Dunblane (short) report

The service of Evening Prayer at Dunblane Cathedral on Saturday 5th March went very well, and the whole day, directed by Richard Walmsley and accompanied by Matthew Beetschen, was enjoyable not only musically but socially too, as we went to the Tappit Hen pub across from the Cathedral afterwards.

Our next meeting is on Saturday 21st May in the lovely setting of St Mary's Parish Church in Haddington, just east of Edinburgh, and the service will be at 4pm.  Type of service, music lists etc will be posted in due course.

Now, having sung at Dunblane, banked money, updated spreadsheets, reconciled finance, sent out emails relating to found music copies and missing name badges, written articles for the RSCM publication CMQ and the forthcoming RSCM Scotland Newsletter and the magazine Different Voices, completed Event Registration Forms for our August and September meetings, and finally updated this website, I'm ready to not look at ANY RSCM Scottish Voices stuff for a week or two!  Except I need to try to get the music list notified for Haddington and I need to start thinking about the arrangements for our residential rehearsal weekend in August, not least who and how many will be there and therefore how much it'll cost each of us.  Oh well, I might get a couple of days away from it!

Service at Dunblane Cathedral

Today at 4pm you can hear RSCM Scottish Voices sing Evening Prayer in the wonderful surroundings of Dunblane Cathedral which dates back in parts to the 13th century.

The music will be:

We wait for Thy Loving kindness (William McKie)
Magnificat in e minor (Daniel Purcell)
Praise our Lord, all ye gentiles (William Byrd)
Gaudete Omnes (Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck)

Due to the unavailability of our Musical Director Frikki Walker who is in Sheffield conducting one of his other choirs in the semi final of the Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year competition, for this service RSCM Scottish Voices will be directed by Richard Walmsley (Organist and Master of the Choristers at St Ninian's Episcopal Cathedral in Perth) and accompanied on the organ by Matthew Beetschen (Musical Director and Organist of Dunblane Cathedral, and Chair of RSCM Scotland).

Voices united for Christchurch

Last night's benefit concert for Christchurch went fantastically well, and raised £4155 which will go via the Red Cross to help those most in need after the earthquake.

Representatives of nine different choirs took part, under the inspirational leadership of Michael Bawtree, Glasgow Chamber Choir, RSCM Scottish Voices, St Mary's Cathedral (Glasgow), St Mary's Cathedral (Edinburgh), Edinburgh Singers, Edinburgh Royal Choral Union, Glasgow University Chapel Choir, Strathclyde University Chamber Choir and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD).

A reporter from BBC Radio Scotland was there to record much of what was happening and he interviewed a few people, albeit he got the first name of the Kiwi soloist wrong by calling her Jane Elder instead of Ruth Elder!  You can hear a recording of the BBC news article, including some interviews and a bit of the choir singing as well as the two Kiwi soloists by clicking here.

The full programme was:

Choir

• Locus Iste - Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)

Stephen Chambers (tenor)

• Comfort ye my people - George Frederic Handel (1685-1759)
  Every valley shall be exalted - George Frederic Handel (1685-1759)

Rachel Hynes (soprano)

• The Lord's Prayer - Albert Hay Malotte (1895-1964)

Ruth Elder (soprano)

• Pokarekare Ana - Trad. Maori folksong

Rachel Hynes (soprano) and Karen Cargill (mezzo soprano)

• Letter Duet from The Marriage of Figaro - W A Mozart (1756-1791)

Stephen Chambers (tenor)

• The Choirmaster's Funeral (Thomas Hardy) - Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

Choir & soloists
Brynne Mcleod (mezzo soprano)
Nick Morris (baritone)
David Sloan (violoncello)
Geoff Woolatt (organ)

• Requiem (Op. 9) - Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)

Choir and audience, first verse sung in Maori by choir

• God defend New Zealand (National Anthem)