The MAPAS Choral and Vocal Festival 4 March 2017

Another weekend, another choral festival.

How could we not take part in this one? After all, it is run by the Salford Music and Performing Arts Service.  MAPAS. We are indeed the Ordsall A Cappella Singers and Ordsall is very much part of Salford. 

The venue was easy to find as was on street parking. The MAPAS banner outside helped. We were well looked after. And as the information from the organisers told us there was a “tuck shop” in operation. Note, this the first year they’ve had adults at the festival. Well, the coffee was very welcome in any case. 

A warm up space was provided for us, and though it was little tight, it worked. Jeff’s magic chewing gum really came into its own in this small space. Sorry, can’t say any more about that as it’s a trade secret though if any younger fans and followers are reading this and have worked with Jeff, you’ll know what I mean. Guys, it really worked for us grown-ups. Especially the bit about the ceiling. (Oops- hope the caretaker’s not reading this.) 

We were fortunate to be able to go into the auditorium and listen to the adjudication of the children’s section. Already we were impressed with the detail given and wished we could have got there to hear the youngsters. Still 9.00 a.m. may be a tad early for an adult who’s worked all week and might it have been a bit intimidating for the young people. One to think about for next time.  

       

We tried out for the first time our small ensembles – The Ordsall Chord and the Ordsall Tone Rangers.

“Great names, by the way,” said one judge. 

We heard some lovely sounds from the other choirs. We meant every clap of our enthusiastic applause. As the judges said, it was clear that every single participant loved what they were doing and gave as much as they could. We know all about that.

Every single group that performed was either highly commended or awarded honours. 

The atmosphere throughout was relaxed but the critique was at once encouraging and constructive. This festival has a particular ethos, a solid one and one that encourages all to enjoy making music. Read about the festival here.   

  

Indeed, we had very positive feedback from the judges as did our two smaller groups. They recognised the risks we took in not standing in our parts and not having a conductor. It seemed to pay off. Now we must concentrate on finishing phrases together especially where they end in consonant. Could we manage with just a root note intro and not all four notes?  They really appreciated our engagement with each other and our audience. Working on that for so long has also paid off. 

This was a lovely morning and sure, we’ll come again next year if you let us.  

Wait - what's that at the front?

 
By the way, we won!              

Look at our fabulous shield.

 

The MACC and In Concert 25 / 26 February

It’s been a busy but beautiful weekend. First we had the Saturday evening concert at St Peter’s House, just a few metres up the road from the RNCM where the main event would happen.       

What a privilege it was to listen to Volya Ukranian Male Voice Choir, who incidentally were placed in the competition the next day, and Men2Sing, another great male voice choir. 

Volya Ukranian Male Voice Choir - with red boots

Men2Sing watched by members of Ordsall A Cappella Singers  

  “There’s some bass and tenor envy in the room tonight,” said Jeff. Yes, he was right. That   said though, all of the parts held their own both in this pre-competition event and the competition itself. We had to. We sang spread out and not in our groups. It’s a bit scary to begin with, but my, aren’t you forced to take responsibility? I personally ended up loving it. 

The MACC is always a great day.  We were fortunate in being one of the first choirs to sing. I guess that’s partly because we’re fairly local. It did mean that we could then relax and watch some great performances and listen to some fabulous singing. 

Excitement building 

The costumes, too, are always, fascinating. We have our delicate purple flowers, there were the vibrant red dresses, rainbow coloured jackets, gold bands, yellow ties, smart suit jackets, touches of red and many, many other stunning looks. And talking of rainbows, winning choir Rainbow Connection were spectacular in that way too. Their red and white blankets intrigued everyone. 

Of course, not only do we have bass and tenor envy, as far as Volya are concerned, we also have boot envy. Their red boots are glorious. 

Well, we didn’t win and we weren’t placed in the first three. However, one of the judges admitted to having a thrill run down his spine as we sang. Two of them beamed at us during the performance. In the summing up at the end, we were surely included among the choirs “who improve year on year.”

It’s always a lovely way to spend a Sunday. 

And our next competition is …. next Saturday. Bring it on.                           

Newsletter 15 february 2017

Dear all,

We’re now getting very excited about going to the MACC. Last night we had quite an intense rehearsal. We hardly sat down at all and we didn’t really notice that we’d been on our feet for the best part of two hours. We spent the second half of our rehearsal singing in a different part of the room from normal, with clusters of people from each part in several places.  Challenging but rewarding. It really makes you focus in a similar way that the small group singing does.

And we have an extra concert. See STOP PRESS below for extra details.

The evening before the MACC we’re singing with two other choirs: the Volya Ukranian Male Voice Choir and Men2Sing. This takes place at : Manchester Universities' Catholic Chaplaincy
Avila House
335-337 Oxford Rd
Manchester
M13 9PG

And it’s FREE. Book your ticket by clicking on the link below.              

Forthcoming Events

You can also often find details on our Facebook page and we’ll usually put links on Twitter as well.

At most of our events you can get tickets on the door. However, we do recommend getting tickets in advance. It helps us and it guarantees that you won’t be turned away at the door. We’ve not had to do that yet but we’ve come close to it.    

STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS STOP PRESS 

 

Extra new concert Saturday 25^th February 2017

The Manchester Amateur Choral Competition is hosting a concert this year and has invited some of the best talent from around the country to come and sing.
Join us on Saturday 25th February for a fantastic evening of music before the competition heats up on Sunday.
Tickets are Free!

