Holst and Poulenc Newsletter No 4 - 2024 Big Sing

Type of post:	Choir news item
Sub-type:	No sub-type
Posted By:	Mike Elcock
Status:	Current
Date Posted:	Wed, 3 Jul 2024

Reply to Jos Gregson,
18 Willoughby Close,
Alveston,
Bristol BS35 3RW
Tel: 01454-411652
Email: josgregson@gmail.com
SCBSG Website: bigsing.org

CONCERT FINAL NOTICES WEEK 5

Dear Singer,
                        It is now coming up to concert week so I am sending out instructions for the final week‘s rehearsal and details of concert day.

NIGEL PERRIN
I am sure that those of you who have sung with us from the beginning when we did the Verdi Requiem in Tewkesbury Abbey in 2011 will be very sorry to hear that Nigel died last week at the young age of 76. Nigel was a great believer in the whole South Cotswold Big Sing Group project and gave unstintingly of his help in the first two concerts, before we moved to Gloucester Cathedral. He was a charismatic and exciting conductor and those of us lucky enough to sing with him learned a lot.

PART LEARNING
Reminder: Rehearsal website links can be found on our website here: https://www.bigsing.org/dbpage.php?pg=learning&repgroup=Status.  If you click on the relevant piece, you will find links to YouTube, Choralia, CyberBass, Learn Choral Music and John Fletcher Music where they are available. There are now more YouTube voice parts videos added for the Poulenc and Messiaen.

CONCERT FOLDERS
We will be using folders courtesy of Thornbury and Wycliffe Choral Societies. As there are several different colours involved in the scores we are singing from we are very keen to use folders to give a uniform appearance. Folders will be on your seats when you arrive.

WATER
If you feel that you need to take a bottle of water in to the concert please can you take as small a bottle as you can manage with and keep it out of sight, both when taking your seat and also while sitting down. It is essential to stay hydrated while we sing as we do not need any cases of heatstroke.
For the rehearsals on 11/7 and 12/7 we will not be having a juice break after an hour or so as this will mean dismounting the staging which takes time. Please bring any liquid refreshment that you require for those evening’s rehearsals. Non-alcoholic, of course!

PROGRAMMES
We have produced a 24 page programme with details of the orchestra and conductor, lists of the orchestra, singers and children’s choir members and most importantly a write-up on the works that we are performing together with the librettos where we are singing. At 5pm on the 12^th after the afternoon rehearsal we would like a number of singers to help by putting a programme on each audience seat, also the soloist’s, singers and orchestra seats. The boxes of programmes will be stored in the Cathedral and the authorities are going to lend us a trolley to shift them.

PARLIAMENT SUITE
We will be using the Parliament Suite for changing in. As you enter the Cathedral Close through the main gate the entrance to the Parliament Suite is to the left and behind the West Door of the Cathedral. There are three rooms in the Suite. Ladies will use the room looking over the Close, the centre room will be used for serving juice and biscuits and the main room will be used by the men. We suggest that you bring a picnic or sandwiches to eat either in the cathedral grounds or in the Parliament Suite. The Parliament Suite will be open when you arrive for the afternoon rehearsal and will be locked by the Concert Manager while we rehearse and again while we perform.
The Comfy Pew by the entrance to the Cathedral Close will be remaining open in case you wish to book a meal, I imagine booking will be essential.

RADIO 3
I have sent in a request for our performance to be mentioned in the breakfast programme on Radio 3; They say they have many requests and cannot guarantee

SCORES
I am now assuming that everyone has the correct scores so will be reducing the number of spares that I carry with me. I still have a few copies of the Poulenc Salabert edition for sale and will have these with me.

SCORE AMENDMENTS
If you do not have these written in already please check the website where they are listed.

RETURNING SCORES
There will be boxes by the large pillars at the left and right of where we are singing on the staging. Please return all hired scores to these boxes as we leave the staging at the end of the concert. Please do not put the Messiaen score inside the larger scores, these had to be hired from five different sources and I do not want to lose any.

TICKETS
I will have a number of tickets available for sale up to 9^th July evening. These are priced at £42 (38), £32 (34), £22 (14) and £15 (28). Numbers in brackets are the numbers of seats in our original allocation.
As we have a large orchestra and the four front rows have been removed the rows have been renumbered so that the front row is again A.
£42 seats – A7-10, D3-6, H4-6, M15-18, P5-6, R13-18
£32 seats – EE3-6, EE15, FF13-15. GG6-8
£22 seats – JJ15-16, KK3-7
£15 seats – these are aisle seats and unnumbered, state whether you prefer south or north aisle.
I have a seating plan and can send it to you if you require it or you can look on the Cheltenham Festival website. As I sell tickets I will update this list so that it is current when I send it out.
Seats are also available from the Cheltenham Festival Box Office at cheltenhamfestivals.com/booking. Any tickets that I have not sold by 10^th July will be returned to the Festival Box Office that morning.

