Photo courtesy of Catherine Woodman
Strictly Singing’s Next Workshop
A word from Maddy
Dear all,
I hope you are well and have had an enjoyable summer.
As we head towards autumn, I am delighted to announce the programme for our October workshop: Marian Motets: Reflections
Owain Park, composer, conductor, organist and founding member of the consort group the Gesualdo Six, will be leading a weekend workshop of a cappella choral pieces on the theme of the Virgin Mary.
The programme is comprised of a selection of Marian motets, using the idea of ‘Reflections‘ – new upon old. It brings beautiful Renaissance polyphony from Victoria, Byrd and Clemens non Papa together with contemporary reflections by Edvard Grieg, Neil Cox and Owain himself.
Participants
The workshop is designed for experienced choral singers, with good sight-reading skills. Due to the time allocated and to make the workshop a success, it is important that participants work on the music before attending the workshop.
Schedule
All rehearsals will take place at the American Cathedral in Paris. The weekend starts on Friday 11th October at 5pm and will finish on Sunday 13th late afternoon.
Friday 11th October: arrival from 5pm onwards for an evening rehearsal (finishing at 21.00). Refreshments will be provided.
Saturday 12th October: full day rehearsal followed by dinner.
Sunday 13th October: free morning (although please note that this may be replaced by an additional rehearsal – to be confirmed before arrival). Sunday afternoon: dress rehearsal and concert performance.
The course ends with a post concert reception in the Parish Hall (finishing around 18.00).
Cost
320 € per person. The course fee covers tuition, refreshments, scores, post-concert reception. It does not include meals (apart from those mentioned in the schedule above), travel or accommodation. Non-singers are welcome to join us for the dinner on Saturday and post-concert reception. The cost for non-singers is 90 €.
How do I register for the course?
If you are interested in taking part, please Contact us. We will send you the application form.
We very much hope that you will be able to join us for what promises to be a extremely enjoyable workshop.
In the meantime, if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch: info@strictlysinging.org
Best regards
Maddy
Strictly Singing
13 October 2024
Strictly Singing’s Next Concerts
The Owain Park workshop is ongoing! We hope that a nice and supportive audience will come and listen to the third 2024 Strictly Singing concert. A great thank you to Les Arts George V who invited us to sing at The American Cathedral, 23 avenue George V Paris 8e:
Sunday the 13 october 2024 at 3pm (15h00)
Please click here to see more details.
14 April 2024
Strictly Singing’s Passed Concerts
The Rory McCleery workshop went very well! We were delighted that a nice and supportive audience came and listened to the first 2024 Strictly Singing concert. A great thank you to Les Arts George V who invited us to sing at The American Cathedral, 23 avenue George V Paris 8e:
Sunday the 14 april 2024 at 3pm (15h00)
Please click here to see more details.
16 February 2024
Strictly Singing’s Next Workshops
A word from Maddy
Dear all,
We are delighted to announce Strictly Singing’s programme for 2024:
April 11th-14th: Rory McCleery leads this year’s programme with a ‘fun and engaging weekend’ (his words!) exploring the music of French Renaissance composer Jean Maillard.
Despite his being identified as ‘one of the most important French composers of the sixteenth century’, Jean Maillard is a figure who remains shrouded in mystery and whose works have rarely been performed in modern times. This contrasts sharply with his reception during his own lifetime.
We will also be working on additional pieces by his contemporaries, Claude Goudimel and Pierre Cadeac.
June 20th-23rd: Dr. David Allinson, professional conductor, singer and lecturer, specialised in early music, has been inspired by summer in the City of Love and Light for this workshop of Renaissance Polyphony, which offers participants ‘a range of moods, challenges and rewards’.
David says:
“I have taken the opportunity to give the repertoire a French flavour. We will sing music by composers such as Jean Mouton and Antoine Brumel, as well as Dominique Phinot, who spent his career in Lyon and Italy, was hugely esteemed by contemporaries and deserves to be much better known today.
Elsewhere, the mood lightens and takes on the spirit of summer, the scent of gardens and amorous intentions. We will sing a range of motets in which the poetry of the Song of Songs inspires composers such as Isaac, Guerrero and Ceballos, to lyrical heights, often intertwining with devotion to Mary, mother of Jesus.
The music list is topped and tailed by Josquin des Prez, the greatest composer of the early Renaissance, who set the benchmark for quality in motet, mass and chanson. Like several of our Francophone composers, he spent his career serving aristocrats and the Catholic church in France, Italy and elsewhere, producing music of superlative quality”.
October 11th-13th: I’m very excited to announce that our October workshop will be directed by Owain Park, British conductor, composer and founder of the Gesualdo Six. We will be working on a mixture of past pieces and Owain’s own compositions (full programme to be announced in the next few months).
For those of you who are interested in composing, there will be an opportunity over the weekend for a Q&A session with Owain about what inspires him to compose.
You will find below the links to the flyers containing information and application forms for the April and June courses. Sign up for October will be sent out as soon as Owain Park has defined the programme.
Please feel free to share the information with fellow confirmed choral singers who may be interested. Note that, in order to make the most out of these weekend workshops, music should be prepared before starting the course.
April 2024: Jean Maillard – International Man of Mystery
June 2024: Renaissance Polyphony in Paris
Best Wishes
Maddy
Strictly Singing