Parkside, Burnthill Lane, Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 2HX
Mob: +44(0)7866 770360

E-mail: ece@paulspicer.com
Website: https://englishchoralexperience.co.uk

NEWSLETTER No.17

Dear Friends

It has been a strange year for me as some of you will know that I have had a stretch in hospital which resulted in a heart pacemaker being fitted from which I am still in recovery mode. As a result, I had to miss the French week very sadly, but my place was expertly taken by Adrian Lucas whose wife, Joanna, also went and sang with the sopranos. Adrian’s name will be well-known to many of you as he has held posts at Portsmouth and Worcester cathedrals before deciding to go freelance a few years ago and focus on recording and conducting. Everyone who attended really enjoyed his expert musicianship and his great sense of humour. I was hugely grateful to him for stepping in for me.

As a result of this, having said that this would be the last of the French weeks, I have decided that if enough people indicate that they would like to return I would like to do one more for myself. I would therefore be grateful if anyone interested in coming to Chateau Rieutort for one last time between April 23 and 30 next year would drop me a brief line to express your interest. If enough people do show interest, I will set it up and get things moving. I hope it will work! I have pencil booked the chateau and Ken and Alison, our wonderful caterers!

Abbey Dore: This will be the last of these week-long courses this July. We have a slow take-up at the moment. This is disappointing as I am hoping for a real celebratory week to round it off. It was the Abbey Dore week which started the whole ECE enterprise off back in 2007. At that first week we sang Vaughan Williams’s Dona nobis pacem which we have programmed for this year. We also sang the seven partsongs by Finzi and a world premiere of an anthem by Ivor Gurney called The Trumpet. Repertoire has broadened and increased hugely in the intervening years.

Please consider signing up for this week (21-27 July – or 28 for Consort members) and helping by advertising it to your choirs, friends, family and anyone you think may enjoy it.

I am going to miss these weeks enormously as it has become like a second home to me over the years and we have covered a huge amount of ground musically, with the exhibitions, afternoon arts activities, concerts, talks, visits, the conducting course, the catering and so much more. It has been a huge part of both my and ECE life. Do come and help make this a really exciting musical and social week.

Our long weekend at St. George’s church, Cullercoats just north of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, is nearly upon us and has a huge take-up with over fifty singers coming to enjoy the fantastic architecture and acoustic of this great church built overlooking the beautiful sandy beach.

Bookings are open for the courses at Orford in Suffolk for upper voices on 14/15 September, and for Winchester (SATB) at beautiful St. Cross Hospital on 9/10 November. We are singing Vaughan Williams’s great G minor Mass. I am therefore looking for four soloists. I have had alto offers and a soprano but no tenor or bass yet. Do please consider this as it is a lovely opportunity. As well as the RVW we are singing a rarely-heard double choir motet by Sir Michael Tippett Plebs Angelica. This is a really beautiful piece which I know everyone will enjoy. Do consider signing up for this weekend.

With all good wishes,