We were delighted that Mike agreed to lead another workshop for us, this time working on a Mamas and Papas medley. We enjoyed singing the medley so much that we have decided to include part of it in our next concert.

We had a really enjoyable day working with Mike Horth on a medley of Carole King songs, including “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”, “I Feel the Earth Move” and “You’ve Got a Friend”. Mike has worked in musical theatre, both on tour and in the West End, and offered us a very different approach to singing.

This was a very lively and enjoyable workshop presented by Hilary Campbell from Vocalize and centred around the theme of Around the World, including such songs as: Guantanamera (Cuba), Thula Mama (a lullaby from South Africa) and New York, New York.

From the Vocalize website: “Join us for a voyage of discovery as we explore choral music from around the world.  Be guided on a whistle-stop tour of the continents, including songs from South Africa, Cuba and Iceland.”

Presented by Richard Harker from Vocalize, this most enjoyable workshop taught us not only the words and melodies of popular songs from musicals, but also how to inject meaning into our performance by means of facial expressions and body movements. Four hours of really enjoyable singing followed by a short performance to friends and families of the six songs learnt.

It was very well worth the early start to be at Abbey Road Studios in time for this memorable experience. To tread the corridors and stairs once used by The Beatles was an honour, and to be part of a recording session was both enjoyable and a great learning experience, if rather exhausting! Together with members of the Club 73 choir, we recorded a CD and a track to be used as a choir Christmas card.

Alex Ashworth, Professor of Singing from the Royal Academy of Music, gave a workshop on vocal technique to 100 singers from Peterborough Take Note and other choirs. Thanks to City College Peterborough’s Community Learning Fund for supporting the cost of the day, and it was also great to open the session to members of other choirs. A brilliant day, learning techniques and tips to improve our choral singing.

Our first Musical Director, James Day ran several of these workshops during 2014 and 2015. They were enjoyable and well-attended, and were of particular benefit to those choir members who had no previous knowledge of musical notation and music theory.