Parkside, Burnthill Lane, Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 2HX
Tel: +44(0)1889 801929
Mob: +44(0)7866 770360

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

NEWSLETTER No.9

Dear Friends

First, a very happy New Year to you all in the sincere hope that it will be a much better one than the last two!

STOP PRESS!
France: I am afraid that the decision has been taken not to go to France after Easter. There are too many potential and actual problems to make the risks worth taking. I am not keen to be presented with the possibility of having to cancel this week yet again. There remains also the possibility of having to add expensive PCR tests to the overall costs as well.
We have therefore decided to put on a three-day course in the same week at the stunning church of St. George, Cullercoats right on the seafront at Tynemouth (North Shields). It is an iconic building built by the 19th century architect I revere above all others, John Loughborough Pearson, who also built Truro Cathedral and other great churches including St. Alban’s in Birmingham where my Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir makes all its recordings due to its extraordinary acoustic. St. George’s is just the same.
Here are some photographs to whet your appetite!

The course will run from Wednesday April 20th (1pm registration) and singing from 2pm, and will end at lunchtime on Saturday 23rd. Individually boxed lunches, so successful at Orford and Winchester, will be included in the fee for Thursday, Friday and Saturday along with teas and coffees etc for all the breaks. The music will, in essence, be the same as we would have rehearsed in France but with one or two omissions reflecting the shorter time we have together to prepare all the music:

We hope to arrange to eat together locally in the evenings though this will be optional.
This course will be advertised on the website very shortly. You will be advised as soon as it is live.
We will dedicate this course to the memory of the lovely Alex Murchie who died in early August last year and who was at the heart of North-Eastern music making and especially in her role in Making Music (and NFMS before the revamp) and who was a very regular member of these ECE courses for many years. She is much missed. I am grateful to Merryn Lloyd for this lovely photo of her.

ABBEY DORE (17th 23rd July 2022 – 24th for members of the Consort): This will be open for booking very soon and we really hope for an exciting week with lots of people coming to take part and to sing my Oceans of Eternal Thought, the cantata commissioned by many of you associated with these courses. We sang two movements from the work last July and they seemed to be enjoyed, I’m happy to say! Do come and join us.

ORFORD (17th and 18th September, 2022):
Our next upper voices weekend will soon be ready for booking on the website and we look forward to returning to this beautiful part of England and to singing in that very special church.

GREGYNOG (8th and 9th October 2022 with the possibility of people arriving to stay and eat on the Friday night).
This is a date for your diaries as the course is not yet ready for booking. But please make a note of the dates. It is another very special place with a Music Room which has a glorious acoustic for our singing.

WINCHESTER (7th and 8th May 2022):
This course is full as almost everyone booked in back in 2020 has chosen to come this year. We will be returning to St. Cross Hospital in May 2023 (6th & 7th) but the details have not yet been finalised and, as always, you will be advised as soon as booking is open.

Warmest good wishes to you all