30 January Update
- wisken
- Jan 31
- 6 min read
Week 4
This week you can read about:
Rehearsal update
Dates for the diary:
15 Feb - Fairfield Halls (evening detail included)
20 Feb - COTH social at Westow House pub
'Getting to know you' - COTH Member profile - this week, our fabulous June!
Rehearsal
Warm up:
For our warm-up this week, we made 'oh' and 'ooh' sounds with our mouths open and teeth clenched moving into a normal oh and ooh sound with our lips. This was to focus on the different position of the vocal chords/larynx and to give ourselves a very literal 'vocal exercise'.
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The songs:
We continued to work on 'Shallow' - the sopranos learned their harmony for the 'in the shallow,' part of the chorus as well as the middle 'ahhs'. If you'd like to practice these sections at home, they have been clipped and added to the Lyric & Audio Library.
Here is a short clip of us doing a sing through of Shallow with the harmonies.
We also revisited 'Hallelujah I just love him so' and 'You've got a friend'. Here's a film of us singing Hallelujah..
Remember you can practice all our songs by visiting our Lyric & Audio Library .
DATES FOR THE DIARY
SATURDAY 15 FEBRUARY Fairfield Halls, Amateur Arts Showcase
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN https://www.choironthehill.com/performing
Fairfield Halls are hosting an Amateur Arts Showcase in the public open spaces of their venue on Saturday 15 February between 2pm - 7.15pm. We took part in their hugely enjoyable Croydon London Borough of Culture event last year and have been asked to participate again.
This will be a showcase of all that the Borough of Croydon has to offer, with a blend of cultures, styles, genres of music, art and design. You are welcome to just participate in our performance but please see below for more information on what else is happening, including details on the evening performances following the free showcase.
LOCATION
Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, Croydon, CR0 1JD
TIMING
14.20 - 14.45 - warm-up in the green room
we recommend you arrive in the foyer at around 2pm
14.50 - 15.10 - performance
We'll be on a temporary stage in the entrance foyer. This means that along with members of the public, friends and family may come to watch for free.
The songs we'll be signing are:
Chiquitita
Time after Time
You've Got a Friend
My Favourite Things
Hallelujah I just love him so
Shallow
Evening performance
Following the free showcase (2 - 7pm) there is an evening performance:-
7.30pm: Changing Seasons: London Mozart Players
Tickets from only £5
What is Changing Seasons?
Changing Seasons is a multi-genre spectacular from LMP that reimagines Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for today’s changing world. This unique production blends Vivaldi’s classic with new works from four local arts groups – Queer Croydon x Stanley Arts, Club Soda, Subrang Arts, and Croydon Music & Arts – in collaboration with composers Fiona Brice and Sarah Freestone. Inspired by Vivaldi’s seasonal themes, these performances reflect on the climate emergency through a vibrant mix of genres and art forms.
Featuring poetry by Croydon’s Jeremiah Brown, dynamic dance, and video introductions, this Croydon-made event culminates in a stunning performance at Fairfield Halls.
For more information, see the Changing Seasons flyer
THURSDAY 20 FEBRUARY COTH social at Westow House pub, Crystal Palace
During the half term break, we're having a social gathering at the Westow in Crystal Palace. This will be for informal drinks and chat from 7pm.
All details are in our Calendar and also included below:
Westow House
GETTING TO KNOW YOU - COTH Member Profile
Each week we'll be speaking to different members of the choir so you can get to know them a little better. Please speak to Vicky if you'd like to be featured.
June O'Sullivan, COTH member
Tell us a little bit about yourself - where you're from/where you live now etc.
I was born and educated in Cork and I came to London in the traditional route of many Irish women to train as a nurse at the Maudsley Hospital in Camberwell and Bethlem Royal in West Wickham. (being a psychiatric nurse sets you up for every future job, not much can shock you after that!) So Southeast London became my stamping ground. I moved around a bit in West London but moved back to Crystal Palace ten years ago. It kind of feels full circle.
What are your favourite songs:
To get you in the mood for a big night out
Anything that makes me feel like dancing. I like a bit of. Chuck Berry, he gets you moving. Can’t go wrong with Ronan Keating, singing Life is a roller coaster, you just have to ride it. I also love Leonard Cohnen’s Dance to the End of Time or Alexandra Burke’s version of his Hallelujah. Bob Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone is also a firm favourite. Sade, Smooth Operator, Clifford T. Ward singing Gaye, so many…I love songs where I remember all the correct words as opposed to doing a Peter Kay!
To lift your spirits when you're feeling blue
There's nothing like a bit of Mozart to lift your spirits. I love some of the arias from the operas. I also love Irish singers like Mary Black or Elenor McAvoy , my favourite album is A Woman’s’ Heart. Then there is the joy of Sharon Shannon playing her accordion and weaving Irish trad with the music of South America, Senegal and China. Brilliant!
To belt out at the karaoke I only did karaoke once and that was with my friend Sue who has since died. We did it at my work party and as CEO I have to set the scene! The theme was the 70s and Sue and I love to dance to Abba and so she made two tiny dresses out of pillowcases, bought us plastic white boots and we belted out Money Money Money. I think it went down in the work archives!
Are there any types of music you're not keen on and why?
I like most music. I guess I have an eclectic taste. Recently I was listening to some of my favourite songs on Spotify on the bus home. And I thought I had connected my new earphones correctly. However, the woman next to me said, I don't know if you realise, but we can all hear your music on the bus. I was mortified because I hate when people don't wear their earphones and just play on their phones without caring about the rest of the passengers. I apologised profusely and there were lots of smiles and someone said, “we're quite enjoying it because it's very eclectic. We've gone from, opera to jazz to pop, to country. I thought, well, at least I entertained them!
What brought you to Choir on the Hill and how long have you been singing with us?
I am terrible with dates but I came when we were at Stanley Halls first. And then we moved very quickly to Paxton. Cafe. On Anerley Road, then we moved to All Saints. I came really because I love to sing, and I used to be in a choir a long time ago in one of my children's schools. I remember us learning and performing Mozart's Requiem and just thought it was the most glorious thing to be part of a choir. I left when he went to Senior School and I tried other choirs but I found some quite snotty and cliquey whereas Choir on the Hill is very friendly.
Which female musical artists do you admire and why?
I like a whole range of artists. Pop singers like Pink, Adele, Lady Gaga and Mega. I like interesting women’s voices like Joy Crookes and Dido. I like. Irish artists like Imelda May. I like songs that remind me things and experiences, like Amy MacDonald who will forever be associated with COTH. It’s all about the children which sums up my work. Sometimes I love a song which is sung by a woman like Stevie Nicks singing Landslide. I like songs in different languages, my latest is Certamente by Madreblu. I also like opera singers. I love Barbara Bonnie and Wilhelmina Wiggins Fernandez. My Spotify algorithm must be crazy.
Who are your female role models?
I don’t consider role models in that traditional way, but I have some fabulous friends who do amazing stuff. I work in social enterprise and there are some great women in that space, reshaping the way we run the world. I run an annual debate to celebrate ordinary women doing extraordinary things and I have met and interviewed them on my podcast. I love women who don’t take themselves too seriously and have real emotional intelligence. Prue Leith was a great example of that.
Tell us a surprising or little known fact about yourself.
I trained as a psychiatric nurse with Jo Brand.
What is your favourite thing about being part of Choir on the Hill?
You will feel welcome, even if you haven't been for a while. I've not been the most frequent attender recently because my working pattern and I have a lot of family commitments but every time you come back you are welcomed like a long-lost sister.
