Dear Madam / Sir! Dear Choristers!   Europe, Bulgaria, Balchik   Would like to invite you to take part in Fourth International Choir Festival "Chernomorski zvutsi" – 4-8 June 2014 - the different festival open to all kinds of choirs,...

A recording of the Heritage Masterworks Chorale, director Tim KNight , Organ Christopher Newton at St Bartholomews church Armley Leeds, live during Masterworks 5 Concert, Parry, Dear Lord and Father of Mankind

  Dear choral Friends, Dear Sirs/Madams, We invite you to take part in the ninth edition of International Choir Festival MUNDUS CANTAT SOPOT, which will be held May 22-26 2013. From 22 till 26 of May please come and check your skills in one (or al...

This brand new version of Good King Wenceslas is dedicated to my uncle Duncan Shaw of Vancouver. His "retirement project" - developing his own theory of gravity - has been a huge inspiration in my own compositional journey late in life. Some background...  moreThis brand new version of Good King Wenceslas is dedicated to my uncle Duncan Shaw of Vancouver. His "retirement project" - developing his own theory of gravity - has been a huge inspiration in my own compositional journey late in life. Some background: I have sung the traditional version of Good King Wenceslas since I was a kid. I fell in love with the lyrics and the story, but have always been puzzled by the way it was arranged, in particular the way that the "las" of Wenceslas lands on the downbeat. When I was young, I thought the lyrics were actually "Good King Wences last looked out!" All to say that I got inspired to create a totally different version. I used the 19th century poem by John Mason Neale, but I wanted to create a different "feel" to the story, to take it back in time to its origins in the Middle Ages - hence the medieval feel to much of the piece. I also felt that since the Wenceslas story is all about a journey, a setting in 3/4 time would create a better sense of that feeling, ra...    less

‘Room In Your Heart’ performed at our Choirs R Us Spring Concert 2018 on 24th March 2018 in aid of the Manor Drive Methodist Church, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice and Ali’s Gift. Choir Director: Jenny Bennett. For more info: www.choirsrus.co.uk

Sing from the Heart Tranquil countryside singing retreat holiday in the Heart of rural Normandie, France 6-13 April 2024   "...an amazing & glorious week of singing & friendship."   Fun, friendly and nurturing small group singing retr...

Christmas in Cologne, Germany Thank you to my friend, Joachim Diessner, for providing this video. Words by Joseph Mohr Benita Borbonus, Sopran Simon Bales, Trompete Ehrenfelder Kantorei Vera Bongert, Ursel Cremer, Ute Eisenhut (a.G.), C...  moreChristmas in Cologne, Germany Thank you to my friend, Joachim Diessner, for providing this video. Words by Joseph Mohr Benita Borbonus, Sopran Simon Bales, Trompete Ehrenfelder Kantorei Vera Bongert, Ursel Cremer, Ute Eisenhut (a.G.), Christine von Förster, Roswitha Frost, Claudia Hennen, Corry Kok, Anja Meksem, Barbara Meyer zum Wischen, Priska Mielke, Ingrid Müller, Sarah Neusel, Maxime Oeburg, Sigrid Roggatz, Stefanie Schlösser, Katrin Witzel, Sopran Yasemin Becker, Maria Biehl, Renate von Bonin, Leonie Drews, Ursula Gurski, Eva Marleen Hecker, Sonja Helms, Anke Hoffmann, Alice Keuken (a.G.), Sibylle Kiock, Barbara Kuster, Anne Pfeiffer, Inge Ramm, Eva Schlu-Kröpelin, Dorle Schubert, Barbara Siefker (a.G.), Dagmar Smernic, Heike Sprunk, Linda Stenzel, Yvonne Welling (a.G.), Magdalena Wochnik (a.G.) Alt Joachim Bertsch (a.G.), Jörg Biegus, Christoph Hamborg, Michael Mayer, Matthias Velten (a.G.), Gertrud Wilhelm, Tenor Alexander Blicker-Dielmann, Bernd Hellmich, Michael Kolvenbach (a.G.),...    less

Firstly, I'll take this opportunity to introduce myself. I'm a Good musician, and a reasonable singer. I sit in the back corner of the choir and sing second bass, trying to sing so low that I can make the plastic chairs vibrate. Now, I say I'm a Good musi...

[this is a version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   Many people look back to the Good old days when we all used to gather round a piano and sing for hours, or join in a Good sing-song down the local pub. &n...

"Da pacem Domine" is dedicated to two of my Dear relatives named James. I felt the inspiration to start this piece in the weeks leading up to the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, in which my Dear grandfather Jimmy Rain (1895-1974) had serv...  more"Da pacem Domine" is dedicated to two of my Dear relatives named James. I felt the inspiration to start this piece in the weeks leading up to the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, in which my Dear grandfather Jimmy Rain (1895-1974) had served in the Canadian forces, in one of the most dangerous roles, as a runner in northwestern France. This song honours his memory and the love that he showed me as a boy and a young man growing up. Shortly after starting this piece, I then learned that my Dear cousin Jamie Shaw (1959-2019) was gravely ill and with his permission, I have dedicated this piece to him as well. Jamie's courage, Good spirit and humour throughout his illness was an inspiration to all of us who knew him. "Da pacem Domine" is a musical search for peace: both external peace, between individuals, groups, societies, nations; and internal peace, to find a restful spot within the soul, amidst the serious tensions and conflicts seemingly inherent in the human stream of existence. It explor...    less