Author: dmmm@blueyonder.co.uk

Tuesday 15th we offer you socially distanced carol singing on Sheen Common at 8pm for around half an hour or so. The carols will mainly be from the Carols for Choirs but we will provide a pack for printing at home at some point in the next day or so. Don’t forget some way of seeing your music in the dark given you won’t be able to share copies or benefit from a four handed team. A thermos of something will probably keep you going but hoping it stays dry as currently predicted. If it looks like a wash out, we will decide an hour before and post here. Meet on the path between the Fife Road entry and the West Temple Sheen entry just before 8pm. It would be nice to know how many we are so we can appropriately plan – so feel free to email chris.hawkins2015@yahoo.com to let us know if you are coming.

Lesley

Hello all, it seems Tier 2 rules have no impact our Covid secure rehearsal environment where we are already attending as individuals, not groups of 6, so the rehearsal this Tuesday October 20th is on. Thank you everyone for abiding strictly by the distancing, mask and sanitation requirements which make it possible for us to continue for the time being.

Please print Battle of Jericho from the list in the media tab of the website for Tuesday. We will not meet the following week 27th October (half term) and of course will keep the situation on the applicable rules under close scrutiny.

As always, any questions or concerns, please contact either of us or any of the committee.

Best wishes to everyone.

Lesley & Chris

Yes we are rehearsing again Covid securely tonight. Tenors left front and basses right front. Sops behind bases and altos behind tenors. Tenors turn for swab down after.

Hello all, Lovely sound last week – and lovely to see so many of the team at a distance. Tonight we will look at some of what we have done already under masked conditions and also Ellan Vannin. So if you didn’t print a copy of that already please go to the music and media tab of the website, click on repertoire outline, scrοll down and click on the blue highlight name Ellan Vannin. You will also find learning tracks there (thanks Chris).

Sending best wishes to everyone. Lesley

Hi everyone, just to confirm the revised arts guidelines still allow us to rehearse on Tuesdays within the constraints and protections we have in place. Therefore we have decided for the time being to keep choir open for those who want to come. The key requirements of the guidelines are that i. We are an organised activity, ii. We are using a ‘Covid secure space’, iii. We will ensure no mingling; iv. We collect data for Test and Trace. As you will know from previous communications from us, we have put all of this in place but I have to remind you that all of us in attendance must be vigilant to make sure we keep to the rules. We understand there will be people who feel unable to join us for the time being eg. on the basis of personal or family risk profile and it is obviously up to you to assess your own situation. Your position on that might change as the current Covid levels vary and people are always welcome to come along or suspend attendance. However, to ensure an adequate core team we will be putting in place WhatsApp groups for each section so we can track attendance in advance. We will collect names for this on Tuesday. If you cannot make Tuesday but want to be included, please contact Lesley or Chris.

Attendees please refresh yourselves on the Covid risk assessment on the website and the detail in Chris’s post entitled 8th September on practicalities. Same pieces for rehearsal too! If anyone has concerns about any of this please address them to Chris or me. The committee has done a lot of work on ensuring that we are following the rules as they evolve and have the appropriate protocols in place.

Best wishes, Lesley

Hello everyone, we are sorry to inform you that we have decided to cancel this evening’s session. One of our members has let us know that they have tested positive for coronavirus. Please be assured that if you were at last week’s rehearsal our Covid security measures mean you should not consider yourself at risk by reason of your attendance. We have cancelled because we know that some members will have been in contact with the affected person outside our Covid-secure space and, given the circumstances of this case, we consider it prudent to wait until NHS Test and Trace process has been effected so that it is clear before we meet again who will be required to self-isolate. Those who might be affected have been contacted by one of us today. If you have not been contacted, you are unaffected and should not be impacted by the Test and Trace process. However, this reminds us how important it is to ensure we all follow these measures absolutely. We wish the affected person a speedy recovery .

If you have any queries please contact me or Siobhan direct. Best wishes, Lesley

Hi all, the new Covid guidance on socialisation does not affect us continuing to meet in a Covid secure space. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow- please bring the same four pieces as last time: Shenandoah
Swansea Town, Linden Lea, Danny Boy. We made a good start in the strange environment last week so let’s build on the excellent work we did over the summer! If you need reminding of our Covid rules please read last weeks’s post. It is vital that we stick to these at all times. This week is sopranos turn for wipe down etc – we don’t need you all but please be prepared. Best wishes, Lesley

Hi all, next Tuesday 11th is going to be our last informal summer meet up and its going to be a big one. Thank you to Suzanne for the invaluable use of her space over the past weeks, it has been amazing. We are MOVING to Mrs Joshi’s garden for our last one – 18 Roedean Crescent. Plenty of parking but you can also navigate there on foot via Palewell. Side gate will be open for access and bike storage. We start 7.30pm sharp and move on to drinks afterwards – please bring your Covid appropriate beverages. If you can’t come early, come late anyway. Plenty of space!

