Members

Facebook page for the 2018 trip to France

Trois Concerts de musique chorale

Message from our President Rachel Copley

‘Looking back on the French trip, may I add my thanks to those given By Chairman Paul in the last update, obviously to Matthew Morgan (Bass and tour organiser / promoter)  and Darius (our MD), but also to Anne Adams, Graham Dawson, Helen Kirk, Paul Bedwell, and all who did so much before we went, with programme planning, sorting payments for transport, and purchasing suitable gifts for the French Choirs, and for keeping the wheels running during our exhilarating, if slightly exhausting, time in France! The memories created during the five days in France, will stay with me for a long time, from the warmth of the welcome of the French choir, to the joint concert in the Cathedral, and our ‘a capella’ concerts, with the wonderful reception from the audiences, all very memorable.’

Message from our Chair Paul Henstridge:

‘I want to thank all our members who took part in the very successful trip to Perigueux organised by Matthew Morgan and under Darius’ direction.  

We gave two successful concerts of our own in two churches to very appreciative audiences, which included two items from Darius on the organs.   We also took part in a joint concert in Perigueux Cathedral alongside several local French choirs when we sang three sections from Brahms’ German Requiem and the Messe de la Delivrance by Theodore Dubois as part of France’s Bastille Day celebrations and to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.

Our thanks to Matthew for all the hard work which paid off so handsomely given how all the arrangements went so smoothly. Our thanks also to Darius for giving his time and skills to make the trip such a success.   We should also thank the French choir members who generously put up members of the Sheffield Phil Chorus in their own homes.  Every one of our party were extremely complimentary about their experiences.

Several members asked whether we could make this an annual event.  So far I haven’t dared to broach this with Matthew or Darius!  It is, however, a testimony to how much we all enjoyed ourselves.’

Message from John Spence, who sadly had to return home early due to his wife’s illness:

‘I would just like to re-iterate my sincere thanks to everyone who sent me both email and text messages of support and good wishes following my sudden and enforced early return home from France.  There were really so many that I regret it has been impossible to answer them all individually.  I am deeply grateful to each and every one of you and sincerely touched by the content of your messages.  They gave me great comfort during a particularly difficult time.  Thank you, everybody, from the bottom of my heart.  The situation still swings wildly back and forth and one can never quite predict what’s going to happen next but we are now scheduled for further specialist medical advice and social care intervention.  Hopefully, it will all help. Kind regards to you all and have a very pleasant summer. John’

A News article about the French tour was placed on the Chorus website shortly after our return – see About us / News.

Singers

Sops	21
Altos	12
Tenors	4
Basses	8
Total singers	46

Thursday 12th July 2018

• Make way to Perigeux (fly or drive)

Friday 13th July 2018

• 10.30am – Tutti rehearsal in Perigueux  Cathedral 10.30 (for 10.45) until 12.00
• 14.40 Coach to Excideuil
• 15.45 to 17.15 Rehearsal
• Tea time 17.15 to 19.15
• 19.15 Line up for 19.30 concert Concert approx. 1 1/4 hour plus break approx. 21.00 end
• 21.30 Coach back to Perigueux arrive 22.10

Saturday 14th July 2018

• 14.00 Full Tutti Rehearsal Perigueux Cathedral
• Saturday night Bastille Day fireworks

Sunday 15th July 2018

• 14.00 Full Tutti rehearsal at Cathedral
• WWII Memorial Concert that evening

Monday 16th July 2018

• 17.45 St Astier Coach Leaves Perigueux for 1 Hour Rehearsal
• 18.45 tea in St Astier
• 20.45 Line up for concert at 21.00
• 22.45 Coach returns to Perigueux

Tuesday 17th July 2018

• Depart for the UK

Concerts

• Friday 13th July at 21.00 – Le Eglise de Excideuil – Phil-only concert
• Sunday 15th July Joint concert in Perigueux cathedral
• Monday 16th July 2018 St Astier, Dordogne, 15km West of Perigueux – Phil-only concert

