Saturday 14th September 2024

Over a hundred singers eagerly gathered for the first rehearsal of the season. There were several newcomers who were given a warm welcome. Matthew Owens, our new Choral Director, introduced himself and quickly got us involved in the warm up exercises which included lots of body movements to accompany the sounds that were designed to flex the muscles of the face and aid our diction. The first session of the rehearsal focused on singing through Chilcott’s ‘Requiem’ to familiarise us with the structure of the music and provide a sense of the piece in its entirety. This was followed by more concentrated rehearsing of the individual movements with a lot of emphasis on the correct pronounciation of the Latin text. Initially, the choir felt challenged by the unfamiliar music and having to find their notes to begin their sections, but it was clear from the final ‘sing through’ at the end of the day that our confidence was growing.
Amongst other things, singers said that they particularly enjoyed:

  • Matthew’s sense of humour
  • Matthew’s attention to detail
  • Matthew’s leadership which was inspiring, interesting and useful
  • Working on the sight singing and recognising the intervals between notes
  • Meeting other people again and making new friends