BUSES
We will be running buses from Thornbury to every Gloucester and Cheltenham rehearsal and the performance. These will leave from outside Aldi in Thornbury which has two car parks adjacent to it. The cost will be £15 per trip and the 33-seater coach will be operated by Mike’s Travel Margaret Pinder will be coach monitor (tel. 07753162920). Booking forms are available on the SCBSG website bigsing.org or from myself.

CONCERT DRESS
For ladies – black top with at least three-quarter length sleeves, long black skirt or trousers.
For gentlemen – black dinner jacket with white shirt and black bow tie. We will be watching the weather forecast in concert week and if it will be very warm on concert day will dispense with jackets for the men. We will be changing in the Parliament Suite at the Cathedral and will be able to leave our smart clothes there for the rehearsal, the concert manager will lock the suite when we are rehearsing.

TOILET
The Cheltenham Festival are bringing in a mobile toilet for this concert which will be parked opposite the south door. It will be installed from 10am on concert day.

WEEK 5
Tuesday 9^th July – rehearsal 7.30-9.30pm at Wycliffe College Chapel Bath Road, Stonehouse, GL10 2JQto be taken by Chris Swain. Please note that this is a change in venue from the last three rehearsals This rehearsal is for Choir 2. We will be serving water and orange squash at around 8.30.

To get to the venue from the M5 head for Stroud on the A419. At the fourth roundabout take the first exit (B4008) and the official Wycliffe College car park is on your left. Alternatively you can turn left just after the lights before the roundabout and park in the school grounds, there are usually a lot of minibuses there. From the grounds you can see the spire of the chapel. If you park in the school car park walk in the same direction either along the road you have turned into or through the grounds, it is about 5 minutes walk.

Wednesday 10^th July – rehearsal 7.30-9.30 at St John’s Northgate, Gloucester GL1 2AN to be taken by Adrian Partington. This is a combined rehearsal for both Choirs 1 and 2 and the cathedral choristers so please attend if you possibly can. Please use the St John’s Lane entrance, not the Northgate Street entrance as this will facilitate checking in. We will be serving water and orange squash at around 8.30.

Follow A417 towards Gloucester. At the first roundabout, take the 2^nd left (A417). At the next roundabout take 2^nd left (Corinium Avenue). At the next roundabout turn right along Barnwood Rd. At the *next roundabout turn right onto Estcourt Rd. At the next roundabout follow Estcourt Road (straight on). At the next roundabout turn left into Kingsholm Rd (A430) and follow the A430 to the Gouda Way T junction and turn right. Turn left into Park St/Hare St car Park.

Walk south along Hare Lane and turn right into Northgate Street. Turn right into St John’s Lane to Church entrance.

Please note it is easier to travel into Gloucester via J11A rather than from J12 if traveling from the South, although you could follow the A38 to Cole Avenue and turn right onto the A38 Southern and Eastern Avenue to Barnwood Rd Roundabout, turn left * onto Barnwood Rd and follow instructions above.

Thursday 11^th July -? ? Rehearsal 7.30pm-10.00pm at Gloucester Cathedral GL1 2LX to be taken by Adrian Partington. Note the slightly extended time. This is a full rehearsal for both Choir 1 and Choir 2. It is vital that as many of you as possible attend as this is when our Concert Manager David Joyce will sort out the seating plan. If you cannot attend please ensure that a colleague in your voice part keeps a seat for you for concert day. Choir 1 will access the staging from the North transept/ conductor’s left and choir 2 from the south transept but can find their seats as they arrive. A seating plan will be displayed in each transept and seating blocks will be colour coded with the stage midline separating the two choirs also clearly marked. At the end of the rehearsal we will practice exiting/unloading the stage and on the Friday afternoon we will assemble in the transepts and practice a concert style entrance.

Friday 12^th July – There is no morning orchestra only rehearsal. Our rehearsal is from 2pm-5pm with orchestra, please be in the Cathedral in your correct place by 1.45pm. The performance is at 7.30pm and will run to 9.30pm. Please be in the Cathedral for the performance by 7.15pm in the North transept if you are Choir 1, in the South Transept if you are Choir 2..

The Cathedral is well signposted from the various roads coming into the city. There is parking in the Westgate Street car park as well as in the Park Street/Hare Street car park used for the St John’s Northgate rehearsals.

STANDS AND SITS
At the start of the concert, stand and sit with the orchestral leader. Adrian will then stand and sit the choir as appropriate. There will be a brief break between the Messiaen and the Poulenc; Adrian will go off after the Messiaen and return with the Soprano soloist.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at each rehearsal relevant to the Choir that you are in, especially all the joint rehearsals in Cheltenham and Gloucester. Tickets are selling well and hopefully we will be singing to a full house.

If you have any queries at all please contact me at any of the contact points at the head of this Newsletter

Jos Gregson

Chairman, South Cotswold Big Sing Group