The Sunday Warm-Up, Rise & Shine
10am-10.45am
Clore Ballroom
Start the day with a thorough vocal warm-up to get your voice into shape for the weekend ahead. Whether you are part of a visiting choir, taking part in a later workshop, or just passing through, all will enjoy this uplifting work-out. Today’s session is led by members of the London Community Gospel Choir, on the day of their anniversary Royal Festival Hall concert.
Admission Free.
ESKA & Alice Grant: Acappella Experiments
The Sunday Morning Taster Workshop
11am-1pm
Front Room at QEH
Be part of an experimental scratch-choir focusing on pop music by iconic songwriter Todd Rundgren, arranged especially for unaccompanied voices by ESKA. All confident singers are welcome. Learning takes place by ear. Workshop-goers can then choose to be part of a thrilling wall of sound in an afternoon performance in The Clore Ballroom at 3pm, alongside the 70-voice Goldsmiths Vocal Ensemble (GVE), the 30-voice JD Singers and the 20-voice John Donne Primary School children's choir and community choir, Peckham, plus special guest artists!
ESKA and Alice Grant lead GVE, the popular music degree choir at Goldsmiths, University of London. The ethos of their work is to creatively explore voice, movement and the role of chorus, working alongside composers in popular music. Over the past six years, GVE has collaborated with H2 Dance, ESKA's sold-out Queen Elizabeth Hall debut solo performance of English Skies directed with Struan Leslie and Simon Deacon and Matthew Herbert's Big Band performances at Royal Festival Hall, Barbican and Glastonbury.
£6
Chris Rowbury: Sing the World
The Sunday All-Day Workshop
11am-7pm (with performance at 6pm)
PURCELL ROOM
A day of glorious harmony singing, fun and laughter. Learn traditional songs from around the world arranged especially for voice only, leading to a performance at 6pm. Lose yourself in thrilling rhythms from Africa, rich dark harmonies from Eastern Europe, the sweet sounds of the Pacific and more. Everything will be taught by ear (no need to read music). No previous experience needed — just bring yourself and have a go.
Chris Rowbury has 30 years’ experience as a patient, charismatic teacher with a relaxed style laced with plenty of humour. He will get you singing in wonderful harmony in a matter of minutes!
£10
Mary King: Saucy Catches & Ravishing Rounds
The Sunday Afternoon Taster Workshop
2.30pm-4.30pm
QEH
Top vocal coach and Southbank Centre Artist in Residence Mary King will explore the art of round-singing across the ages, looking at a range of material from Purcell and Haydn to Bernstein and beyond! Aimed at all confident singers, with music taught principally by ear.
£6
The Sunday Showcase
6pm-6.30pm
Massed rehearsal, 5.15pm-5.45pm
Clore Ballroom
Catch the results of Chorus festival’s All-Day Workshop – Sing the World - in this informal concert of choral music from around the world. You can also add you own voice to the performance by coming along to the free prior rehearsal and learning one of the songs.
Admission Free.
London Community Gospel Choir Thirtieth Anniversary Concert
7.30pm
RFH
The London Community Gospel Choir celebrates their 30th birthday in a performance featuring guest appearances from some of their well-known friends, with whom they have performed over the last 30 years. Another highlight of the concert will be a Guinness World Record attempt for the greatest number of people in a gospel choir singing together in concert conditions, currently standing at 1,138 voices. The songs for the challenge are the very popular ‘O Happy Day’ and LCGC’s Anniversary single ‘Keep Moving’.
The concert is part of the 3-day LCGC 30 Choir Festival taking place on-site as part of Chorus, so look out for performances by specially-invited choirs across the weekend.