Who we are
Who can sing in the Midland Festival Chorus each October? The answer is that anyone can. There is no audition for a place – but those who do enrol must be able to cope with the intensity of the two compulsory rehearsals in Worcester, so a reasonable music-reading ability is necessary as well as the ability to respond quickly to the conductor’s demands. Stamina will be under pressure too, so this isn’t for the faint-hearted! There is, however, lots of help: Malcolm Goldring, our Musical Director, prepares a special homework CD, with each voice part played on a keyboard and supported by extracts from commercial recordings. There is also a voluntary Singing Day in Solihull each May when Malcolm presents his ideas on the music, thereby enabling singers to embark on their own practice between then and October.
Since our move to Worcester we have endeavoured to make each year special in some way. We’ve presented extraordinary concerts, including the first performance of Stephen Montague’s revised When Dreams Collide, Frank Martin’s In terra pax (with soloists from five European countries), Dvorak’s Stabat Mater with the RLPO and four soloists from Prague, as well as more traditional programmes – Haydn’s Die Schöpfung and Mozart’s Requiem. In 2009 we performed the Verdi Requiem with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and in 2010 we will perform the Te Deums of Bruckner and Kodaly.
For 27 years, we were privileged that Keith Swallow was our rehearsal accompanist. Following his decision to step down in 2006 we are delighted that Michael Higgins has taken his place.
Despite the high risks involved, it works!