Facebook page

 https://www.facebook.com/philtdf2018/posts/

Music

• Dubois: Messe de Delivrance (Perigeux cathedral)
• Brahms Requiem Movements 3,5 and 6 (Perigeux cathedral)
• Phil Only concerts:
  • Stanford: Justorum animae, Coelos ascendit hodie, Beati quorum via
  • Tippett: from Child of our Time Steal Away, Nobody knows, Go down Moses
  • Organ solo: Bach: Fantasia & Fugue in C minor BWV537
  • Parry: My soul there is a country, Never weather-beaten sail, There is an old belief
  • Interval
  • Esenvalds: Lielupe River
  • Part Magnificat (solo Boo Spurgeon)
  • Organ solo: (in Excideuil): Mendelssohn Sonata 3 in A major ((i) Con moto maestoso (ii) Andante tranquillo (Excideuil) or Fela Sowande (St Astier)
  • Saint-Saens: Calme de nuites and Les Fleures et des Arbre
  • Rachmaninov No 6 Ave Maria and no 13 Today salvation has come to the world

Maintaining quality

We are all expected to ensure that we do as much as we can to ensure that the quality of singing is as high as it can be, as expected from a regional symphonic chorus. Members may use the advice about looking after the voice below, and can ask for a session with Maggie Our Voice Coach at any time.

Members with concerns about how well they are singing or about their ability to sing in concerts, for example because of health issues, should speak to their Voice Rep in the first instance – see Chorus contacts for contact details. A supportive session with Maggie is likely to be arranged at the first available opportunity.

Looking after your voice

There is lots of information on the internet about caring for your voice. Most experts agree that you should:

• Always warm up before singing
• Hydrate your vocal chords by drinking lots of water a good few hours before you sing
• Watch your posture – a “collapsed” posture limits breathing capacity and puts stress on laryngeal muscles
• Don’t over sing
• Get plenty of sleep and exercise.
• Use common sense when you’re sick – don’t sing over a cold, and avoid exposing other choir members to your germs

The links below may provide useful information about caring for your voice. The Chorus does not necessarily endorse the information to be found on these sites, which are merely provided as a starting point for member’s own research.

• How do singers protect their voices?
• British Voice Association – voice care articles
• Vocal health section of The Vocalist website
• NIDCD advice on taking care of your voice

Warming up

• Yawn-and-sigh: simply yawn (take in air) with your mouth closed, then breathe out through your nose as if you are sighing. This helps relax your voice and improve its range.
• Humming is a good vocal warm-up; it doesn’t strain your vocal cords. With the tip of the tongue behind the bottom front teeth, hum up and down a major scale with your mouth closed. To educe the strain on your voice, include the “h” sound on each note.
• Lip buzz (or lip trill): make a motorboat sound by making your lips vibrate as you blow air through your mouth and nose. You can incorporate pitch slides as well. You can also use the tongue trill if you can do it – rolling your R’s through your range from low to high.
• Make an “eeee” or “ohhhh” sound and gradually glide up and down through a two-octave chromatic scale.
• Siren: glide up and down to “oooo” from the lowest note of your range to the highest and back again.
• Singing Exercises for Choirs by voice part

Singing Lessons and Exercises

Singing Lessons for Adults from English Touring Opera

Singing Exercises for Choirs by voice part

Vocal Exercises (Maggie McDonald, 2020, with Rachel Fright)

• Interregnum Exercises 1
• Vocal Exercises 1
• Vocal Exercises 2
• Vocal exercises 3
• Vocal Exercises 4

Specific Vocal Exercises (Maggie McDonald, 2012)

• Guiding the sound  Word / PDF
• Resonance and placement exercises Word / PDF
• Quick technical reminders Word / PDF
• Technical route maps – Sopranos PDF

General Vocal Exercises (Maggie McDonald, 2010)

• Exercise 1
• Exercise 2
• Exercise 3
• Exercise 4
• Cooling Down Exercise

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• Sunday 8 June 2025 16.00, Haydn Creation, Matthew Hamilton and the Halle at City Hall SICS*. Conductor rehearsal is now Tuesday 20 May, Matthew can only come that day. Apologies but he has only just let us know. On-the-day rehearsal times to be confirmed.
• Saturday 12 July 2025 Chatsworth, 13.00 Elective event. Free garden ticket per person who signs up. Georgina Hulse will conduct.

