Brilliant performances of Les Misérables draw praise
We've had so many tributes to the Squad - see by clicking
here
Success in the Regional round of Music for Youth
Three of our four entries made it through to the National Festival, which will be held on Tuesday 5th July in Birmingham.
Birgitta to take tea with the queen!
Wow! Is she thrilled!!! A very special posh envelope from Buck House arrived on Friday (17th March), inviting her to a Reception
for people who work in Performing Arts with young people, Monday 9th May.
And you'll just love what Richard Stilgoe had to say by way of explanation:
Diss what happen'. Missis Queen she say me, Mistah Stilgoe, who diss Big Eater Kenyan I hear so much about? I say she no Kenyan she Norwegian. Missis Queen say Norwegians dey got King he my cousin, I tink. Where she f'om? I say Bury Saint Edmunds. Missis Queen say why Saint Edmunds dead? Who kill him? I better fine out - have diss Big Eater over to da palace for da can o' peas. Dat be enuff fo' her? She bring her Voice Quads, or she come by self?
Anyway, enjoy.
Richard.
Voice Squad + Blake!
....the Senior Voice Squad will perform alongside Pop-Opera band
Blake on 16th April in St Mary's Church, Bury.
VOICE SQUAD + MAGNETS!!!
....the Senior Voice Squad will perform alongside internationally acclaimed
a cappella group The Magnets at the New Wolsey Theatre on 10th July, as part of the Ipswich Festival.
Tickets now available
here
Press Feature
The Voice Squad was the subject of a feature article in the Bury Free Press on Friday 14th January, covering the 18 years from our humble birth to our recent coming-of-age.
We particularly liked (to quote): "The Voice Squad are now a household name in Bury St Edmunds, across the county and throughout the country". How true!
And it mentioned our forthcoming
CD launch.
Thanks for that, BFP!
Bouquets
We've had complimentary letters about our
mentoring of primary schools, and the December
concert in the cathedral in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.
BBC Radio Suffolk carol concert is a sell-out!
All 500 tickets for the carol concert on 4th December were sold. The concert was in St Mary's Church, Bury St Edmunds in aid of Children in Need.
Bouquet for Trinity Church Concert, 20th November
Hello Birgitta,
You are rightly proud of the Voice Squad. The concert was excellent. Thank you and please thank them. We had a good audience and over £650 was raised for Christian Aid's project in Burkina Faso. This will be quadrupled by the EU, having agreed to do so by a UEA student from Burkina Faso.
It was a delightful evening.
Dick Ansell
July: National Festival of Music for Youth
We gained top awards in the Choral (Senior Voice Squad) and +Ensemble (Senior Guys) sections, and await news of possible selection for an Albert Hall Prom!
Yes! we have been selected to appear at the Albert Hall Prom on 8th November!
Saturday 22nd May 2010:
BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year Area Competition in Harrow
Cadets and Seniors were both pronounced "Choir of the day"! Cadets are in the Children's Choirs category, and the Seniors entered the Open category.
So on to the next round.... Recordings (audio only, unfortunately) are made at all these area selection events, and a panel of adjudicators listened to these and made their selection of choirs to go to the category finals in Birmingham on 6th November. Our fingers were crossed, but sadly we haven't made it this year! However we will be at the finals anyway, singing (non-competitively) as Mentor Choir!
Find out more about the competition by going to the Choir of the Year website.
Sonnet Walk, 15th & 16th May 2010
The
Bury Free Press had this to say:
In a [Bury] Festival first, Sonnet Walks toured the town at the weekend, with the promise of Shakespeare, a little history and the element of surprise thrown in for good measure.
Starting at the Guildhall, director Abigail Anderson handed members of my group our route and a flower for identification purposes. I felt a little like I was going on a blind date (I’ll be outside the Corn Exchange at 1.30pm, waving a red carnation…), but decided to go with it. We were barely outside when we were accosted by Harriet Garbas, wearing a bridal veil, who recited Sonnet 116. Then, at almost every turn, enthusiastic actors popped out.
We took part in an aborted wedding at the Unitarian Meeting House, where Birgitta Kenyon, Jonathan Lodge and members of the Voice Squad performed Sonnet 8, beautifully set to music. Then, Freda Barratt invited us into her home for a touching performance of Sonnet 27. The 90-minute walk, which included 10 sonnets, was a triumph which engaged the imagination.
Let’s hope it returns next year, but in a slightly different form, so I can do it again.
-
CB
, 21st May
See some pictures
Sunday 14th March: Regional sessions of National Festival of Music For Youth.
