Old masters, New World
Sat, 12 Oct 2024
Choir tour to Tuscany
Fri, 7 Apr 2017
2017 Tour to Tuscany
With a number of significant landmarks to celebrate, the choir took to the hills of Tuscany at Easter 2017 for the 10th of our biennial Easter trips around Britain and Continental Europe – this time appearing on tour for the first time under our new name and with our new musical director.
Now appearing as the re-christened Charnwood Voices and under the baton of Nicholas Scott-Burt, the choir managed to conjure all that was best from our former life as Shepshed Singers, with three performances in as many days alongside a heavy-duty schedule of cultural visits and general merry-making launched early each day from a hotel base in the spa town of Montecatini Terme.
In a breath-catching, non-stop, whirlwind of music and travel around the historic region that inspired the Renaissance, the 45-strong choir won appreciation from the locals for our a cappella singing and trademark enthusiasm. The programmes were all sacred music by (mainly) European composers including Bruckner, Monteverdi, Palestrina, Durufle and Mendelssohn, spiced with English flavour ancient and (more) modern in the shape of Tallis and Stanford. The American Samuel Barber was included as an honorary European, because his Agnus Dei was so obviously well-suited to the grandeur of the venues.
The concert series began with a short performance to the tourists of Florence at the mighty (and mightily-busy) “Duomo”, 
otherwise and more formally known as Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. This magnificent building possessed the most challenging acoustic, but a tour highlight for singers and listeners alike was a spell-binding Bruckner Ave Maria that will live as long in the memory as it seemed likely to do in the rooftops of the building.
On to the ancient walled-city of Lucca the next day, after taking in Pisa and the Tower. A guided tour of the city (birthplace of Puccini), a quick rendition of Nessun Dorma at the feet of his statue, up and down a tower or two, and it was show-time 
again with a concert in the San Martino Cathedral that ticked every box in terms of performance, emotion and reception from a happy audience. Then it was late back, early start and off to do it again at Certaldo, this time via wine-tasting at Castello Verrazzano (aged barrels, white tablecloths, fabulous views, vintage wines and balsamics at exotic prices) as well as the medieval world’s version of a Manhattan skyline at San Gimignano.
There was somehow time left in the day after enjoying a standing ovation at the conclusion of the Certaldo concert to go up a funicular, get back down and dash off by coach to dine at an agriturismo restaurant in the hills – the farewell meal.Tour PS: The pace was set at the start by a requirement to leave Leicestershire at 3am. It feels almost whimpish to note that at the end of the trip most of the party reached home by midnight… Many thanks to our tour organiser and sop soloist Jeni for a wonderful week.
Choir tour to Cornwall
Fri, 10 Apr 2015
You’ve heard of Poldark, Jamaica Inn, Doc Martin, John Betjeman and now, Shepshed Singers; just some of the delights of Cornwall.
After many months of meticulous planning and rehearsing, the majority of the choir, with a good number of supporters, including Dawa the Newfoundland, were off to the South West to perform at four beautiful venues, St Tudy Church, Truro Cathedral, Falmouth Methodist Church and St Swithin’s, Launcells, for the warm and welcoming people of Cornwall.
Our programme of sacred and secular pieces, some old and some new repertoire, had been chosen to reflect the springtime, the sea and to celebrate Easter. Alleluias abounded and were put to best effect in Truro Cathedral, where its vastness gave the singing a heavenly quality. The full sound of the double choir singing Croce’s ‘Regina Coeli’ made an impressive start to the concert, as the two halves competed and then reunited to create an exultant final ‘Alleluja’.
A selection of early sacred music from Tye, Taverner, Palestrina and Byrd, fittingly chosen for the ancient churches of St Tudy and St Swithin’s, Launcells, was much appreciated, but the smiles came when we launched into the familiar sing-alongs, ‘Mermaid’ and ‘I do like to be beside the seaside’, even clapping along to ‘The angel rolled the stone away’. Throughout, Dawa, our canine supporter, lay peacefully spread across the aisle at St Swithin’s, giving a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere to the occasion. Indeed, they’re a hospitable bunch in Cornwall, providing drinks, sandwiches and cake to sustain us, and for our convenience, a composting toilet.
‘When the weather is fine, you know it’s the time, for messing about on the river.’ With stunning views of the coastline, our boat leisurely chugged along the Fal River to join ‘Eight in a Bar’, the local male voice choir, at Falmouth Methodist Church. They sang with both gusto and sensitivity and it was a real treat for us to sit back and enjoy their harmonious singing. I don’t think they thought we were too bad either! Our old favourites, Vaughan Williams’ Folk Songs were well received and, despite our groans, ‘Sacramento’ was enjoyed by audience and performers alike.