• • Saturday 1 November 2025, St Marie’s Cathedral, organ 150^th anniversary concert. Jonathan Dove Seek Him that maketh the Seven Stars, Cassie White for music like the sea, Stanford Blue Bird, organ solo (Darius), Coleridge Taylor Lea Shore & Summer is Gone, Balfour Gardiner Evening Hymn INTERVAL Lili Boulanger Hymne au Soleil, Durufle motets, organ solo, Messe Solonnelle Jean Langlais (double organ). Soloists from choir. Organists: Neil Taylor, James Mitchell and Darius. There will be seating for the choir when we’re not singing (and for those who need it on the altar).
  • Tuesday 9 December 2025, City Hall. Halle orchestra live accompaniment to big-screen showing of Home Alone; we’ll sing the main theme and the in-film carols
  • Saturday 13 December 2025, 30, City Hall (SICS) Carol concert with Black Dyke Band, presenter Josie D’Arby, programme to include a carol by Rachel Fright
  • Sunday 14 December 2025, 2pm cathedral, St Luke’s carol service
  • Friday 6 February 2026, 19.00, City Hall (SICS) Arvo Part Lament with Manchester Camerata
  • Saturday in April/May – Come and Sing event – date to be confirmed
  • Friday 9 May 2026, Crookes Social Club, SPC Ceilidh plus Pie and Pea supper, date confirmed
  • Sunday 7 June 2026, City Hall, 16.00 (SICS) Elijah with Halle conducted by Matthew Hamilton

  *SICS = concert is part of the Sheffield International Concert Season

Resources for Come and Sing Choral Anthems 24 May 2025 and Haydn Creation 8 June 2025

Harris Faire is the Heaven

Faire is the Heaven YouTube with rolling score

Faire is the Heaven YouTube Voces 8

Faire is the Heaven – Choralia rehearsal tracks

Parry I Was Glad

I Was Glad You Tube recording with scrolling score

I Was Glad You Tube The Sixteen

I Was Glad Band Camp practise files

Parry A Blest Pair of Sirens

A Blest Pair of Sirens You Tube recording with scrolling score

A Blest Pair of Sirens You Tube St John’s Cambridge

A Blest Pair of Sirens Choralia practise files

Vaughan Williams Toward the Unknown Region

Towards the Unknown Region You Tube with rolling score

Towards the Unknown Region Choralia practise files

Haydn

Haydn Creation on YouTube

Haydn Creation voice part rehearsal tracks on Cyberbass

Haydn Creation voice part rehearsal tracks on Chord Perfect

Before rehearsals Get to know the score. For example, are there solo parts, does a particular voice part stop at any point, does the music divide at any point? Go through and make sure you know exactly which line you should be on, and mark where it isn’t clear. Clearly mark repeats and where they go back to a previous page; use a tab to easily find it. Have a look at where your note comes from for a new entry and join it to yours. Put tabs in for different sections of the piece to make them easier to find. Use paper clips to close off any sections that are going to be missed out.

During rehearsals Always bring a pencil. It is important to mark your score during a rehearsal,  and especially to record all the points provided by the Music Director. These are often compiled week-by-week by our Chairman Paul Henstridge into a very useful document. Click here for rehearsal resources (including Paul’s notes) from our previous concerts Mark all breaths. For staggered breathing take a whole beat out to take a proper breath. Mark where you are going to take it so you do it in the same place each time. This will help with learning. Make a note of any section that needs a little more work. Don’t rely on your memory.

More work at home Focus on the sections that you find difficult. Don’t try and get through it all every time, focus on small chunks and learn them well. Use rehearsal tracks (see below), a piano, or even your old descant recorder for the sections that need extra work. Read through the text in rhythm, especially for fast sections and when singing in a foreign language. This is just as important as learning the notes. It is very important to listen to a recording of the work; it will give you a good idea of the piece as a whole. You can use your score to help you sing along, or just listen to it as frequently as you can. You will find recordings of most classical works on YouTube or try the music streaming service Spotify.

