Friday looms large, and the finishing touches are being applied to the University Cecilian Choir and Brass Ensemble ‘Grand Tour’ concert at St. Paul’s Church.
Food this way, chaps!
The final draft of the programme is in place, the readings have been edited, the music has been organised, running orders printed, the choir and instrumentalists have been given their commitments for rehearsal and performance on the day; one of the altos is organising the food in between rehearsal and concert (always a crucial consideration: Napoleon may have said that ‘an army marches on its stomach,’ but he neglected to take into account that musicians also perform on theirs); the final few rehearsals take place this week, and then the concert will be here.
Over the course of this year, the Cecilian Choir has worked hard each week, and recently the sound has suddenly developed, perhaps coming with confidence as the group grows into the repertoire more; but it’s also something, perhaps, to do with the realisation that we have actually grown into a choir. The Cecilian Choir is always something of a flexible ensemble: as it’s entirely extra-curricular for the students and staff, there’s usually some ebb and flow each week as timetables for lectures change, or staff meetings crop up that mean staff singers are unable to attend. This makes developing the choir’s ensemble sound more of a challenge, as often no two weeks are ever the same; however, in recent weeks a sound seems to have blossomed: we’ve realised that we’re not just a collection of singers who meet each week, or sometimes every other week, but a genuine choral ensemble, united by a love of singing, with a fully-fledged programme, honed and crafted over the term, which is about to be delivered publically.
We are welcoming back some alumni who have previously sung at the University on the day as well: one of the great strengths of the Choir is that it’s a chamber ensemble that alumni are able to be involved in. We’re looking forward to unleashing the spectacular programme on the audience on Friday; it’s going to be an exciting occasion.