No matter our age, birthdays are special. Alto Mags writes about her NCS experience of celebrating ‘the big day’, and the choir sings to February’s birthday trio – Mags, Jenny and Chris! Nottingham Chamber Singers’ members will find any excuse for a cheerful sing, a happy celebration and of course cake, and what better thanContinue reading “Happy Birthday!”
Category Archives: Choral singing
Sir John Rutter comes to Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall
Soprano Helena (and others from NCS) ventured out on a soggy Sunday for an uplifting afternoon… Rufus the swan is well-known to social media followers of Sir John Rutter. An affectionate ‘Ah’ came from hundreds of singers when John pulled a cuddly Rufus out of a bag! John has run workshops in the city forContinue reading “Sir John Rutter comes to Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall”
The health benefits of singing in a choir
Soprano Rachel Bacon explores how belonging to a community that sings together can be transformative… If you sing in any sort of a choir, you know it’s a big commitment and comes with expectations: travel time for weekly rehearsals, learning the music, drumming up an audience for concerts, performing in concerts, and many other activities.Continue reading “The health benefits of singing in a choir”
Inside out or outside in?
Bass Jonathan Lupton reflects on being in the audience rather than the choir for one of our performances. Do you ever wonder what you sound like? We all hear our own voices as we sing or speak, but not in the same way that other people hear us (mainly because the sound gets to ourContinue reading “Inside out or outside in?”
Time Signatures
Bass John Hobbs guides us through the wild world of ever-changing beats, and makes a timely mention of The Apprentice as a new series begins. Do you like a whirling waltz, a merry minuet or a stately sarabande, or would you prefer a military march, a torrid tango or a perky polka or do you like them all? Maybe something more irregular would beContinue reading “Time Signatures”
Might you be a tenor?
Postcard from the tenor section – by another of our Rachels, Rachel Emmett. About 20 years ago I returned to choral singing after a few years away and found my teenage second alto voice struggling at the top end. A wonderful female tenor (thanks, Jen) persuaded me to join her in the tenor section, andContinue reading “Might you be a tenor?”
Five facts you might not know about Nottingham Chamber Singers – aka NCS!
Soprano Rachel (we’ll leave you to guess which one) opens the New Year with some fun facts about the choir. We’re a diverse group with diverse experiences! Some of us have been around for ages in a ‘part of the furniture’ sort of a way, others are much newer. But did you know…. Why haveContinue reading “Five facts you might not know about Nottingham Chamber Singers – aka NCS!”
Carols we love
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”
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”
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?”