Our NCS ‘choiradmin’ asked members to name their favourite congregational / audience Christmas carol. A lively discussion ensued. Two postcards were planned from the contributions but as there won’t be an #MfEMondays on 22 December we’ve gone for something resembling a concertina of postcards. THE MUSIC Demi: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (minor key carolsContinue reading “Carols we love”
Category Archives: Choir
The most beautiful sound
If you were at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall on Monday 1 December for Tenebrae’s concert, you might have bumped into many present and past members of Nottingham Chamber Singers. The evening’s performance inspired soprano Annie to pen this week’s Postcard from the Choir. It can be very intimidating joining a new choir where everyone seemsContinue reading “The most beautiful sound”
Jumbo – the truth exposed
Alto Sue meets conductor Ang in an unusual place… Why, you may ask, am I writing a Postcard from the Choir about the nickname of an elephant? ‘Jumbo’, is the self-storage company where items belonging to MfE, including music sung by Nottingham Chamber Singers, are kept in three units. Wednesday afternoons are when Ang (Angela Kay MBE!)Continue reading “Jumbo – the truth exposed”
Are we there yet?
Nearly! We bet you’ve said or heard that on many car journeys, often when going on holiday! Our autumn concert seemed far off in September, now suddenly it’s but a few days away! Saturday 29 November, 7.30pm, St John’s Church, Mansfield Road, Carrington, NG5 2DP. While we enjoy singing for ourselves, nothing compares with theContinue reading “Are we there yet?”
Sharing the love of music making
Jules, one of the altos of the Nottingham Chamber Singers, writes this week’s postcard: When I tell my two-year-old daughter that I’m heading out for rehearsal, she always says, ‘Mummy, you going singing with your friends?’ And she’s absolutely right. After more than ten years with this choir, these voices have become more than just fellow singers – they’reContinue reading “Sharing the love of music making”
Performing at the Last Night of the Proms!
One of our sopranos went to a choral workshop led by Bob Chilcott and sat next to Eloise Toone. Eloise shares our enthusiasm for choral singing and sings with the National Youth Choir of Great Britain (18-25 age group). She has kindly penned a postcard about an amazing experience she had in September…. On SaturdayContinue reading “Performing at the Last Night of the Proms!”
Charles Hubert Hastings Parry
John pens a second postcard from time spent in Gloucestershire… Parry’s big three pieces are ‘Jerusalem’, I was glad (sung at many royal occasions) and ‘Repton’ – the hymn tune used for ‘Dear Lord and Father’ of mankind’. In our next concert we are singing Parry’s Songs of Farewell, a collection of songs generally quieter in nature andContinue reading “Charles Hubert Hastings Parry”
Connections
John Hobbs, bass and sometimes pianist of the choir, explores the connections between a composition and two composers living and working in Gloucester. 1910 – what a year to be alive! A time when Elgar, Richard Strauss, Vaughan Williams, Sibelius, Debussy, Ravel, Mahler, Bartok, Poulenc, Stravinsky, Copland, Schoenberg and many other famous composers were addingContinue reading “Connections”
Teamwork makes the dream work
This week’s postcard comes from Rachel Bacon, our rugby and singing loving first soprano. If you’ve been watching the women’s rugby world cup over the last few weeks, you’ll have seen some amazing rugby, record breaking crowds and a masterclass in plaiting hair. You’re probably thinking ‘What on earth has this got to do withContinue reading “Teamwork makes the dream work”
Music of the Stars
Rachel Parkes, who will be conducting our concert at St John’s Carrington, 29 November 2025, has chosen a programme that includes Cecilia McDowall’s Music of the Stars. The score contains a ‘Composer’s note’ that conductor and singer can use to deepen their understanding of both text and the music, resulting in a richer performance forContinue reading “Music of the Stars”