: (1st May)
Squad Seniors and Squad Guys...thru to the National
Festival!!!! MASSIVE congratulations to both groups and good luck for
July 6th and 7th respectively.... WAHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
We entered 7 groups of the 9 present that afternoon....
Adjudicators: Eric Tebbet and Andy Grappy.
Squad Senior Guys (On the Willows "Godspell", She's Got a Way Billy Joel, When Pa Barbershop)
"A Rich, sonorous sound...all beautifully considered and projected"
Squad Senior Girls (Looking Forward Kenyon, Mister Sandman)
"Lilting and stylish from the beginning...beautiful singing, always shaped and musical...well-projected"
Squad Seniors (Thriller Jackson, Rhythm of Life (still costumed as Zombies!!!), Whisper of Angels (ditto!!!))
"Very dramatic presentation...excellent singing, crystal-clear diction, we were carried along by your convicion, sheer elan and sense of performance"
Cadet Girls (Candle on the Water Disney, Holly at Christmas Kenyon)
"A beautiful, elegant style, always committed...strong, characterful singing"
Cadet Guys (Lost in Space, Baggy Trousers (Piano - Matt Green, Saxes - Nicholas Sheehan/ William Curwen, Solo vocals - Toby Jeffrey))
"Dramatic, projected, committed...impressive!"
Cadets (Liverpool St Station, In My Own Time (Flute - Hannah Curwen, Violin - Rebecca Fitzjohn, Cello - Rebecca Severy), High Hopes)
"Terrific! Excellent sense of performance & diction...humour...passion...strong and committed"
Harry's Angels (The Blue Bird Stanford, I Wish I May Witches of Eastwick)
"Beautiful singing with real communication...poignant, shaped....stunning!"
The Voice Squads shine at Bury Christmas Switch-on, 19th November
Here's a tribute from the Town Centre Manager, passed on by Ian Shipley:
On behalf of the Bury St Edmunds Christmas Lights group, our sincere thanks to you (Ian), Birgitta and the excellent 'Voice Squad' for helping to make the Christmas Lights Switch-On event on such a great success this year. The response and coverage has been terrific; despite a few set backs during the day, the actual event went extremely well, with great attendance and we think a great atmosphere.
We very much appreciate your contribution towards what was a great evening for the town, to which we have received so much positive feedback since; this could not have happened without the contributions such as yours and the choirs, so please pass on our sincere thanks to each and every member of the choir.
Our appreciative thanks once again.
Yours, with kind regards
Steve Peters
Town Centre Manager
Bury St Edmunds
Senior Squaddies have a blast at Suffolk Choral Festival | |
Click picture to enlarge |
A very rewarding evening for the Voice Squad Seniors at the Choral Evening of Suffolk Music Festival, held on Tuesday 13th October 2009, in St John's Church, Ipswich. They took four first places, and were accorded lavish words of praise from adjudicator Ian Kennedy.
More pictures
More details
| Youth Choirs | Outstanding | 91 | Joint 1st. | 'This is just a joy .... an
outstanding performance'
|
| Folk Song | Distinction | 87 | 1st | 'Majestic and powerful'
|
| Sacred Song | Merit | 86
|
| Girls | no mark | | | (non-competitive)
|
| Shows Song | Outstanding | 90 | 1st | 'A live performance worthy of the West
End...
Quite Brilliant'
|
| Cabaret Song | Distinction | 88 | 1st | 'Rich, Joyful singing'
|
National Festival of Music for Youth
The Senior Squad and the Cadets both made it through to the 'Finals' of their respective sections at the National Festival of Music for Youth in Birmingham on 6th July 2009, where the Seniors received a highly complimentary commentary, and the Cadets were awarded the Outstanding Performance of the Day.
Primary school mentors...
The SENIOR SQUAD has been selected by the organisers of BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year to run a pilot scheme mentoring primary school choirs!!! It is really an honour to be selected for this, and a chance for us to pass on hard-earned choral skills and our love of singing! The scheme is being run by "Sing-up", a national organisation designed to "Help Kids Find Their Voice", and the Pilot Scheme will be in Milton Keynes in the spring. Watch out for our Showcase there on 27th February.
Both Squads are recruiting new members
Cadets: children up to Year 8 can join the Cadets without going through any audition.
Seniors: girls and boys of Year 8 and upwards may apply for an audition to join the Seniors.
Rehearsals are on Saturdays in Bury St Edmunds at the Salvation Army Hall, St. John's Street, the Seniors at 9:45 am and Cadets at 12 noon. For further information contact Birgitta or talk to the Squaddies themselves!
