The Chamber Choir ended their term in fine style, performing three pieces as part of the University’s Carol Service in Canterbury Cathedral.
Click here to find out how they got on.
Be My Guest: Alanya Holder on bringing Christmas cheer to campus
If you heard the quasi-medieval sound of recorders and carols floating on the crisp, winter air around the campus at lunchtime yesterday, it was us: members of the Music Society, accompanied by a recorder duo, travelled from the Gulbenkian to Rutherford Dining Hall, where they sang to visitors to the UCAS Open Day, ending up on the Jarman Piazza and bringing some seasonal music to the university community. Here, Music Society President (and instigator of the event) Alanya Holder looks back at it.
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It’s that time of year again! Yes, once again it’s Christmas time and everyone is slowly getting into the Christmas spirit, so a few of us in the Music Society thought that we would help speed up the process. On Wednesday 8 December, a group of talented and eager singers wrapped up warm and braved the elements in order to bring Christmas joy to the masses. There was even a Santa hat and a pair of antlers!
With medieval-style duet recorder accompaniment, we sang a few old favourites including the Holly and the Ivy, O Come All Ye Faithful and Good King Wenceslas. But deciding the temperature outside was a little too much to bear, we also brought joy to the masses inside Rutherford Dining Hall. With smiles and Christmas joy well and truly spread, everyone is very much looking forward to Christmas.
Same time next year!
Carols, Christmas and the Caribbean: Canterbury Cathedral Choristers
It’s been twelve years since the Choristers of Canterbury Cathedral were invited to perform in the Lunchtime Concert series, and the auspices were not good: last time, fourteen of the twenty-two boys succumbed to seasonal flu and the concert had to be cancelled – the only time a lunchtime concert has been called off.
This time, however, fortune favoured them, and they performed a varied programme, ranging from the warmth of Caribbean calypso to the chill of winter, to a highly enthusiastic audience.
They began with the Baroque, opening with a bright rendition of Purcell’s ‘Sound the Trumpet’ from Come Ye Sons of Art, and Vivaldi’s motet ‘Nulla in mundo pax sincera.’ Thence to Jamaica, with local composer Brian Kelly’s setting of the ‘Magnificat,’ which features calypso rhythms in the accompaniment, and was delivered with a great sense of rhythmic vitality.
Stanford’s ‘Song of Peace’ from the Four Bible Songs gave the first intimation of the Advent season, with a brief quotation from the opening of the melody to ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel,’ before winter truly arrived with Chilcott’s Midwinter, a setting of the text of ‘In the bleak mid-winter’ in Chilcott’s trademark sugary harmonic style.
The Choristers then rode a jolly romp through ‘As I outrode the endless night’ before the more contemplative ‘I wonder as I wander’ by Richard Lloyd, a lyrical meditation on the familiar melody.
Finally, the boys broke ranks and arrayed themselves around the Gulbenkian stage to sing the popular ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ in a setting that scattered the individual lines around the singers, grouped in ones and twos; the last occurrence of the partridge in a pear tree needed a second attempt, in order to finish on a final flourish which the young chap singing it forgot first time round, but the audience didn’t mind: he’d sung it so many times around, who could blame him ?
Rapturous applause from a delighted crowd brought forth a lively encore, Love Changes Everything, delivered in ebullient style.
Conducted throughout with great craft by Director of the Choristers, David Flood, and accompanied with terrific sensitivity on the piano by Simon Lawford, this was a fine finale to the term’s lunchtime series. The Choristers are heading into their own musical Christmas rush: we wish them well.
The weather outside is frightful…a seasonal Jazz @ 5
Snow ? Ice ? Freezing temperatures ? Events being cancelled at the fall of a flake ? Jazz @ 5 laughs at such things!
With temperatures plummeting and snow and ice everywhere, the last Jazz @ 5 of the term warmed a suitably appreciative audience on Wednesday night, with a sprinkling of jazz-infused carols and popular Christmas favourites, a dash of funk and a slice of soul.
Making her debut at Kent, and beginning the evening in fine style, Ruby Mutlow gave a robust rendition of Macy Gray’s funk-laden Why Didn’t You Call Me, and Marvin Gaye’s soul classic What’s Goin’ On. Also one of the Big Band singers this year, as well as singing with Chorus and Sing!, Ruby has a vibrant vocal presence on-stage, and will be one to watch this year.
In contrast, the Music Department’s very own Sophie Meikle stepped away from upright bass in the previous gig and stepped up to the microphone to sing White Christmas and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, the latter holding the attention of a rapt audience so closely that it felt like no-one breathed for the duration of the song.
Returning to the Gulbenkian Foyer stage was the classy Steph Richardson, with a poised reading of Peggy Lee’s Black Coffee, a coquettish Santa, Baby and a deft Let It Snow! There’s a real sense of accomplishment whenever Steph performs, she is completely at ease on the stage and with the other musicians. With Ruby and Jo as well, it’s an exciting year for jazz singers at Kent!
Also stepping onto the stage for the first time was first-year pianist Kirstie Robbie, who played Winter Wonderland with the ensemble, and also Wagglestick Walkabout as a solo item, the latter with a firm boogie-woogie feel to the left-hand.
Regulars Dan Harding on piano, Andrew Kitchin on guitar, Will Rathbone on sax and Matt Bardrick on drums, were joined by Alastair Disley, a member of the Music and Audio Department of the School of Arts based in Medway, on electric bass, who heroically sat in at a few hours’ notice for his first Jazz @ 5. The group played a spirited performance of Herbie Hancock’s funky Canteloupe Island.
