Calling all singers!

[Vicky]

I've been a singer all my life, mostly in choirs. Since moving to my present location, though, I haven't joined a choir, as all the choirs round here tend to sing lots of religious stuff (which is great music and which I love singing), but mainly in churches. It's this last bit that bothers me, as there are usually ministers present, and concerts seem to start and finish with a prayer.

How do others on here manage that? Do I have to forgo the pleasure of a good sing or can I give myself some kind of "get-out clause"?

Sometimes I wish I lived in London and could join the Humanist Choir, but as I live so far away and my journey would involve boat and train, that's out of the question.

Anyone out there got any thoughts about it?

Thanks,
Vicky

PS Sorry if this topic has been covered elsewhere, I'm a "newbie". If so, perhaps someone in admin could merge my post with the earlier topic? Thanks

[Fia]

We did have a discussion about this recently.... ah, here it is.

I'd love to sing in a secular choir, but living in the rural Highlands I have the same distance problem as you, bar the boat,

and a big from me too, Vicky.

[Vicky]

Hi, Fia,

Thanks for pointing me in the direction of the other singing thread, and also for the very warm welcome.

Vicky

[Nick]

Though I probably haven't thought this through, I'd say the boat trip would be an incentive .

I'm not into choral singing myself (though I did some at school) but I do enjoy singing in the pub with fellow folkies. Luckily, the alcohol deadens their pain....

Welcome to the forum Vicky Oh, and what part of the world is home for you?

*scurries off to look at other thread*

[Vicky]

Hi! I'm on the Isle of Man. I've lived here for most of my life apart from a six-year spell in Nottingham, and have been back for six years now.

Any other Manxies on this forum?
Any of you ever been to visit this beautiful Island?

Thanks to all of you for your warm welcomes.

Vicky

[jamesjones950]

Even on the Isle of Man, there must be:
Musical Theatre group
Barber Shop singers
Gilbert and Sullivan society
or some-such
surely?
If not....a golden opportunity to start one of your own!

Welcome to the Happy Bunch, btw.

[Alan C.]

Vicky
Any of you ever been to visit this beautiful Island?

My wife and I (living in the nearest mainland town, Whitehaven, (I could practically swim there) used to visit every year on the Balmoral paddle steamer, we had our honeymoon there in 1972.

[lewist]

Any of you ever been to visit this beautiful Island?
Thanks to all of you for your warm welcomes.
Vicky

I was at a Pipe Band competition on the Isle of Man as part of the Millennium celebrations, I suppose in about 1980. I didn't get to see much; not only that, but we were rubbish and didn't figure in the prize list.

Warm welcomes are part of this forum, Vicky. It's good to know you have found it that way.

[Emma Woolgatherer]

Hello, Vicky

In my town, Kingston upon Thames, a secular community choir was started about 18 months or so ago by Marilyn Mason, former education officer of the BHA, and I was lucky enough to be involved from the beginning. The Rose Theatre allows us to sing in one of their circle bars for free. We're called Euphonix, and we sing mainly popular music (pop, rock, indie, soul, reggae, etc.), with a bit of British and Irish folk music and world music thrown in. Admittedly Kingston has five or six times the population of Douglas, but then there are over a hundred of us in the choir now and there's a waiting list for people to join. If I ever move from here, and start living somewhere where there isn't already a secular choir, I'm definitely going to start one. The difficult thing is finding a musical director who is prepared to work for next to nothing (at least to begin with), but you never know who you might find until you start looking. Our musical director was completely inexperienced before he joined us, but he's turned out to be absolutely brilliant. And I'm certainly willing to bet that if you started putting feelers out you'd find plenty of other people keen to participate in a secular choir of some kind, especially one that doesn't sing only classical music. And maybe, while you're still searching for a musical director, you could muster up enough people to form a small group who could meet at each other's houses and sing purely for your own entertainment.

Good luck, anyway

Emma

[lewist]

That sounds fantastic, Emma! My neighbours sing in one of our local choirs, the Coire Choristers. I have thought about joining, and there's no waiting list, especially for guys. They do sing in churches and do some religious stuff.

The idea of a musical house group is a good one. I heard about an informal group that meets near here, The Elastic Band, just for fun. I know one of the members and could express an interest but I'm not sure how my smallpipes would fit in.

On the other hand, smallpipes and even the GHB are coming into the mainstream. I watched a concert from Piping Live on iPlayer last night, the main work in which which was A Suite for Alan, an orchestral suite based round the compositions of Duncan Johnstone. It was amazing, and included smallpipes, border pipes, whistles and the GHB as well as the orchestra. It should be available in iPlayer for a bit yet if anyone is interested.

[Fia]

I'm so pleased your choir is going strong, Emma, I envy you. It must be such fun...

GHB lewist?

Ghastly Hideous Bagpipes?

creeping back in to clarify I love the small pipes but imho the big ones should only ever be played outdoors, preferably up the nearest hill...

[lewist]

GHB lewist?

Ghastly Hideous Bagpipes?

creeping back in to clarify I love the small pipes but imho the big ones should only ever be played outdoors, preferably up the nearest hill...

Great Highland Bagpipe, Fia.

A really well set up instrument can be marvellous inside.

[Fia]

Thank you for the clarification, lewist. Another fact learned I think all the ones I've had the misfortune to be around have been finely set down to screech