Please do homework on Shenandoah, Swansea Town and Ellen Vannin. We can definitely nail them all if you do. Find Chris H’s practice tracks via the post entitled July 22nd/28th. Sorry that practice copy of Ellen will suck all the ink from your printer or you can by a proper copy now. If you have Faure Requiem, please bring as we may do Agnus Dei (by popular request) but we also have another last minute treat being rustled up – it will be easy!

Have a great sweltering weekend. Any queries please call me or email Lesley.morley1@gmail.com; 07802796410

Hi all, all those willing, able and not in quarantine are welcome to meet again on Tuesday at the earlier time of 7.30pm in Suzanne’s garden for a full group but suitably distanced session. There is plenty of space to spread out and to arrive and leave at appropriate distance. Apologies if this is too early for some, please come late if you wish, but we expect to finish by 8.45pm latest as it gets dark and chilly earlier. Look back at Chris’s last post for easy access to practice tracks and temporary copies. You will need:

Amazing Grace; Rainbow; Danny Boy; Shenandoah; Mozart score – to do Lacrymosa (by popular request), Linden Lea (if time allows). If you can please have a brush up beforehand with the recordings on the Danny Boy and Shenandoah sections which Chris discussed in the last post, we can have a good go at them. Robert will again be with us for support but it would be great if we can give ourselves the confidence by refreshing at home first.

Hope everyone is well and especial best wishes to those who don’t feel ready yet to be with us. We have not forgotten you!

Lesley

Dear all – apologies for this long post, you’ll need to log in to read.

I hope everyone and your families are well. Many of us are very much missing singing together and it’s now been too long! Given the relaxation of lockdown, we are going to try to establish some choral activity within social distancing rules, ever hopeful that we will be able to be together again from 8^th September as planned.

We are offering you experimental distanced sectional rehearsals on Zoom next Tuesday evening. This will start at 7.45pm and endure for around 45 mins. We will focus principally on one of the pieces chosen by Dave for next term (Linden Lea: R Vaughn Williams)

We may add something else very straightforward which Chris H and I are in the process of selecting to help us relax into some easy harmonious singing when we are able to be together again.

For Linden Lea, Chris H has recorded each voice line on piano and has loaded them on the website along with the score for Linden Lea and a recording of all parts played together. THANK YOU CHRIS. You will find them on the homepage and in downloads.  We plan to do the same for the other piece, when finalised.

Each section has a volunteer host:

Sopranos – Lesley Lesley.morley1@gmail.com

Altos – Siobhan jonezfamily658@virginmedia.com

Tenors – Teresa Tess47mail@gmail.com

Bass – Chris H chris.hawkins2015@yahoo.com

If you would like to participate:

1. please contact your section host asap and they will send you the Zoom link before Tuesday evening. You will need to have the Zoom software downloaded onto your electronic device/computer (see previous posts). Additionally and weather permitting, each host is happy to have up to 5 people attending in person in their gardens so please let them know if you would prefer this option and they will give you the location.
2. Find the score for Linden Lea on the website and print off the score before Tuesday evening.
3. Find your recorded part on the website and listen to it before Tuesday. There is also a four part recording so you can hear what it will sound like together.

On Tuesday, everyone will Zoom in or attend in person at 7.45pm. To start rehearsing, your host will put everyone on mute other than the garden/host venue;  they will share their Zoom screen and play the section recording. If you are not attending in person, you will only be able to hear yourself and the host group. For this reason it will be particularly useful to have more than one person in the host location. We expect to practice for around half an hour with another 15 mins at the start for hellos.
We will plan to do some more in the next few weeks and may refine how this works if possible after trying it out and over the summer to provide some fun for all and so that we can sing with confidence when we are eventually allowed to meet inside. There will be no charge for these sessions over the summer.

But Tuesday 30^th is another QUIZ. Robert’s last week was rather tricky but brilliantly interesting and funny. It’s hard work putting these together but a lot of fun for everyone who attends. I for one am absolute rubbish, so please join us if you have been thinking about it and are not sure. Team work! Teresa is compiling the quiz for 30^th June so please email her if you plan to participate so she can send you the Zoom link. One of the quiz rounds will involve matching a favourite composer and a favourite piece to each quiz contestant. So you need to choose your two favourites and send them to Teresa (only) by Monday 29^th June. Tess47mail@gmail.com

Have a marvellous weekend all.

Lesley