Emma Disley, Editor Mastersinger always welcomes contributions to the abcd printed journal. Contact: tel: 0773 095 4017; email: mastersinger@abcd.org.uk
Advertising enquiries: Rachel Greaves

The fellowship offers the recipient the opportunity to work with a major symphonic chorus and it's Chorus Director. The RSNO Chorus meets weekly on Wednesday Evenings in Glasgow and performs regularly with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, under conductors of international stature.

The RSNO Chorus is recognised by the Inland Revenue as a Charity, Scottish Charity Registration No. Sco 04352

The recipient will receive an honorarium of £1,500, over the season's tenure.

The extended closing date for applications is Friday 25th July 2008

Application forms and further information may be obtained from:
Douglas Greig, Vice President, RSNO Chorus, Tighvechtan, 49 Crannog Way, Kilwinning, Ayrshire KA13 6NW

Telephone nos. Day: 0141-302-8152; Mobile: 07793132139
e-mail: tighvechtan49@msn.com

An Application Form can also be downloaded for printing, completion and despatch. (click here for a .pdf version)

August 10 - 17 2008 at Canford Summer School of Music (now held at Sherborne School, Sherborne, Dorset).
Tutor: Liz Welsh

There are so many singers out there that we are not reaching yet. This adventurous initiative by Canford Summer School aims to encourage people who love to sing but don't because they don't read music, or those who already sing but want to have some fun developing a new skill - learning by ear.

So if you or your singers know anybody who would fit the bill, do encourage them to join this summer school week. There are still places available.

For more information the Canford website has the details. www.canfordsummerschool.co.uk

Visit www.cantamus.com/events.htm for MORE INFO AND TICKETS Two amazing top prize-winning choirs in one night - a unique opportunity not to be missed!

Monday, 7 July at 3pm at the Cheltenham Music Festival, Pittville Pump room

Visit www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/whats_on/event_detail.html?id=2112 MORE INFO AND TICKETS

As a prelude to the visit by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, the Estonian Television Girls Choir performs music by Estonia's two most celebrated living composers, Arvo Prt and Veljo Tormis.

SPECIAL EVENT!
Tuesday, 8 July at 7.30pm at St Pauls Church, Knightsbridge, London

Visit http://www.rcm.ac.uk/?pg=1549&title=estonia&DateFrom=&DateTo= MORE INFO-FREE ADMISSION

On the final night of their tour, the Estonian TV Girls Choir will join forces with the Royal College of Music JD Chamber Choir. The concert will include the world premiere of Veni Creator Spiritus by Urmas Sisask, especially commissioned to mark the Republic of Estonias 90th Anniversary Hill & Aarne Saluveer as conductors.

Estonian TV Girls' Choir is a well-known and credited choir both in Estonia and abroad. The recognition is reflected in several high places of acknowledged choir competitions and invitations to reputable choir festivals. The choir is experienced in all kinds of repertoire, from Gregorian chant to contemporary compositions and revisited folklore to the pop and jazz scene with impressive dance arrangements. The conductor of the choir is Aarne Saluveer who is also the Tallinn Georg Ots Music School, the chairman of the board of Estonia Choral Association and a member of the board of Europa Cantat. Web site: www.etvgirlschoir.ee

SUPPORTED BY THE ESTONIAN EMBASSY IN LONDON

Singing Week directed by Jeremy Jackman on 10 - 17 August 2008 will be held in in glorious Assisi.

Although the week is now 80% full, we could really do with some more tenors and basses to improve the balance of the choir. The final concert - which usually gets a standing ovation - will be in the Basilica di San Francesco.

Full details of the week and pictures are on view at www.runbysingers.org

Is anyone willing to loan or hire 20 copies of this anthem for a performance on 24 August 2008?

Please contact peter.crawford47@tiscali.co.uk or telephone 01423 325405

Devizes Chamber Choir are planning to do this work at Christmas, starting rehearsals in September. Choral scores have been booked through local music libraries, but they are unable to obtain the Organ Score. Has anyone got a copy they would prepared to lend, hire or sell please?

Reply to Margaret Henry henrymc@talktalk.net

Could you or someone you know be the the next Oscar-winning film composer, world-famous orchestral composer or a jazz pioneer?

Introducing the Sibelius Student Composer Of The Year 2008 - a chance for students aged 10-18 to get their compositions heard by some living legends and win some amazing prizes including once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Entries do not have to be created in Sibelius - audio/video files created in other programs are welcome.
And entries are judged in two age categories: 10-16 and 17-18.