The tour was a great success and we have some happy memories to treasure. We are indebted to Richard for his expert guidance, his exuberance and expressive conducting; to Jo for finding such wonderful venues; to the whole committee, and especially our tireless ‘Saint Jeni’, who put everything into making sure the tour ran smoothly and enjoyably for everyone. So finally, to you all, ‘Meur ras’, a special Cornish thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
After many months of meticulous planning and rehearsing, the majority of the choir, with a good number of supporters, including Dawa the Newfoundland, were off to the South West to perform at four beautiful venues, St Tudy Church, Truro Cathedral, Falmouth Methodist Church and St Swithin’s, Launcells, for the warm and welcoming people of Cornwall.Our programme of sacred and secular pieces, some old and some new repertoire, had been chosen to reflect the springtime, the sea and to celebrate Easter. Alleluias abounded and were put to best effect in Truro Cathedral, where its vastness gave the singing a heavenly quality. The full sound of the double choir singing Croce’s ‘Regina Coeli’ made an impressive start to the concert, as the two halves competed and then reunited to create an exultant final ‘Alleluja’.
A selection of early sacred music from Tye, Taverner, Palestrina and Byrd, fittingly chosen for the ancient churches of St Tudy and St Swithin’s, Launcells, was much appreciated, but the smiles came when we launched into the familiar sing-alongs, ‘Mermaid’ and ‘I do like to be beside the seaside’, even clapping along to ‘The angel rolled the stone away’. Throughout, Dawa, our canine supporter, lay peacefully spread across the aisle at St Swithin’s, giving a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere to the occasion. Indeed, they’re a hospitable bunch in Cornwall, providing drinks, sandwiches and cake to sustain us, and for our convenience, a composting toilet.‘When the weather is fine, you know it’s the time, for messing about on the river.’ With stunning views of the coastline, our boat leisurely chugged along the Fal River to join ‘Eight in a Bar’, the local male voice choir, at Falmouth Methodist Church. They sang with both gusto and sensitivity and it was a real treat for us to sit back and enjoy their harmonious singing. I don’t think they thought we were too bad either! Our old favourites, Vaughan Williams’ Folk Songs were well received and, despite our groans, ‘Sacramento’ was enjoyed by audience and performers alike.The tour was a great success and we have some happy memories to treasure. We are indebted to Richard for his expert guidance, his exuberance and expressive conducting; to Jo for finding such wonderful venues; to the whole committee, and especially our tireless ‘Saint Jeni’, who put everything into making sure the tour ran smoothly and enjoyably for everyone. So finally, to you all, ‘Meur ras’, a special Cornish thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Choir tour Hungary 2013
Wed, 3 Apr 2013
Hungary April 2013
I can’t possibly eat at that time of night; that’s my bedtime! That was my first reaction when I saw the schedule of events for our visit to Hungary. Why Hungary? I had the impression it was more East than West, with a dark history which did not sound too appealing. As we gathered at St Botolph’s car park, I wondered how Andrew managed to show no angst at the prospect of leading us on this latest expedition, while I had been feeling nervous for days. The first casualties of the trip were Glynis and David who couldn’t come after David injured his eye, and later, Lis, who totally lost her voice and had to be content with watching us perform. Small consolation, but at least she was able to sing at the first of the tour concerts.  The tour benefited from the committee’s decision to use a professional tour company, which ensured we had excellent venues and large audiences for all our concerts.On our first morning, a three hour coach tour of Buda and Pest, with an English speaking guide, took us to some impressive places, including the citadel high up, overlooking the Danube, where we had eaten the night before. Many parts of Budapest have been rebuilt and there are some beautiful churches and historic buildings but, sadly, we also learnt how the Hungarians had suffered greatly throughout their history and that life is still tough for many people living in poorly maintained blocks of flats.  Later, a visit to an antique shop, looking at some Russian memorabilia, sparked a passionate speech from the owner, whose experience under Russian rule filled her with hatred for all those who had oppressed her country. Pacifist tendencies started to drain away, as I realised the necessity of a strong defence force and our advantage of living on an island.As I dislike bathing in water shared by the public, I reluctantly joined the bathers at the supposedly health-giving thermal baths. To my surprise, I quite enjoyed dipping in the pools and sweating in the saunas, despite having to brave the cold outside, wearing just a swimming costume and towel.  Our joint concert with a Hungarian choir was in the intimate setting of Nador Hall. First on were the local choristers, who gave a beautifully blended performance, much appreciated by the audience. Next it was our turn and Andrew’s light hearted introductions were tentatively translated by a member of the Hungarian choir. It was hard to tell if they were just being polite, but judging by the smiles, we were also well received, particularly our attempts at singing in Hungarian. The evening was concluded with a friendly gathering of both choirs, where we were urged to mix with our hosts, who fortunately could speak some English. In contrast, our performance in St Stephen’s Basilica felt rather tense; it was a vast and daunting space, with the echo and strange acoustic causing some difficulty. However, it was an honour to sing in such a magnificent church and we were grateful for a large audience, despite the cold.The long trip to Eger, where it was disappointingly too wet and cold to wander round the town before our final concert,  was where we gave our best performance. Andrew had been interviewed for radio and television and TV cameras filmed our first piece. It was an emotional and uplifting occasion and our positively radiant conductor made it all feel worthwhile.We are all really grateful to those who put so much effort into making the trip such a success and a huge ‘Köszönöm’ to Andrew; where would we be without him? We look forward to hearing the recordings so that we can relive those moments where, we hope, we were making beautiful music. |