Thanks to all those who performed and especially to those making their debut on the University jazz scene. Jazz @ 5 returns in January: watch this space…
Music crossing borders: diploma award for Aisha Bove
It’s with great delight that we can reveal that Aisha Bové has recently received her diploma certificate from the conservatory of music in Luxembourg. In her first year at Kent, Aisha sings with the University’s Chorus, Cecilian Choir and Sing!, and plays cello in the Symphony Orchestra. Here, Aisha reports on the ceremony, and her trip down memory lane…
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Reward for one’s musical achievement? That’s probably something every musician is aiming for. Simple applause, a cheering crowd or a convinced board of examiners makes a musician feel that what he or she is doing is being appreciated. A diploma was the reward in my case, a simple piece of paper which made me get on a plane and head back to what I call home; the small country of Luxembourg.
It was an invitation from the headmaster of the conservatory of music in Luxembourg which made me go back to the place where a huge part of my musical experiences have been formed up to now. The trip down memory lane was obviously included. First cello lessons, nine years of orchestra rehearsals, numerous concerts and an amazing four years of singing lessons.
The diploma I worked for last year certifies my passing of the exam ‘examen de la première mention avec la mention très bien’. The actual exam was the third exam you can take in the singing section of the conservatory, and candidates normally present themselves to the board of examiners, formed by professional musicians from France or Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, in their 5th or 6th year. The actual exam is divided into two parts, the first part being more ‘technical’ with a singing exercise and two other pieces at one’s choice.
For the second part you have to prepare four pieces, of which one has to be an aria and one has to be a German ‘Lied’. My choice of pieces were G.F.Haendel’s ‘Come and trip it’, F. Mendelssohn’s Lied ‘Auf Flügeln des Gesanges’ (On wings of song), F. Hensel’s ‘Warum sind denn die Rosen so blass?’, G. Fauré’s ‘Le Voyageur’ to cover the French part of the repertoire, and two Arias from W.A. Mozart’s amazing opera ‘Cosí fan tutte’, which were my absolute favourites. All the hard work was rewarded not only by the great feeling you get when standing in front of a board of examiners performing and simply showing your love for music, but also by the moment you hear your name get called, you step on the stage, get your diploma and remember all the work and energy you had put into it. But it was at that moment that I also had to realise that this diploma is most likely my last one at the conservatory, and you realise a certain sense of finality.
Since September, my new place of music making is the University of Kent, and I’m happy to be a small part of this big, welcoming department. Because one thing I learned in all these years is that, wherever you go, take your music with you and you’ll be a step closer to home. As they say, music is a universal language, and once you get infected, you’re sure to be addicted to the music-drug all your life, in some way or another.
Good pop, bad pop
Think of all those pop songs that have made an impact on your life. Remember those that reached into your soul and made you confront all those things that laid you low, that opened your heart and played with your tears; or those that brought an infectious smile to your face, and gave extra dazzle to the sunlight.
Think of those songs that have held your hand since you were a child, that have been with you through your life, that have walked with you through the sands. Songs that made you groove, made you want to dance or daydream. Songs that raised money for charity. Songs that people danced to at your eighteenth birthday, or your wedding, or that people always dance to in clubs.
Close your eyes: can you see them arrayed before you ? Can you hear them ?
Good: now listen to the ‘X-Factor’ finalist’s cover version of David Bowie’s Heroes, and tell me if it’s a worthy contribution to pop music.
Think of the visceral power of Bowie’s version, the sheer gut-wrenching passion that screams out through the recording, the anguish and the need that took an array of gated microphones to capture in the studio. And then hear the cover.
Bowie must be shuddering; or counting the royalties…
Lights, camera: Christmas!
Christmas in Canterbury has officially begun, and the Chamber Choir yesterday braved the freezing weather to sing to the good citizens in the town, still shopping at 5pm, with a selection of seasonal music.
A well-lit stage in the pedestrian precinct adjacent to Fenwick’s hosted the Cathedral Choristers, pupils from King’s School, and the University Chamber Choir, who gave rousing performances of popular carols under the exuberant direction of the Deputy Director of Music, whilst fourth-year Drama student (and a former Chamber Choir conductor herself) Amy Clarke also stepped out of the soprano section to conduct the not-so-seasonal but lively piece, Words by Anders Edenroth.
The Choir then adjourned to the street market in Whitefriars for some much-deserved mulled wine, where they showed their appreciation to the ladies on the market-stall by bursting into a spontaneous rendition of Ding, Dong, Merrily on High, to the delight of late shoppers who came out of the surrounding shops to listen.
Celebrities from this year’s Marlowe Theatre pantomime (including The Fast Show’s John Thompson) then entertained the crowds and the town’s Christmas lights were turned on. Christmas has officially begun here!
The Chamber Choir are in action next week, in hopefully warmer circumstances, in their ‘Advent by Candlelight‘ concert at St. Mildred’s, Stour Street on Friday evening: catch them if you can!
Photos: Susan Wanless.
Launching the Canterbury Christmas lights: Chamber Choir and Robin Hood
As mentioned over on Cantus Firmus, the University Chamber Choir and stars of the Marlowe Theatre’s pantomime production of Robin Hood will be celebrating as Canterbury switches on its Christmas lights on Thursday.
More details here: catch them if you can!