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

Choral Workshop The Canterbury Pilgrims
Saturday 15 May 2010; The Minster Preston

2010 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of Making Music (National Federation of Music Societies) in 1935. The composer, George Dyson, was the founder of the Federation and its first president and chairman.

In celebration of this we are holding a workshop of his well known choral work The Canterbury Pilgrims. Each piece in this work takes one of the characters in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

The workshop will be led by Paul Spicer, a specialist in 20th century English Choral Music, accompanied by Graham Jackson at The Minster, Preston.

Please forward ths information to friends and colleagues.

Further details and application form (Acrobat Reader required-free download)
or visit www.makingmusicnorthwest.org.uk

Institute of Education, Reading University
Choral Conducting 3 day course.
14 – 16 April 2010 at the Institute of Education, University of Reading, Bulmershe Campus, Reading RG6 1HY.

This three day course includes practical sessions and workshops to ensure a high quality of engagement, widen the repertoire of music and explore sound using a variety of approaches. There are three levels - Getting Started, Moving On and Advanced. Contributions are £195 for all three days inclusive of lunch and refreshments included.

Closing date for application and cheque 26 February

Further details (Acrobat Reader required-free download)
or contact
Helen Mitchell, Music Education Department Institute of Education, University of Reading, Bulmershe Court, Earley, Reading RG6 1HY
Tel: +44 (0)118 378 8843
email: musiceducation@reading.ac.uk
www.reading.ac.uk/education

Last Choir Standing was described as the new X Factor so why not join us at Llandudno as the North Wales equivalent takes centre stage for the North Wales Choral Festival on November 13.

Youth, mixed, ladies and male voice choirs from the UK and Ireland compete in perfect harmony. Celebrating its 23rd anniversary it’s safe to say we were well ahead of the trend!

The festival first took place in 1988 and after many highs and lows throughout the years, we’ve given it the fresh impetus it deserves. As a result, the competition itself has become as serious contender on the choral calendar as a major national event.

The festival, organised by Conwy County Borough Council in conjunction with Stena Line brings together choirs from across all classes from the UK & Ireland to compete in the most welcoming and friendly of atmospheres.

Choirs compete for a prize fund of £4,500, with the winners of each category taking part in the evening winners’ concert for a final performance where they compete for the overall winner’s trophy.

www.northwaleschoralfestival.co.uk

Contact:email: alun.pritchard@conwy.gov.uk
Tel: 01492 575948; Fax: 01492 575949

Tickets: 01492 872000 or www.venuecymru.co.uk

Come and Sing with John Rutter
Tuesday 11th May, 7.30-9.45pm; Colchester Royal Grammar School

Enjoy a great evening singing with our most popular choral composer, and help CRGS raise funds for a new sixfoot Yamaha grand piano for advanced teaching.

Music includes Look To The Day and The Gift Of Music, together with items from the John Rutter Anthem Book and European Sacred Music. Music for the workshop will be provided.

This event forms part of a whole day workshop at CRGS, during which John Rutter will also work with the School’s Choirs and student composers.

Colchester Royal Grammar School, Lexden Road, Colchester CO3 3ND
TICKETS: Adults £12. Those at school £3. Enquiries: 01206 509117
Purchase by post with s.a.e, or in person from the School, (cheque to “CRGS”)
Also from: MANN’S Music, High Street, Colchester

Gothic Symphony by Havergal Brian

A performance of Havergal Brian’s vast Gothic symphony is being organised in Australia. This will be the fifth performance of the work (written 1919-27), and its premiere outside the UK.

The Gothic is scored for a huge orchestra (around 180 musicians) and what is modestly called a 'double chorus' (and four soloists, a children's chorus and four off stage brass and timpani bands). In practice, the writing demands four adult symphony choruses

The Gothic is in two parts: the first of which is for orchestra alone, the second is a setting of the Te Deum and runs an hour or so. More details: www.havergalbrian.org/sym1.htm.

The performance is being mounted in Brisbane, Queensland, on 22 December 2010, John Curro conducting an orchestra of his alumni (www.qyo.org.au/conductors.htm).

The organisers would very much welcome the presence of one or more British choirs in the performance. Depending on size, they would contribute to one or more of the four choruses.

They have authorised me, as a committee member of the Havergal Brian Society, to conduct initial discussions with UK choirs who are interested in participating.

I appreciate the notice is relatively short but, if a British choir is able and willing to join the performance, I can assure them that it will be the choral concert of a lifetime!

In the first instance, please contact Jeremy Marchant on 01 453 764 615 or mobile 07 970 269 170. Or email jeremy@marchant.com.

WIN A CASH PRIZE FOR YOUR CHOIR!

PRS for Music supports and recognises musical talent. To showcase your talent, PRS for Music is inviting entries for its brand new competition – The Unforgettable Choir.

The Unforgettable Choir Competition is free to enter and challenges the best amateur singing groups, of all ages, to battle it out for the coveted accolade of PRS for Music’s Unforgettable Choir 2009.

There are no restrictions in terms of choir size or style. There are no difficult submission categories to consider, if you sing it, we will listen!

Simply send in your choir’s best performance on CD or DVD … and WIN cash for your choir.