Book yours here.

 

 

Manchester Amateur Choral Competition 26 February 2017 

… fondly known as the MACC. Yes, we’re entering this again. The songs have been selected … more or less ….. Ha, ha, they’re a secret! We sing for fifteen minutes. It is open to the public – click on the link above -so you might like to come and support us. There is a fantastic atmosphere and although the choirs are in competition with each other they are also very supportive of one another. Guaranteed you’ll hear some great singing.       

Salford Choral and Vocal Festival 4 March

How could we not join in this?  It will to some extent be similar to what we’re doing for the  MACC – note how close together the two events are. But there’s more. In addition, we’ll be entering some small groups of up to ten people. This is something we’ve been working on recently. We’ve been meeting an hour early and singing in small groups – often with just one person singing each part. That really stretches you. It’s a sharp contrast to singing in the bigger choir but it’s great because you can really hear the other parts clearly.  

Find out more about the festival here.          

 

Buxton St Mary’s 22 April Centenary Concert 3.00 p.m.

We have been invited to provide a concert for St Mary’s, with whom we have become great friends over the years that we’ve been going to the Fringe Festival at Buxton. They celebrate their centenary this year. Tickets will be the same price as for our main Buxton concerts:

£5.00 full price

£3.00 concessions (children, unwaged, senior citizens)

Family ticket £12.00 – up to four individuals in one party, where at least one person must be a concession

Children 5 and under free.

The church is arranging the ticketing for this and it should be available by the end of the month. It will be possible to pay on the door but only if there are seats remaining. Book your ticket here to guarantee a place.  

 

Buxton Fringe 15 July 2017

We’ll be singing at our usual two venues:

United Reformed Church Buxton 11.00  a.m.

St Mary’s Church Buxton 3.00 p.m.

Book your tickets here.  Prices as above.

Victoria Baths 9 July and 10 September

We’ll be singing at about 1.00 p.m. and 2.15 on both occasions, though watch out for updates on this newsletter. If you’ve not been before the Victoria Baths are well worth a visit.  

We now are singing there regularly a couple of times a year. You can read about our previous visits here.      

Happy singing and listening everyone.

Newsletter 24 January 2017

Dear all,

It’s a been a little while since we’ve had a newsletter so now we have one or two bits and pieces to tell you. We’ve had to firm up one or two details and we did have a break over Christmas but now we’re speeding along again.

Christmas seems a long time ago now, but it you want to know what we did then, take a look at our blog.  This is always a fun time of year but it’s also good to get back to our normal repertoire and to learning some new songs.  And we’re doing that in spades.  

Last Saturday, 21 January, Jeff ran a very successful workshop for us where we were able to consolidate a few things. This is just another bonus of belonging to a choir. What a great way to spend a Saturday.  

And now we have a few events lined up for you. See below.         

Forthcoming Events

You can also often find details on our Facebook page and we’ll usually put links on Twitter as well.

At most of our events you can get tickets on the door. However, we do recommend getting tickets in advance. It helps us and it guarantees that you won’t be turned away at the door. We’ve not had to do that yet but we’ve come close to it.     

 

Manchester Amateur Choral Competition 26 February 2017 

… fondly known as the MACC. Yes, we’re entering this again. The songs have been selected … more or less ….. Ha, ha, they’re a secret! We sing for fifteen minutes. It is open to the public – click on the link above -so you might like to come and support us. There is a fantastic atmosphere and although the choirs are in competition with each other they are also very supportive of one another. Guaranteed you’ll hear some great singing.        

Salford Choral and Vocal Festival 4 March

How could we not join in this?  It will to some extent be similar to what we’re doing for the  MACC – note how close together the two events are. But there’s more. In addition, we’ll be entering some small groups of up to ten people. This is something we’ve been working on recently. We’ve been meeting an hour early and singing in small groups – often with just one person singing each part. That really stretches you. It’s a sharp contrast to singing in the bigger choir but it’s great because you can really hear the other parts clearly.  

Find out more about the festival here.          

 

Buxton St Mary’s 22 April Centenary Concert 3.00 p.m.

We have been invited to provide a concert for St Mary’s, with whom we have become great friends over the years that we’ve been going to the fringe festival at Buxton. They celebrate their centenary this year. Tickets will be the same price as for our main Buxton concerts:

£5.00  full price

£3.00 concessions (children, unwaged, senior citizens)

Family ticket £12.00 – up to four individuals in one party, where at least one person must be a concession

Children 5 and under free.

The church is arranging the ticketing for this and it should be available by the end of the month. It will be possible to pay on the door but only if there are seats remaining. I’ll send out a short note once we have the link for booking.              

 

Buxton Fringe 15 July 2017

We’ll be singing at our usual two venues:

United Reformed Church Buxton 11.00  a.m.

St Mary’s Church Buxton 3.00 p.m.

Book your tickets here.  Prices as above.

A couple of housekeeping items:

I’m sending out this newsletter to all those who have signed up for it AND to all choir members.  I do the latter so that you can easily pass it on to friends and family. You may therefore be getting it twice.  DO NOT UNSUBSCRIBE – you might unsubscribe from the wrong one and then not get vital choir messages. Let me know if it’s a problem.

I’m also now posting a copy of each newsletter on the blog. Therefore if you’ve deleted the email you can still access the info on our blog.          

Happy singing and listening everyone.