>April Events / Art & Theatre / Events in Norfolk and Suffolk / Music / Tourist Attractions Norfolk and Suffolk March 23, 2016
New opportunity to join award-winning choir for Norfolk & Norwich ‘Festival within the Festival’
Open call for singers for Vocal Invention Choir
The Voice Project, twice EDP People’s Choice winners at the Norfolk Arts Awards, are inviting anyone who would like to try singing to join their new Vocal Invention Choir. The new choir will sing around Norwich city centre as part of Vocal invention 2016, a packed weekend of vocal adventures presented as a ‘Festival within a Festival’ from Friday 20 – Sunday 22 May.
Vocal Invention will be part of Norwich Arts Centre’s [Live] Art Club strand for Norfolk & Norwich Festival. Throughout the weekend there will be concerts, workshops and other participatory activities, all focused on celebrating the creativity and inventiveness of the Human Voice. Poets, singers, improvisers, composers, talkers and thinkers will come together for performances, workshops, talks and surprise pop-up performances in the city. From exquisite song to experimental vocal installations, 8-part harmony and digital poetry, the weekend is a chance to see and take part in a huge range of vocal events featuring artists and performers as diverse as acclaimed poet and theatre experimentalist Ross Sutherland, vocal octet Human Music, The Voice Project’s Sian Croose and Jon Baker, Sianed Jones and internationally renowned poet George Szirtes.
The choir will perform at various locations around the city on Saturday 21 May. The material will be especially selected from the fantastic repertoire of material drawn from The Voice Project’s site-specific adventures over the past 3 years as well as new songs created specially for the event.
As always the choir is resolutely open access, there are no auditions, anyone and everyone is invited to join and first timers are positively welcomed. Past choirs have featured an age ranger from 18 to 80 and included beginners, experienced performers, and everyone in between. As everything is taught by ear no previous singing or musical experience is required and there is no necessity to read music.
Voice Project co-director Sian Croose said ‘Many people are far more musical than they think, and singing regularly in a group can really lift your spirits. Many join time and time again, extolling the relaxing and therapeutic values of singing in such uplifting surroundings, while others prefer to dip in for selected projects. Absolutely everyone of whatever ability or experience is very welcome, no-one is judged in any way and we especially welcome first timers’.
A recent participant in The Voice Project’s Red Shift concert at St Andrews Hall commented ‘It was such fun and I met and chatted to lovely people. Jon and Sian have such an inspirational, positive attitude’. Another added ‘I was told as a child that I couldn’t sing and excluded from the school choir, Jon and Sian convinced me that I can. If you’re looking for something new to try nothing will reward you as quickly as taking part in The Voice Project’.
Anyone wishing to take part can get further information and reserve a place at www.voiceproject.co.uk or just turn up to the first rehearsal at 7.30pm on Tuesday April 5 at The Friends Meeting House, Upper Goat Lane Norwich NR2 1EW.
