Showing posts with label MACC 2017. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MACC 2017. Show all posts

Wednesday, 8 March 2017

Newsletter 8 March 2017



Dear all,
What a month it’s been. Last time I was telling you that we would be going to the MACC,  on 26 February with an extra concert the night before and then about the Salford Vocal and Choral Festival on 4 March. Now those have been and gone and we’re pleased with what we achieved.
The MACC judges assured us that we sang better than they’d ever heard us do before.  Is this perhaps as it should be really, if we’re continuing to make progress? Ah, our MD is working us hard – and it pays off.     
And, er, we won the Salford Vocal and Choral Festival. 


Quotes from the judges: “Fantastic engagement with the audience”  “An excellent dynamic group. The harmonies were tight – well done.”
There were a lot of firsts around the two events and indeed the concert the evening before the MACC:
·         The first time we’ve performed without a conductor
·         The first time we’ve sang scattered instead of in voice parts (and it seems that this improved the harmonies)
·         The first time our small groups (the Ordsall Chord and the Ordsall Tone Rangers) performed in public. Incidentally they did well too at the Salford Festival with comments: “ Lovely blend of harmonies, the light and bouncy feel of the song was well conveyed ” “ a super programme, super interaction”.
Our concert on 25 February with two other choirs was also very rewarding. It was there that we tried out our new regime. It worked, so we risked it also at the two competitions. It seemed to work there too.
Of course, we also made friends with two new choirs. All three events were delightful as they brought us into contact with other people who love singing.   
You can read more on our blog about the MACC and the concert the day before here.      
You can read more about the Salford Vocal and Choral Festival here.

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.    

 

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:
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.

 

Monday, 27 February 2017

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.