Welcome to the MCS Blog. We will use it for members to share the journey as we prepare for up & coming concerts, but also for Diane, our Music Director to share useful tips. As you will see from Diane’s biog she is more than equipped to provide some very useful insight and guidance on the art of singing. We are very blessed!
This term we are preparing to perform some classic Baroque works – the Bach Magnificat, the Vivaldi Gloria, Jauchzet, frohlocket! from Bach’s Christmas Oratoria. We will be joined by soloists Alison Rose (Soprano), Nicola Hunt (Mezzo-Soprano), Matt Spillett (Tenor), Will Burn (Bass), with Peter Siepmann (Harpsichord) and a 19 piece Baroque orchestra from English Pro Musica Orchestra. St Marks Church will provide a beautiful setting with wonderful acoustics. It’s also been great to welcome some new members this term to bolster the ranks of the Sopranos and Altos
Diane is putting us through our paces. Sectional rehearsals have helped build our confidence and competence, particularly with the runs in the Magnificat. Linguistically it’s also been a challenge, especially for those of us, like myself, who struggle with delivering the Latin and German pronunciation required by Diane. I’m very grateful for the clear instructions and audios to listen to so that we can all sing the same thing, most importantly the vowel sounds.
I hope you feel inspired to join us on May 2nd at St Mark’s. In recent years this scale of performance would usually be reserved for Southwell Minster, rather than the heart of Mansfield. It will be quite a treat!
Claire, MCS Chair