[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Some people are put off when they come across a song with foreign words. They prefer to sing Songs in English. photo by Chell Hill Not only are they missin...

[The views expressed in this blog are from my personal experiences from 25 years of leading non-auditioned community choirs in the UK, as well as adult singing workshops. My focus is on teaching by ear using a repertoire of Songs from traditions across th...

"I Had a Paint Box" by Z. Randall Stroope. Text based on "The Paint Box" by Tali Shurel (age 13), from the book "My Shalom, My Peace: Paintings and Poems by Jewish and Arab Children". Recorded live on Friday, May 16, 2014, at the Broward Center in the ...  onclick="$(this).getParent().getNext().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">moreone;">"I Had a Paint Box" by Z. Randall Stroope. Text based on "The Paint Box" by Tali Shurel (age 13), from the book "My Shalom, My Peace: Paintings and Poems by Jewish and Arab Children". Recorded live on Friday, May 16, 2014, at the Broward Center in the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Performed by the Lyric Choir ensemble of the Girl Choir of South Florida. Artistic Director: Wallis Peterson, Accompanist: Susan Dodd. I had a paint box. Each color glowing with delight. I had a paint box with colors warm, With colors cool and bright. I had no red for wounds and red for blood. I had no black for an orphaned child. I had no white for the face of the dead. I had no yellow for burning sands. But I had a paint box. Each color glowing with delight. I had a paint box with colors warm, With colors cool and bright. I had orange for joy and life. I had green for buds and bloom. I had blue for clear, bright skies. I had pink for dreams and rest. I had a paint box. Each color g...    onclick="$(this).getParent().getPrevious().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">less

Innismara, meaning “island in the sea” in Irish Gaelic, is an autonomous vocal chamber ensemble that fills a gap in the rich tapestry of choral music in Newfoundland and Labrador. Comprised of professionally trained musicians, Innismara is dedicated to th...  onclick="$(this).getParent().getNext().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">moreone;">Innismara, meaning “island in the sea” in Irish Gaelic, is an autonomous vocal chamber ensemble that fills a gap in the rich tapestry of choral music in Newfoundland and Labrador. Comprised of professionally trained musicians, Innismara is dedicated to the performance of the intimate and hidden treasures of the vocal ensemble repertoire. Innismara made its debut in the summer of 2010 at Muses and Minstrels: A Festival of Early Performing Arts held in conjunction with the Cupids 400 celebrations. In collaboration with the Hot Earth Ensemble, Innismara performed music from the late Renaissance and early Baroque, highlights of which were recorded for national broadcast on CBC Radio. The success of these performances led to an invitation to participate in a series of workshops and performances in the Labrador Inuit communities of Nunatsiavut in the spring of 2011. The entire exchange project was recorded by film-maker Nigel Markham and CBC radio producer Francesca Swann for a documentary film on the choral tra...    onclick="$(this).getParent().getPrevious().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">less

Five Mystical Songs - Vaughan Williams Downtown Voices Edmund Milly, baritone Janet Yieh, organ Stephen Sands, conductor Trinity Church, NYC Five Mystical Songs Song Cycle by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958) Text Authorship: by Georg...  onclick="$(this).getParent().getNext().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">moreone;">Five Mystical Songs - Vaughan Williams Downtown Voices Edmund Milly, baritone Janet Yieh, organ Stephen Sands, conductor Trinity Church, NYC Five Mystical Songs Song Cycle by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958) Text Authorship: by George Herbert (1593 - 1633) 1. Easter Rise heart; thy Lord is risen. Sing his praise Without delays, Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise With him may'st rise; That, as his death calcined thee to dust, His life may make thee gold, and much more, Just. Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy part With all thy art. The cross taught all wood to resound his name Who bore the same. His stretched sinews taught all strings, what key Is best to celebrate this most high day. Consort both heart and lute, and twist a song Pleasant and long: Or since all music is but three parts vied, And multiplied; O let thy blessed Spirit bear a part, And make up our defects with his sweet art. 2. I got me flowers I got me flowers to strew thy way; I...    onclick="$(this).getParent().getPrevious().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">less

[this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Last week I wrote that you shouldn’t believe everything you read when it comes to researching Songs.     Photo by Ashley ...

The Major Minors Children’s Choir (New Zealand) are excited to be performing a selection of familiar Songs from movies, musicals and pop Songs at their next concert on 15 May. This will be the second Upper Hutt performance for the choir this year wi...

Christmas Party is a medley of 3 Christmas Songs arranged by Otniel Simangunsong. The three Christmas Songs often heard by ordinary people are The First Noel, Jingle Bells, and Santa Claus is Comin' To Town. Otniel does not only combine the three Songs i...  onclick="$(this).getParent().getNext().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">moreone;">Christmas Party is a medley of 3 Christmas Songs arranged by Otniel Simangunsong. The three Christmas Songs often heard by ordinary people are The First Noel, Jingle Bells, and Santa Claus is Comin' To Town. Otniel does not only combine the three Songs in the order of the first, second and third Songs. In a certain part, namely at the end of the song, he combines the three Songs to be sung simultaneously with the accompaniment of applause and Christmas bells. This song has a unique dynamic, in which Otniel wants the choir singing it to invite the entire audience to sing along and the singers must help convince the audience that the joy of Christmas is with them. In this arrangement, the singers should show an attitude that encourages the audience to dance and sing, and there are times when the singers tell stories about the atmosphere of Christmas. visit this link to get the score: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/christmas-party-digital-sheet-music/22504174  onclick="$(this).getParent().getPrevious().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">less

[The views expressed in this blog are from my personal experiences from almost 30 years of leading non-auditioned community choirs in the UK, as well as adult singing workshops. My focus is on teaching by ear using a repertoire of Songs from traditions ac...

Ian Assersohn conducts Dorking Camerata as they record his setting of "High Flight" (words by John Gillespie Magee) - one of a collection of arrangements of war related Poems published by Apple Tree Music in 2011. The accompanist is Jan Assersohn. Rec...  onclick="$(this).getParent().getNext().style.display='';$(this).getParent().style.display='none';">moreone;">Ian Assersohn conducts Dorking Camerata as they record his setting of "High Flight" (words by John Gillespie Magee) - one of a collection of arrangements of war related Poems published by Apple Tree Music in 2011. The accompanist is Jan Assersohn. Recorded on 14th May 2011 by Mark Sugden-Best at his Treetops Recording Studio, Capel, Surrey, UK. Video by David Tilsley Links: http://www.appletreemusic.net http://www.dorkingcamerata.org http://www.treetopsstudio.co.uk