Plymouth Philharmonic Choir were delighted to welcome internationally celebrated conductor, David Lawrence, to their workshop, which brought together 100 singers of all ages and levels of experience, from choirs across the South West.

Encouragement, positivity and humour

It was a masterpiece in the use of carrot rather than stick, as encouragement, positivity and humour were the order of the day. It wasn’t just the advice about vocal and choral technique that people took away; or the humorous translation of Latin musical terms such as largamente and accelerando, which mean, watch the conductor; it was the inspiration gained from David sharing his passion for choral singing.

Every voice counts

Sometimes there are tricky bits in a piece of music and it may be tempting to leave them to those around you. Yet David instilled the idea that you have to take responsibility, as he did, driving a round trip of 600 miles because of the rail strike, and that every voice counts. The effect was to take away the anxiety of getting it wrong, replacing it with having a go and doing your best. Perhaps not so much a lesson in singing as a life lesson.

Splodges and squiggle

David challenged the way we think about music. The splodges and squiggles printed on a piece of paper being merely a vehicle; music is that magical thing that we produce when we sing. Rather than fretting about time signatures and counting beats we were encouraged to feel the pulse, the life blood of the music.

Renowned for his work with youth choirs, David was especially pleased to work with friend and leader of Plymouth’s Legacy Choir, Jessica Rowe. Thanks to sponsorship from Plymouth Music Accord, 12 young people from the Legacy Choir were able to benefit by attending the workshop.

Thrilling fun

As bass Sam said: “Sight reading in German isn’t the easiest, but everyone made it good fun.” When asked if he would come to a future event, he added “200%”. Keira, Abbie and Phin were thrilled to have the chance to work on new repertoire. The Lacrymosa from Mozart’s Requiem is a piece they’ve been longing to sing. The students performed several pieces that they will be singing for their Plymouth Massachusetts hosts during their exchange visit in October half term. They were very appreciative of the generous support shown for their bucket collection which raised nearly £400 towards their trip.

Wishing The Legacy Choir ‘Bon Voyage’, Plymouth Philharmonic Choir look forward to opportunities when we can all sing together again.

Further information about membership and concerts can be found on Facebook and the websites plymouthphilchoir.org and plymouthmeh.com/legacy-choir/

top image: Plymouth Philharmonic Choir David Lawrence Choral Workshop