Programme for Sunday

Amy will work with a scratch delegate choir to share a variety of approaches to polish and refine your amateur choir’s sound, accuracy and ensemble ready for memorable performances. Come along to sing and/or observe. Music will be available.

Drawing on his extensive experience of working with amateur and professional choirs and orchestras, Mark leads a practical and interactive discussion for choral conductors working with instrumentalists for the first time, or the first few times! Exploring the challenges and opportunities of conducting instrumental ensembles, both with and without a choir, the session will cover score preparation, rehearsal planning, communication and troubleshooting. There will be opportunities to share experiences, discuss common pitfalls, and explore ways to make the transition from purely choral conducting as smooth and rewarding as possible.

*EDUCATION* In this final repertoire discovery session, discover lots of new music for your school or youth choir, including changing voices. Suzzie will lead you through highlights, and you can explore the full range on our website. Bring your own tablet or i-Pad if possible to get the best out of the session.

Peter looks at the art of leading a good rehearsal, one of the fundamental aspects of leading a choir, and yet often a neglected one. This session will cover structure and tempo of rehearsing, practicalities such as singer commitment and rehearsal space, getting to know the music, and ultimately enabling singers to sing as much as possible and enjoy the rehearsal. Peter was part of the team that instigated the abcd conducting courses and was our first Director of Training.

*EDUCATION* (also for community choir leaders) This practical session provides a clear, step-by-step approach to developing confident part-singing using accessible, diverse repertoire. Suitable for teachers and community choir leaders, participants will explore how to scaffold vocal skills from unison singing to independent lines. Delivered by ABRSM Voices Consultant Jenny Trattles, this session is packed with practical activities, innovative strategies you can take away and use in your next rehearsal. By the end of this session, you will be able to
Apply progressive vocal techniques for developing part-singing.
Choose and teach songs that support confidence and musical independence.
Use layering, call-and-response, and simple harmonisation effectively.
Support singers of differing abilities within the same activity.

Led by the directors of the renowned female a cappella vocal quintet Papagena, this session delves into some of the opportunities and issues for adult female voice groups. Topics such as sourcing and developing repertoire and challenging assumptions around vocal ranges and colours will be discussed, together with a chance to sing and hear new works for women’s voices.