Around the UK

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As the COVID-19 pandemic descended on us and the world hit the pause button on regular daily activity, most of our members found themselves having to cancel or postpone their regular activities and upcoming events. However their creativity has reached new heights in finding ways to continue to stay in touch with group members and continue with making music.

Like many instrumental groups, the Devon Philharmonic Orchestra took to Facebook Live to run weekly rehearsals, which was picked up by the BBC, and which you can view online on the local BBC England news page.

New member group Moseley Misfits, an instrumental community group in Birmingham, took to hosting free weekly public music sessions, open to anyone to join, with added social activities and quizzes.

Notorious Choir has been testing out Google Hangouts and Zoom. Success was varying but the group have a host of ideas to try out. Sectionals, learning new vocal techniques with guest speakers, and other activities are proving to be possible avenues to explore. Musical director Clare Edwards says, ‘Whatever happens we are going to meet each week, catch up, sing and have some fun together. It won’t be exactly the same as being in the same room – but we will get as close as we can.’

Meanwhile, Staffordshire choir Songbirds in Harmony, who have been busy rehearsing via Zoom, covered Mariah Carey’s ‘Hero’ in a video recording dedicated to all keyworkers battling the pandemic.

What has your group been up to? Do let us know at editor@ makingmusic.org.uk or get in touch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Photo: Leo Geyer conducts the Devon Philharmonic in an online rehearsal

Online member meetup participant. (See p.15)

LONDON Since 1876, members of the Royal Choral Society have performed Handel’s Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall almost every Good Friday. The concert has only been cancelled twice before, due to the London Blitz (1940 and 1941). This year, it wasn’t possible for the 144th performance to go ahead but, determined to recognise this important tradition, the choir performed ‘together’ in isolation. On Good Friday, music lovers were invited to join in and sing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus as it was planned to have been sung at the Royal Albert Hall, but now as part of the Royal Albert Home series. The performance was led by a video of the Royal Choral Society singing from their own homes with conductor Richard Cooke joining in from his garden.

YORKSHIRE The Yorkshire Wind Orchestra were disappointed to postpone their 25th anniversary concert in May. However, they instead decided to make a lockdown recording of ‘Happy Birthday.’ They asked their MD, Keiron Anderson, to write an arrangement, and members of the wind orchestra have been recording their individual parts ready to be combined into a final video. Realising their timpani were locked away in their rehearsal venue, they managed to get Mark Wagstaff, percussionist with Opera North, to record the timp part.

The final video will be available on the group’s social media and website in support of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Charity along with a PDF version of the arrangement. facebook.com/

Member announcements New appointments, anniversaries, awards and projects

Last season, Derby A Cappella chose to support the charity Prostate Cancer UK, which promotes awareness of the disease, and funds research into new, potentially lifesaving, treatments. The group held two major fundraising events during the year: a concert with the Dalesmen Male Voice Choir and saxophonist Reuben Dakin, followed by a second concert at the British Legion in Mickleover with the Silver Sax Show Band, raising over £3,000 in retiring collections for Prostate Cancer UK. derbyacappella.co.uk

The Glasgow School of Art Choir has launched a new project called Composeher, which will commission seven women composers to write a choral work each and give pre-premiere concert talks about the commissions and Composeher project, plus a series of workshops focusing on their work and processes, and exploring the current under-representation of female composers in the professional music industry. composeher.co.uk

Lady Hilary Groves Prize

Making Music is delighted to announce that Andrew Jackson, founder and creative director of the Cobweb Orchestra, has been awarded the 2019 Lady Hilary Groves Prize.

The prestigious prize is presented annually to an individual of a Making Music member group who has had a significant impact on the success of their music group or made an outstanding contribution to music in the community.

Under Andrew’s leadership, the Cobweb Orchestra has grown from an evening course inviting lapsed instrumentalists to ‘blow the cobwebs off their music stands’, to a network of nine regular groups across the North of England, and an extensive programme of study days, concerts and weekend residentials. The orchestra is completely open access and unauditioned. It offers instruments on loan, as well as bursaries to those who would not otherwise be able to afford to participate. Find out more about Making Music awards on p.18.

60-second interview Community singing group co-founder and practice nurse Pauline Waugh introduces the Cheyne Gang

60 second interview

Describe your group in three words? Singing for breathing Why the name ‘Cheyne Gang’? Our first meeting venue was in Cheyne Street, Edinburgh How long has it been running? We started our first group with eight members in 2013 and we now have eight groups with over 120 members. We became a Scottish charity in 2017. Why and how was it first set up? Practice nurses Anne Ritchie, Sarah Marshall and myself read a short piece of research showing how singing has positive health benefits for people who have long-term respiratory conditions, and decided that singing was something we’d like to offer our patients. We secured a grant from the Queen’s Nursing Institute for Scotland and carried out a study to see if it was possible to consolidate the research results, which we did, and this encouraged us to set up a community singing group. How does singing help people with respiratory conditions? People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other chronic respiratory diseases suffer from debilitating breathlessness, which impacts negatively on their quality of life leading to physical disability, anxiety, low mood and social isolation. Singing and learning natural breathing teaches them to manage their breathlessness.

What kind of music do you sing and where have you performed? We sing all genres and teach as much as possible by ear to help with cognition. We have sung at the Scottish Parliament, with two street orchestras, the Ricciotti Ensemble and the Nevis Ensemble, and at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. How have you been dealing with the impact of COVID-19? Although all our groups are suspended for now, our singing group leaders are recording songs, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques which we are emailing to our members and posting on our social media. We plan to make these into a DVD which we can send out to those who are not online. Our admin team are calling our members for a chat and offering advice on things like how to get their shopping delivered or their medication collected. thecheynegang.com