More details

Deadline 30th December 2009

The Isle of Man Festival of Choirs 2010
15th – 17th October 2010

Royal Hall, Villa Marina, Douglas, Isle of Man

There will be 3 classes of competition: Ladies Voice, Male Voice and Mixed Voice Choirs.

The winning prizes are as follows:

• 1st prize in each category - £500
• 2nd prize in each category – £200
• Choir of the Festival - £1,500

Entries by 30th June 2010. Fee £25.

Miss Moira Anderson OBE will be patron of the festival and Dr Alwyn Humphreys will be the Chief Official Adjudicator.

There are bespoke packages available from local tour operators and the whole weekend will be a good mix of singing and leisure.

Further details of the festival including rules and official entry forms can be found at www.visitisleofman.com.

For any further queries, please contact Laura Quinn, Conference and Event Administrator on Laura.Quinn@gov.im or by phone on 01624 698372.

Musician and entrepreneur Matthew Jones is collaborating with legendary broadcaster and music journalist Paul Gambaccini on a brand new professional production of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana to be staged at Birmingham Town Hall as a matinée performance on Valentine's Day February 14 2010 in aid of the British Heart Foundation.

Matthew Jones Music Ltd are now looking to form a large choir of all ages, with and without singing experience - ideal for those who enjoy a challenge and have a passion for fundraising.

The company's past success includes productions of Mozart's Coronation Mass, Fauré's Requiem and Vivaldi's Gloria at some of the UK's finest venues. Most notably, their recent recording collaboration with lyricist Don Black raised over £10,000 for Cancer Research UK.

Rehearsals commence in November at Highclare School - The Abbey, Erdington.

For further information, contact Jenny Sloan at Matthew Jones Music Ltd on 0121 632 2330 / 07941 918 688.

A new RSCM initiative in partnership with the Royal College of Organists & abcd

Inspiration and training for church musicians of all levels, including beginners.

Separate strands for organists and choir directors but with opportunities to move between the two.

Expert tuition from experienced teachers and professionals.

Opportunities for individual coaching.

• Leeds, Saturday 6 February 2010
  10.30am-4pm, Leeds Parish Church, Kirkgate, Leeds
• Birmingham, Saturday 24 April 2010
  10.30am-4pm, St Paul's, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham
  
• London, Saturday 23 October 2010
  10.30am-4pm, St Marylebone Parish Church, London NW1

Limited places available - early booking is advisable.
For further information and to book contact the RSCM Education Administrator on 01722 424843 or visit www.rscm.com/skills.
Further training opportunities also available at www.rco.org.uk.

North West Children's Honour Choir continues.
It is largely drawn from school years 5-8. The boys and girls are not auditioned but must obtain a letter of recommendation from their teacher to say they are able to sing in tune and have enough maturity to enjoy and benefit from membership of the choir.

This year they wil! have the opportunity of working with Bob Chilcott and James Lewis.

There will be three full day workshops culminating in a concert shared with an adult choir after the final workshop. This time the host choir will be the Lancaster Singers.
Workshop dates: February 6th and May 8th 2010 to be held at Longsands School, Fulwood, Preston
and June 12th at Ripley St Thomas School, Lancaster.
Concert on June 12th at Ripley St Thomas School, Lancaster starting 7.30pm.
Full details and application form
Queries to Mavis Fletcher or tel. 01772 655939
Last date for entries extended to 16th January 2010

The origins of this very rich but grossly underused resource, go back to the early days of the London County Council. It is now owned by Trinity College of Music in Greenwich and administered by two part-time volunteers. The librarian, Tony Lynes, aims to make its very large collection of choral music available to singers, young and old, all over the country. There is a small hire charge - £12 per month plus postage for a set of scores of a major choral work. The choral music catalogue runs to 65 pages, comprising
some 1,800 works covering most of the traditional choral repertoire (a copy can be supplied for £2). In many cases, orchestral parts are also available.

To view the catalogues visit www.tcm.ac.uk then click on Study, College Facilities, Jerwood Library, Collections and Resources, and Special Collections. The vocal catalogue is divided into a number of sections.

The library's future is uncertain, as Trinity College has decided it can no longer justify the expense of housing a national lending library. Efforts are being made to raise enough money to enable a charitable company to take it over. Suggestions regarding fund-raising or future location will be gratefully received.

For further information or to hire copies, telephone the Librarian on Tuesday afternoons and Fridays on 020 8305 3952, or at home on 020 7733 7235; email tony.lynes@googlemail.com

My name is Dion Ritten, working as a professional choral conductor with 5 choirs in The Netherlands.

One of the choirs I conduct, Kamerkoor Cantate Venlo, is interested in organizing a Concert Tour to the UK in 2010.

Cantate is an award winning women’s choir: the choir won the Choir of the Year competition in The Netherlands and was a finalist at the International Competition Maribor / Slovenia.

For more information, please visit: www.kamerkoorcantate.nl

The choir would be interested in visiting Canterbury, London, Cambridge and Oxford in 2010 and is looking for conductors and choirs who might be interested in organizing shared concerts with Cantate.

Please contact me at the address below.

Warmest regards!!
Dion Ritten, conductor
Jacob Ruysdaelstraat 7
6464 CC Kerkrade
The Netherlands

te: +31 45 535 50 31. email: d.ritten@hccnet.nl