A Weekend of Fun Days 2 Chester Race Course

It was even hotter today. And there’s not a lot of shade on a race-course. We did manage to find a few seats under some umbrellas and it was very pleasant chilling out between sets, keeping cool and chatting. There was a bar, but no one went for the Pims at £5.00 a portion. Other drinks were much more reasonably priced.

One of the coolest places was inside the Pavilion where all of the live musical entertainment took place. This offered us a fine opportunity to listen to some good music.

We were invited to sing at Co-operative Family Fun Day. We’re pleased they asked us. We’ve sung for them three times before at Christmas but this is the first time at a Family Fun Day.  

It was the first glimpse of many of us at the inside of a race-course and few had realised just how close this particular one is to the centre of the town. It was fascinating coming across the vocabulary associated with horse-raining on this afternoon when something so totally different was happening.

We actually rehearsed in one of the changing rooms which also doubled up as a place where we could leave non-valuable items. There was just enough space for us all to get in though a couple of people did opt to sing in the shower. The sound was amazing.  Could we repeat it, though, in the bigger space?

We completed two sets of about twenty-five minutes each. The Pavilion holds a lot of people and for both performances we had a respectable and appreciative audience – even if they had only come in for a drink and to get out of the sun. Was it my imagination or were there more  people there for the second set? Certainly there were people on every row if not every seat. True, the sun was possibly at its hottest by then but I even had the impression they were listening a little harder. Had our reputation gone before us? Or was it just the heat?

We tried to replicate what we’d done yesterday but really the area was too exposed to sing in for long. However, we did join and entertain the ice-cream queue again. With Teddy Bears’  Picnic. Could we get gigs at theme parks entertaining the queues? That could be fun – singing on the rides as well, maybe. We’re game for most things.

One or two from the queue joined in Teddy Bear but one young girl looked highly uncomfortable. I hope we didn’t scare her too much – though we do intend to scare with that one.  

Yes, the second set was rewarding. Three young lads sat on the front row and Jeff let them choose whether we should sing How much is that Doggy in the Window, Teddy Bears’ Picnic or Nellie the Elephant. They opted for Nellie so there was a bit of galumphing.

A few rows back some very elegantly dressed older ladies seemed to enjoy our little show.

We did something a little different with Longer this time: our regular soloists – Ann, Ella and Susan all sang together. It worked rather well and gave some volume to the solo part.

Was the icing on the cake when one of the older ladies stood up to clap?

Well we’ve worked hard this weekend but it’s all been great fun.  When’s the next one? Oh, yes, Buxton next week.                

At the Victoria Baths 5 May 2013

Yes, we’ve been doing it again. We’ve been singing in the bath. We’ve now performed at this beautiful old building half a dozen or so times. We always sing in one of the old pools. They are fortunately devoid of water but full of good acoustics. What shall we do if they ever put the water back?

The Victoria Baths is another place worthy of a visit for the Manchester tourist. It was opened in 1906 and is still splendid with its many period decorative features:- stained glass, terracotta tiles and mosaic floors. It is currently undergoing extensive restoration and each time we visit we see small improvements. There was a little sun yesterday and it brought out the best in the leaded windows and skylights.

About two thirds of our members were there yesterday and we had a good balance of the four parts. We aired some current repertoire and again started with Dance in the Street. That worked so well in this space. Nellie the Elephant was trundled out. That’s usually popular with the little ones though the adults seemed to enjoy it this time too. We performed The Long and Winding Road for the first time in public. It’s a lovely song, anyway, and this particular arrangement suits our voices. Gwen Sangster took the solo parts in Longer. We also resurrected an old favourite – Joshua – the one where we do the scary eyes.

We did two slots and it was good in the break to look at some of the exhibits. This included the information about the restoration of the Gaskell House, another brave project and we hope that once it’s finished we may get to sing there also.

We almost lost our musical director, Jeff Borradaile, though. He’d managed to get locked into our practice room where he’d taken a nap. Jeff was completely unfazed, of course. We just thought we might have to sing in the corridor. However, someone came with a key.     

Sampling the cake was also an activity during the break. Cake is always important to the Ordsall Acappella Singers and the Victoria Baths’ ones are to be recommended, as is their tomato and basil soup.

Thanks to the Victoria Baths for having us and to their lovely visitors who were so appreciative.                           

At the Royal Exchange 26 April 2013

The Royal Exchange must be one of the city’s most atmospheric buildings. If you look up you can still see the evidence of the last days’ trading. The glass dome in the middle makes the most of Manchester’s poor light and sunlight streamed in this evening to illuminate the very decorative Great Hall.

What a fantastic space for a theatre and perhaps more importantly for a choir or two to sing.

It was a nice end to the working week. We’re an amateur choir and most of us have day jobs. We kick-started our weekend by listening to another choir and then taking our turn to sing to an audience also eager for playtime. We rehearse in a low-ceilinged building. Having all that air above us was a real treat.

First number: Dance in the Street. It’s a song that worries some of us sometimes. Which may be why Jeff took us by surprise a little with it. Yet it’s always fine and bound to bring a smile to our eyes and the audience’s faces. A good one to start with. It really set the tone.  

Songs we performed included:  

Deep River

Longer

Memories

Wonderful World

They really suited the building and the time of day.  

I personally could hear every single voice. Yet some of the altos said they couldn’t hear the other parts. It was probably to do with where I was standing. I’m a tenor. Ah, the mystery of acoustics.

Some people who had never heard us before made a point of saying how much they’d enjoyed the performance. That’s great to know. We all enjoy singing, both rehearsing and performing. If people enjoy listening we have permission to carry on.  

All in all, a very satisfying evening. Thank you for having us, Royal Exchange.