2013 Opera
SINGING OPPORTUNITY FOR GCS MEMBERS: THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL
GCS members are invited to sing in the chorus for the Mindsong / Three Choirs Festival one act opera commission, The Lock Keeper’s Daughter. Members of the Philharmonia orchestra will be playing and there will be soloists to match.
The composer, John O’Hara, wishes GCS to form a strong backbone to the chorus, around 150 in total. We will be joined by singers from community and workplace choirs around the county and there will be a separate children’s choir. This will be a privileged opportunity to be part of the creative process as John continues to compose between rehearsals.
Massed rehearsals will take place in Gloucester on the following Sundays (venue to be notified shortly):
3 March, 11am – 5pm
12 May
23 June
14 July
21 July
Dress rehearsal and performance: 4 August
On 3 March, there will be a 20 minute break in the morning, an hour’s lunch break from 1pm to 2pm, a break at 3pm (when the children will go home) and another 15 minute break during the afternoon. There will be some administration and a chance to ask questions during the lunch break. You are asked to wear comfortable clothes.
Times for all other rehearsals will be confirmed on the first day, but they won’t start earlier than 11am or finish later than 5pm. The final rehearsal (it’s not clear whether this means 21 July or 4 August) will run from 11am to 5pm.
This project will also see the Philharmonia players going into care homes to play. In addition poet / librettist Karen Hayes will return to the homes from which the opera plot originated, and into schools and colleges to lead dementia orientated workshops.
Mindsong – Music for Dementia – is rooted in GCS, starting when Bernard Day asked Anthea Holland, as chairman of GCS, to run an outreach project for the 2007 Gloucester Three Choirs Festival. Assisted by fellow GCS members the success of the original pilot was such that we have massively increased both the amount of work we do and the scope of that work. In October we became a registered charity; almost all our trustees come from GCS. The opera project celebrates what Mindsong does and is additional to our ongoing work in care homes all over the county.
To reserve your place, please return form (.pdf or Word format) to Anne Prince by email or add your name to the list at the first two rehearsals this term.