For more information...read more about the competition on http://www.sibelius.com/jumpgate/1486/

The courses are open to all singers with recent choral experience and some sight reading skills. Study materials (scores and rehearsal CDs) are sent out well in advance, and an number of optional activities are available.

The East of England Liturgical Music Course (at the beginning of August) will involve performances in the cathedrals of Norwich, St Edmundsbury and Ely. It will focus on the great Anglican repertoire on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including the rarely performed English Mass by Herbert Howells.

The Malvern Liturgical Music Course (at the end of August) will take us to the cathedrals of Gloucester and Worcester, and to Great Malvern Priory. Repertoire will be varied, and we will finish with perfomances of several large-scale works by Giovanni Gabrieli in Gloucester Cathedral.

There are about ten places left on each of these courses.

The Wells Tudor Music Festival is on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th October, and includes performances by Alistair Dixon, Chapelle du Roi and Colin Booth.

For more details, see www.liturgicalmusic.co.uk, or call 0118 326 6319.

Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th June 2008
Ripley St Thomas School, Lancaster is holding two events in this first Choral Weekend.

2.00pm Saturday 28th June - Choral Workshop
given by Ralph Allwood well known as founder of the Eton Choral Courses and presently Precentor and Director of Music at Eton College and conductor of the Rodolphus Choir; he will present a workshop with the young choristers of Ripley St Thomas School.
and
László Durányik will give a demonstration of some of the techniques used in training his choir and will rehearse some Hungarian repertoire. He is director of the Aurin Girls Choir from the Kodály Music School, Kecskemét in Hungary who are guests at Ripley for this weekend, as part of their fifth UK tour. In 2006 the choir won two gold medals in the World Choir Games in China and first prize at the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod.

Following the Open Rehearsals from 2.00pm the afternoon will end with a short Concert given by both choirs at 5.00pm.

Day Tickets are £5 and are available on the door, or in advance from reception
Further details can be found at: www.ripley.lancs.sch.uk/documents/RipleyChoralWeekend.pdf

7.00pm Sunday 29th June
Concert given by the Aurin Girls Choir
Conductor László Durányik

The choir will perform a programme of music from over four centuries including sacred Renaissance motets and works by contemporary Hungarian composers and folk song arrangements.

Tickets are £5 and are available on the door, or in advance from reception.
Further details can be found at: www.ripley.lancs.sch.uk/documents/AurinGirlsChoir.pdf

Male voices would be particularly welcome. If you are enthusiastic, have a good, true voice, and can attend rehearsal regularly, then come and give us a try! There are no auditions: some choral singing experience and some sight reading ability would be an advantage, but is not essential as all works to be performed are thoroughly rehearsed over the course of each term.

Based in the City of London, we are a friendly choir, which sings in beautiful churches in the City. Rehearsals are timed so that singers can join the choir immediately after work, beginning at 6.15 and ending by 8.15, at the NatWest Building, 1 Princess Street, London EC2R 8PB, next to the Bank tubstation and ten minute walk from Liverpool Street station & three minutes from Cannon Street. The building is wheelchair accessible.

The Choir

The National Westminster City Chorus was formed in 1920 and has given concerts in major London concert halls every year since then, covering a wide range of music from Byrd, Gabrieli and Monteverdi, through the classical repertoire to contemporary works by John Tavener, Gershwin and Cole Porter. Based in the City and supported by the National Westminster Bank, the Choir is always keen to involve those working there and new voices are always welcome.
For further information, please visit the website www.citychorus.info

The conductor Michael Downes was appointed Musical Director in December 2006, taking over from Ian Humphris. Michael has conducted numerous choral, orchestral and operatic groups, both professional and amateur, in London, Cambridge, Sussex and Kent. Michael is Music Director of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and is also a writer and lecturer on music.

For more information, please contact our Membership Secretary: Sarah Silvé on 020 8367 3517 or
membership@citychorus.info

The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) has just announced dates and venues for this year’s Young Voices Festival; an annual opportunity for young people from schools and colleges to sing together in inspiring venues all over the UK. The theme this year is “Search for Peace”. There are seven events already arranged for venues across the UK; Dunblane, Ely, Winchester and Ripon Cathedrals, Eton College, King’s College School (Wimbledon) and St Alphege Church (Solihull) taking place in either June or October (dates below). A further event in London has yet to be announced.

