Michael's Blog

We had a really productive rehearsal on Tuesday with 7S, 6A, 4T and 3B turning up at Stratford on a chilly November evening. We concentrated on Mary’s Magnificat, the Berlioz Shepherds’ Farewell (with its tricky alto part), and ‘I heard the Bells’, written for the choir in 2015 by Joanna Gill. And we had a quick look at O come all ye faithful, with descant. So that’s two rehearsals under our belts but can singers please use the rehearsal MP3s and practise their parts before the next rehearsals on Saturday and Tuesday next? There are one or two subscriptions outstanding so please remit these to me, with a copy of the form (it’s on the new members’ page of this website). And, yes, my memory did not fail me - Berlioz was married to Harriet Smithson, a Shakespearean actress and soprano from Ennis in what is now the Republic of Ireland. Maybe that’s why he gave the altos such a hard time.