It’s the end of July, and FCC is taking a break from rehearsals until September. We asked our members how they’re keeping engaged with singing during the summer holidays.
Some are finding ways to keep singing. There are usually choral holidays and summer schools available over the summer period, some in very tempting locations – one of our members will be combining singing and sunshine in Portugal. Alternatively, there are several groups who recruit singers to cover services at the UK’s great cathedrals, while the regular cathedral choristers get a very well-deserved holiday. One of our members is looking forward to singing Evensong at Salisbury Cathedral in August. “I’m not particularly religious, but I love the ritual of Evensong. There’s something so calming in the ritual of psalms, canticles and responses, and the anthems are uplifting. And I’m especially excited to sing in Salisbury – that’s been on my bucket list for a while…”
Of course, there are more informal ways to keep singing – for example, small groups getting together to enjoy part songs and a piece of cake in someone’s garden.
Alternatively, some of our singers are stimulating their creativity by attending other vocal groups’ concerts. There are other choirs offering performances in North London – for example, one of our members very much appreciated Alyth Choral Society’s summer concert earlier this month. They found Joanna Forbes L’Estrange’s A Season for Singing, her choral re-imagining of Vivaldi’s famous Four Seasons, a particular inspiration.
In London we are lucky to be spoilt for choice in terms of wonderful concerts. While some venues take a break from classical repertoire during the school holidays, there are opportunities for special summer events, like “Fire Songs” at King’s Place (part of the King’s Cross Summer Sounds festival). And the summer is the time for one of the world’s premier classical music festivals – the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. This annual concert series dates back to 1895 and the BBC has been broadcasting performances since 1927 This year, the series started on 18 July but there are daily opportunities to hear world-class artists and ensembles, including the Hallé Choir and Youth Choir, the Welsh National Opera Chorus, the London Symphony Chorus, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir – not forgetting the fabulous BBC Singers and BBC Symphony Chorus, who will perform at the Last Night of the Proms in September. (A former Chair of FCC has been a stalwart of the BBCSC tenor section, and we always look out for him in the TV coverage!)
But some of us are just enjoying a bit of downtime! One of our members said they’ll be “mostly just enjoying a rest (and catching up with house maintenance!)” – sounds like a great way to make sure to be raring to go in September!