For full details of the Festival and booking procedures download the .pdf file. (Note: you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader - click here for a free download if you do not already have this facility)

The 2008 'Inspire' competition for young composers is run by BBC Proms in association with The Guardian. The scheme also incorporates free music-making activities and entry to the Proms.

Inspire is the BBC Proms scheme that encourages and fosters the talent of young composers. Incorporating the annual BBC Proms Inspire Young Composers' Competition, it includes a day of inspirational music-making with world-class composers and artists in August. All the activities on offer are free of charge, and all entrants will receive free tickets to the world-famous BBC Proms at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The 2008 Young Composers' Competition is now open for entries. If you have a student who you think would benefit from taking part in the scheme, please call 020 7765 2679 or email mailto:promslearning@bbc.co.uk for more information on how to get them involved. Or you can visit our website at www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2008/youngcomposers to learn more and download an entry form.

Deadline for entries is 23rd May 2008

Please check out the link where you can download posters and access the updated application form.

Applications are invited from all choirs countrywide and from choirs of all musical genres; classical, gospel, barbershop, pop, a cappella, folk and rock etc.

We have updated some of our application guidelines to make it easier for entries to get into us:
* We will be accepting audition videos with or without musical accompaniment.
* Our filming teams will be available nationwide to film audition videos for choirs.
* We are allowing one choir representative to complete the main body of the application form on behalf of the whole choir.
* We ask that all choir members included in the Audition Video add their signature to the single release form attached to the application form.
* We are pleased to announce that we have extended the application deadline to Friday 18th April 2008 6pm.

If you have any questions relating to the application process, please get in touch with the team on 020 7576 176

We look forward to hearing from you!

Good Luck from the Choir Search team!

The Hallé Choir is looking for experienced singers to sing Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius this summer.

If you love singing, but haven’t got the time to do it all year round or are already busy singing with another choir, then this project is for you.
The Hallé Choir auditions in April 2008 and rehearses from mid-May for a performance and recording of The Dream of Gerontius in July, and is looking for experienced singers to come and join the Hallé and an international cast of soloists for this project.

For more information, please visit the Hallé's website at www.halle.co.uk

Alternatively you can email enquiries@hallechoir.co.uk or call the Hallé Choir message line on 0845 1080 122.

Chorus Niagara (Canada) is embarking on its first international tour to England in May 2009. We already have one confirmed engagement with Portsmouth Choral Union on May 16, 2009. We are seeking another choir for a similar joint concert between May 10 and 14, 2009, preferably in the Salisbury or Winchester area.
Please contact:Joan Medina, Chair, Touring Committee, Chorus Niagara
jmedina@niagaradsl.com
905-228-0858
The choir's website is www.chorusniagara.ca

Golden-Oldies was featured on the BBC 6 o'clock news early in January, News 24, Radio 4's PM programme and also the BBC World Service.

Project Director is Grenville Jones, an ABCD member and he would love to hear from anyone who is interested in getting involved in taking the music sessions as Golden-Oldies develops across the UK. The music of the Goldies as they are called is the sing along hits of the 50s, 60s and 70s, but there is much, much more to Golden-Oldies than a karaoke sing along.

Golden-Oldies will give lonely people something to look forward to and there will be concerts, special events and much more as the project develops across the UK.

See www.golden-oldies.org.uk with it's link to Project Director Grenville Jones.

Grants of £500 – £4,000 will be available from the Michael Tippett Foundation this year after a dormant period of several years.
Because funds are limited, the Trustees have decided to focus on one area of musical activity as their single priority. This is the development of group music making, especially involving young people in projects incorporating composition and creative ideas. Projects may be in or out of schools or in community settings.
For full details and guidelines please contact the Secretary, Gwyn Rhydderch at the address below or by email: grwinter@dircon.co.uk
Gwyn Rhydderch, the Michael Tippett Musical Foundation, 50 Broadway, London SW1H OBL.

Choir of the Year is the UK’s largest and most prestigious amateur choral competition. In the last competition over 5,000 singers took part in choirs ranging from a Bulgarian Folk Choir, to tribute groups and traditional mixed and single voice choirs – a really exciting mix of the best talent from across four Nations.The competition reaches its climax at the end of 2008 with the Category Finals and a Grand Final to be broadcast on BBC TV and Radio.

To contact the Librarian for further information or to hire copies telephone the Library on Tuesday afternoons and Fridays on 020 8691 9337, or at home on 020 7733 7235;
email tony.lynes@virgin.net.