re 16 going on 17 or 60 going on 70 ‘you can sing most anything’!
10am - 4pm
St George's Church Hall,
Ongar Road, Brentwood
An Arbutus Music event - enrolment now open


Saturday 25 April 2020
SING LATIN AMERICA
Join us for a fiesta of toe-tapping popular songs featuring tango, calypso and bossa nova styles.
10.00pm - 4.00pm
St George's Church Hall, Ongar Road, Brentwood
An Arbutus Music event


Thursday 14 May 2020
SING THE SHOW ~ CAROUSEL
All the favourites including June is bustin' out all over, If I loved you and You'll never walk alone.
10am - 4pm
Ingatestone and Fryerning Community Centre CM4 9ED
An Arbutus Music event

Priory Church of St Laurence, Blackmore
Thursday 18 June 2020
SING EARLY MUSIC
Another day of early music from renaissance to baroque, secular and sacred.

10am - 4pm
The Priory Church of St Laurence, Blackmore CM4 0RN
An Arbutus Music event


Copped Hall groundsWednesday 29 July 2020
SING THE SHOW ~ ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD
Offenbach's uproarious operetta featuring the famous Can-can.
10.00am - 4.00pm
Copped Hall near Epping, Essex CM16 5HR
An Arbutus Music event
















CHORAL REPERTOIRE WORKSHOPS

With Valentine Singers and Writtle Singers, and also on a freelance basis, Christine has conducted workshops on a number of choral works, notably

Bach Jesu, meine Freude 2012

Bach Mass in B minor 2007

Bach St John Passion 2012

Bach St Matthew Passion 2007 & 2015

Beethoven Mass in C 2020

Beethoven Missa Solemnis 2006

Bernstein Chichester Psalms 2016

Blackford Mirror of Perfection 2012

Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem 2004 & 2014

Briggs Messe pour Notre-Dame 2019

Byrd Mass for five voices 2009

Caplin Missa omnium sanctorum 2015

Elgar Give unto the Lord 2015

Elgar The Music Makers 2008;  various smaller works 

Fauré Requiem 2007

Handel Judas Maccabaeus 2011

Handel Belshazzar 2017

Handel Messiah 2003, 2012 & 2013

Haydn The Creation  2009 

Howells A Hymn for St Cecilia 2015

Mahler  Choral section of Resurrection Symphony 2010

Mendelssohn Elijah 2005

Mozart Requiem 2012

Puccini Messa di Gloria 2012

Shearing Songs & Sonnets 2012

Stainer The Crucifixion 2006

Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms 2018

Vaughan Williams Mass in G minor 2009

Walton Belshazzar's Feast 2008

Zelenka Missa Divi Xaverii 2019

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        ...a superb and really moving performance of Bach St John Passion

        Thank you to WS for a totally absorbing performance last night. You are undoubtedly an extremely                 talented choir!! I also appreciated the fact that you sang in English as that made it even more accessible         for me. Congratulations!

  • Early rehearsals were bemusing. “But what’s it about?” “I can’t follow the story”, “It’s all short bits”, “Judas who?”  Most of us could recognise (but not accurately I imagine) “See the Conquering Hero”, but the rest was mystery. One of the wonders of Handel for me, is that once on his wavelength you find every voice part has its own distinct, singable, and memorable tune.  The real revelation however comes with the orchestra and soloists (on great form), when the sheer grandeur of the piece, its spine-tingling narrative drama, must speak to even the most staid of singers and audiences. In my book this goes down as one of Valentine Singers greatest performances – not least because we seemed to hit peak form at just the right moment!    From reflections on the 2010-11 season from a choir member 
  • a big thank you for making this such an interesting and rewarding day - you certainly opened up and brought back some of the thoughts behind the work and of Mahler's life and times to everyone's advantage - particularly those who had never experienced this magnificent symphony before.  I am confident it will have encouraged many to learn more of this intriguing and very enjoyable composer.
  • Thanks once again for the splendid workshop.  You always make it so interesting!
  • "Vielen Dank fur den tollen Musictag" I had a fantastic day - thank you very very very much

  • I just wanted to thank you for an invigorating workshop yesterday which I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you for letting me come along.  I think you and Anne were fantastic; supportive and constructive, rather than unnecessarily critical.  
  • I very much enjoyed Saturday and I am very keen to continue singing
  • It must be 30 years since I sang out loud but there I was singing along with everyone else.  I was so buoyed up that I turned the radio off in the car and sang all the way home- really out loud and making a sound. I can’t remember when that last happened.

  • I was genuinely surprised at the amount we managed to get through, with a reasonable amount of       panache!
  • A huge thank you for a very enjoyable, useful and fruitful day

Find Your Voice
Saturday 3 February  2007
A course for anyone who has you ever been told 'you can’t sing' or has been asked to mime.
Some feedback

  • Just like to say that I really enjoyed the day and I met some really nice people

  • May I just say “thank you” for a really good day last Saturday.  I never thought that I would have enjoyed it so much – and I think my voice did improve!

Choral Workshop for Braintree Choral Society 
Saturday 10 February 2007
Vocal techniques including tips and exercises to enhance your musicality - a lively, fun, refreshing day of choral singing. Repertoire included: Elgar Ave verum; choruses from Mendelssohn Elijah.

  • We are still receiving complimentary comments about Saturday - one is thinking about her navel when walking the dog!

From members:

  • THANK YOU What a fun day! I also learnt alot. I had a great time only sorry I didn't audition [for a solo]. I didn't realise how much fun it was going to be.
  • I'm finding it really interesting doing the opera scenes - I've never done anything like this before and it's good to be able to try something new



Christine has led 'bespoke' workshops for a number of choirs and music theatre groups wishing to focus on specific technical areas, such as choral tone, voice production or sight-reading.  For more information contact Christine

Groups for whom Christine has led workshops include:


Christine has also led INSET training in music for primary school class teachers.

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Together with Anne Fradd, an experienced solo singer and music teacher, Christine has delivered many workshops for solo singers, focusing on performance skills and communication.  The idea is to offer solo singers, whether experienced or novice, a performance opportunity in a friendly environment where advice can be tried out and ideas exchanged.  The participants, plus any listeners who may enrol, form the audience for one another and each singer is asked to prepare and present one or two songs of their own choice.  Full details on current leaflet.  Solo workshop guidelines are also available.


 Anne in action

Singer (and stooge) accompanied by Christine


                warming up........

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SIGHT-SINGING &  MUSICIANSHIP WORKSHOPS

Christine has run workshops covering various musicianship skills, notably conducting skills, sight-reading and music-perception skills, both for Essex County Council and in privately-run workshops.  As part of Arbutus Music, Christine co-presents  Sing the Stave workshops  which offer opportunities to both novice and experienced choral singers and to others who would like to improve these skills, perhaps to help with sight-reading on an instrument or for grade exams.  These workshops are also available to groups, such as choirs, on a bespoke basis.






    

A popular feature of all workshops..........


 

Why not give music workshops a try?  Just come along to see - and hear - for yourself!