Month: August 2016

Possible Cardiff session, plus basses wanted

I’m going to be in Cardiff on Sunday September 25th so I’m wondering if there any PDtP fans based in or around the city who might be up for an afternoon singalong. Or do you have friends in the area who might be interested?

Drop me a line ASAP via the comments box below and we’ll see if we can set something up. (Please share via Facebook & Twitter if you can.)

Also, here’s the link to the booking page for our next PDtP London session on Monday September 19th; registration goes live at 9am September 3rd.

Finally, the excellent Orlando Chamber Choir are currently seeking basses to join them for their current season.

I’ve been to a couple of OCC concerts and I can tell you that they really are the business, so if you’re a bass looking for a friendly choir with some great repertoire then get in touch with them. (Added bonuses – the Orlandos love cake almost as much as we at PDtP love beer and they’re even more eccentric in their concert titles than we are!)

Cheers

Kevin

 

 

 

 

Start getting those vocal cords limbered up…

…’cos it won’t be long till London’s Favourite Night of Renaissance Motets & Booze!™ is back.

Our next PDtP session will be Monday September 19th in the Horse & Stables (venue details are here).

Booking will go live at 9am on Saturday September 3rd but I’ll send out a reminder and the page link nearer the time.

In an unusual feat of organisation, I can also share some more PDtP dates with you:

  • Monday October 17th (our second birthday party!)
  • Monday November 21st
  • Monday December 5th (Christmas Special!)

Again, booking will open a couple of weeks before each session (details to follow.)

I’ll soon be announcing some Counterpint dates as well and for those of you in Manchester and Sheffield, I’ll be in touch once I’ve figured out when we can schedule more sessions for you guys.

Cheers

Kevin

PS Don’t forget that Requiem to Cancer takes place on September 2nd/3rd. It’s your chance to take part in a singathon for a very good cause.

 

 

 

PDtP: Manchester’s clearly mad for it!

Quite incredible, really. Less than 3 weeks ago, I had no idea that I’d soon be writing the review of our very first Manchester Polyphony Down the Pub.

It all came about after I heard the Halle Choir and Manchester Chamber Choir join forces to sing the Beethoven Missa Solemnis with the BBC Philharmonic at the Proms (if you’re quick you can still catch the performance on iPlayer). The singing was so impressive, I just knew we had to try out a Manchester PDtP.

Despite having almost no time to pull it together, we managed to set up a session for around 40 singers, thanks to the efforts of our obliging hosts at Odd Bar and the social media wizardry of Alice from the Manchester Chamber Choir.

https://twitter.com/alicecapper94/status/762696522362449920

And what a night it was! Clearly, the Manchester singing talent is not restricted to the Halle and Chamber Choir folks. Just about every piece we sang worked from the very first run-through, not just in terms of accuracy but also in phrasing, dynamics and communication between singers.

https://twitter.com/HeloiseKing/status/762708026377826304

Difficult to pick out highlights from an evening of such brilliant music-making but I have to mention the canonic sauciness of Allegez moy (very appropriate considering the pole-dancing that was going on opposite the pub!), the stunning double-choir Alma Redemptoris Mater (both ways were equally amazing) and the bonus Ne irascaris, Domine, which was only on the setlist by accident but ended up being the perfect way to close the evening.

https://twitter.com/Odd_Bar/status/762741274847870976

https://twitter.com/becky_boooo/status/762732407724335104

A return visit is definitely on the cards so keep an eye out for updates. In the meantime, thanks again to all who came and made it such a great evening.

Cheers

Kevin

PS Hope to fit in at least one more tour venue before the summer is out…

 

 

 

 

Quick reminder: PDtP Manchester is tomorrow!

Just a wee memory-jog for any last-minute Lauras/Larrys in the north-west that our first PDtP Manchester takes place tomorrow, Monday August 8th, at the Odd Bar in the city’s Northern Quarter – details here.

We’ve managed to clear some space for a few extra singers so I’d be grateful if you could share this with your friends on Facebook/Twitter, as we want the session to be every bit as epic as our London events.

Cheers

Kevin

PS In case they need persuading, below are some of the motets/madrigals/chansons that we’ll be busking through: