Recently in Fiona Gill Category

Full steam ahead across the building for our Fifth Birthday celebrations tomorrow, and we had a great rehearsal with Simon Halsey last Thursday for our special birthday concert on Friday night in Hall One.
I love concert weeks with the Chorus, we learn so many new techniques from Simon: we will usually go through the entire work, with Simon telling us what his take on the music is so we're all thinking the same thing when singing it, where to breathe in the music, where we need more intensity in a section, or where we need to be joyous and loud. Simon always gives us his ideas and put his stamp on the work making us excited to perform in the concert on Friday and some really great techniques about producing a lovely sound: sometimes if you're thinking about a high note its better to 'think down' so you don't sound strained, or really listening to each other in order to stay in tune - SImon has a great way of making us sound coherent and as one voice. It's a really exciting process!
Some concerts recently have involved the Chorus being involved in movement onstage, but not this time: we'll be on Level 2 behind the stage for Tevener's The Lamb in the first half, then we're onstage with the orchestra for the Britten St Nicolas; really close to the orchestra and that bit closer to the audience.
Tomorrow night we'll have a big rehearsal with Simon, Northern Sinfonia and Quay Voices on the stage in Hall One in preparation for Friday where we'll go through the whole piece. Lots of our members performed the Britten just a few years ago so it really helps to have that extra layer of assurance underneath: I'd never sung the piece before we started rehearsing it in November but it really helps when so many members are already sure of it, the rehearsals have gone really well, Simon was very happy with us on Thursday last week! On the concert night, Alan Fearon our Chorus master will warm us up and make sure our voices are ready for the task ahead then off we go!
Being part of the Fifth Birthday celebrations is so exciting and lots of the Chorus are looking forward to it too; we have members were original singers in the Chorus when we were formed by Alan Fearon 35 years ago!
After the Britten some members of the Chorus are performing Carols on the Concourse as another part of the Birthday Celebrations which will hopefully delight the departing audience and fill us with Christmas spirit.

I did some vox pops with Chorus members a couple of weeks ago: here's a small selection, more to follow tomorrow!

091122 Katie 2 edited.mp3

091122 Marion edited.mp3

091122 Geoff Hughes edited.mp3

Most people think of Friday as the end of the week but here at The Sage Gateshead it's just getting going: tomorrow is the incredible Inspiration Choir who are doing two performances of their Christmas spectacular to two packed-out Hall One audiences, followed on Sunday by Come & Sing Hallelujah: over 400 people singing Handel's instantly-recognisable humdinger from the Messiah, alongside Christmas carols and other favourites.