Rehearsal tracks   Rehearsal tracks are designed to help you learn your voice part by listening to it in isolation and/or with the other voice parts in the background. Some are based on recorded singers and therefore include the words, while others feature the voice parts played on an instrument, so of course there are no words. You can purchase rehearsal tracks from Choraline, at choraline.com. These are great if you prefer to hear a recording of your voice part but they aren’t free. It costs £8.99 for a download, or £12.99 for a CD.  The Chorus has arranged a 10% discount for members; type SHEFFIELD in the discount code box on the shopping basket page, or say you’re a member of SPC if ordering over the telephone on 01285 644845. For just notes (no words) you could try:

• Choralia, for listening to, or downloading, mp3 files of your voice part; http://www.choralia.net/mp3catalogue.htm.
• John Fletcher’s site, which uses a clarinet to emphasis the voice part you select. Registration is free for works that are out of copyright; https://johnfletchermusic.org.
• Cyberbass, which has a huge catalogue and is free to use online; http://www.cyberbass.com.
• Learn Choral Music, which provides free Midi files; http://www.learnchoralmusic.co.uk.
• Divageek; not easy to search but has rehearsal resources for some lesser-known works, so worth a search; https://www.divageek.org/

If you have an IPad or IPhone there is an excellent App called ‘Learn my part’ by Steve Tyler; get it here. If you want to see what it offers and how to use it, have a look at this useful video.

Here you will find links to music, rehearsal tracks and recordings organised alphabetically by composer, plus Christmas.

The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain has produced a free online musicianship course to help singers improve their skills in rhythm, tonal centering, and intervals. Some of the video lesssons have worksheets or resources – find them at www.nycgb.org.uk/musicianship.

Vocal scores The Chorus Librarian, Els Pearse, hires vocal scores for members, which are loaned out in return for a small charge to cover the hire cost. Els often arranges bulk buys of popular vocal scores for members who wish to buy their own copies. Choraline has a huge library of scores which you can check out online; however, always check before buying a score so that you don’t waste money on the wrong edition.

Arrangements

Most chorus members are re-auditioned every three years.  The re-auditions are normally organised over three or four sessions in June and July.  They are conducted by voice part over a three-year period, ie, sopranos one year and altos the next, with tenors and basses in the third year.

Re-auditions are organised by the Membership Officer, who will contact everyone involved and ask them to sign up for their slots. People who are not able to attend during the main sessions will be accommodated at some other time, usually on a Saturday but sometimes immediately before or after a rehearsal.

Members who have not been heard after they have been called for re‑audition, may not sing in subsequent concerts without obtaining specific permission from the Music Director.

The re-auditions are held in various venues, often the same as the current rehearsal venue. A map and directions are provided at the time.

What to expect

Re-auditions usually consist of scales to establish if the vocal range has changed. Members will be asked to sing from something we are currently rehearsing or have recently performed. However, members who didn’t take part in the previous concert won’t be asked to sing a piece they haven’t rehearsed.

The real purpose of the re-auditions is to check that the voice is still in good condition, to see whether instructions re interpretation, pauses, breathing points etc have been taken on board, and to help our Music Director to choose a semi-chorus if necessary. Members will be told the outcome there and then, and given an explanation for the decision.

If any vocal problems are becoming apparent, the Music Director will explain them as best he can, and probably reduce the time between re-auditions to one year.  If the problems are more serious, members may be asked not to sing in the next concert and/or go for a session with our Voice Coach so she can advise the member and Darius on the best course of action, and whether a further audition will be necessary.

Darius is often asked at what age people should stop singing.  There is no general rule that can be applied: some voices are worn out by their early forties; a few last into the eighties.

For more detail about audition and re-auditions, please see the Chorus Rules

Preparation

Please refer to the general guidance and advice provided for chorus members at Preparing the Music and Preparing Your Voice.