Search for SEG singers who can make it to the Royal Albert Hall
Two years ago in the TV series The Singing Estate, conductor Ivor Setterfield took a group of novice choral singers from the Blackbird Leys district of Oxford, and turned them into a choir which sang at the Royal Albert Hall. Now singers from the South E
Two years ago in the TV series The Singing Estate, conductor Ivor Setterfield took a group of novice choral singers from the Blackbird Leys district of Oxford, and turned them into a choir which sang at the Royal Albert Hall. Now singers from the South End Green area are being invited to follow in their footsteps.
Ivor, who lives in the area, is conducting Barts Choir, London's largest regular choir, in Carl Orff's popular and dramatic Carmina Burana at the Albert Hall on 19 November. With some sponsorship raised in South End Green, Barts Choir are sponsoring a community choir, who will join the main choir to sing the opening and closing numbers. In addition Years 5 and 6 at Fleet School will form the children's choir for the performance.
At a taster session at Gospel Oak Methodist Church on Saturday 19 July, about 20 singers of varying experience were taken through several choral pieces by workshop leader Amy Bebbington and Barts accompanist Chris Lee. The climax of the morning was a sing-through of O Fortuna, the opening piece from Carmina - which everyone found both challenging and stimulating.
Pam Gilby, the Chair of the South End Green Association, was one of them. "It was so exciting to hear what a group of people under expert leadership can achieve even in such a short time," she said. "With a full programme of rehearsals in the autumn I'm confident we can reach the standard needed for the Albert Hall. And I hope it will lead to other opportunities for the choir to perform locally."
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"We do need more singers to make the project viable - we're hoping for at least 50, preferably more. This is fantastic chance for local people to have the unforgettable experience of performing at the Albert Hall with a professional orchestra and 300-strong choir - come and join us!"
Rehearsals will be on Monday evenings starting in September. Anyone interested in joining should contact Pam on 020 7485 6990.
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