I brought this question up before as one of the fundamental problems of working with, and being a part of, a choral ensemble. After all, no one really wants to listen to an out-of-tune choir.   It’s a complicated issue that involves...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the choir]   Very, very few people are tone deaf. Tone deafness is an abnormality of the brain which can also affect the understanding of language and certain spatial ...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the choir] Many of us wait until the mood hits us before we do something. But often the doing something is what changes our mood for the better.     Th...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the choir] We are living in unprecedented times. People are not allowed to socialise.     How do we keep singing together? I’ll look at some of the ...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the choir]I teach songs from all over the world, often in foreign languages. But people are always asking me for more songs in English. Why is this? Especially since ...

Four members of the Bach choir from Bonn in Germany will be in the audience next Saturday evening (10 December) at Leeds Town Hall for a performance of Handel’s Messiah by Leeds Festival Chorus.   They will be arriving in the city along with ...

e-mail: xtsina@yahoo.gr We have been travelling together since we were kids as members of the Children’s choir of Polygyros. It’s been at least 15-20 years now that we have participated in numerous festivals and concerts all over Greece but also all ove...  moree-mail: xtsina@yahoo.gr We have been travelling together since we were kids as members of the Children’s choir of Polygyros. It’s been at least 15-20 years now that we have participated in numerous festivals and concerts all over Greece but also all over Europe. In 2005, as adults, we decided to establish this particular group with the assistance of the Children’s choir. We have given concerts in Hungary, in several cities in Greece and especially in Chalkidiki. In 2011 new members have been included in the group and we have changed our name into “THAMYRIADES”. Our repertory extends from classical to rock, pop and musical. You will have the opportunity to listen to us in selected halls. In Greek mythology, Thamyris (Greek: Θάμυρις), son of Philammon and the nymph Argiope, was a Thracian singer who was so proud of his skill that he boasted he could outsing the Muses. He competed against them and lost. As punishment for his presumption they blinded him, and took away his ability to make poetry and to pla...    less

[this is an updated version of a post which first appeared on my blog From the Front of the choir]   I was in the middle of planning a workshop and was checking through a few songs to make sure I had the correct lyrics, source, meaning, backgr...

Performed live on French TV, Dec.25,2008. This children's choir, under the direction of Scott-Alan Prouty, is now well-established at the Theatre du Chatelet, Paris.

2012十週年音樂會 高雄市文化中心至德堂 2012-11-16 指揮: 翁佳芬 伴奏: 許溎芳 詞：谷川俊太郎 曲：松下耕 譯詞：蔡昱姍 松下耕（Ko Matsushita, 1962-）是日本現代活躍的作曲家及合唱指揮，〈當歌聲響起〉（そのひとがうたうとき）是1998年受兵庫縣芦屋高校合唱團委託所寫，歌詞作者谷川俊太郎（Shuntaro Tanikawa, 1931-）是日本家喻戶曉的詩人，松下耕常以其詩詞入曲。歌聲，是合唱團員的攻無不克武器，用來建造和平互信的人間天堂，作者期...  more2012十週年音樂會 高雄市文化中心至德堂 2012-11-16 指揮: 翁佳芬 伴奏: 許溎芳 詞：谷川俊太郎 曲：松下耕 譯詞：蔡昱姍 松下耕（Ko Matsushita, 1962-）是日本現代活躍的作曲家及合唱指揮，〈當歌聲響起〉（そのひとがうたうとき）是1998年受兵庫縣芦屋高校合唱團委託所寫，歌詞作者谷川俊太郎（Shuntaro Tanikawa, 1931-）是日本家喻戶曉的詩人，松下耕常以其詩詞入曲。歌聲，是合唱團員的攻無不克武器，用來建造和平互信的人間天堂，作者期待此曲能譯成各國語言，更深入人心，中文版歌詞在2004年由青年編曲家蔡昱姍翻譯，搭配穿梭在合唱和鋼琴之間的悠揚主旋律，慢快慢三段音樂，陳述了歌聲無遠弗屆的力量。 【歌詞】 當歌聲響起的時候，美妙的旋律從遠方傳來 那歌聲輕輕悄悄進入孤獨老人年少的回憶裡 那歌聲輕輕柔柔安慰著亙古以前徬徨無助的靈魂 在人們爭鬥紛擾的心和心之間，聽見歌聲傳來 歌聲從更遠更遠的地方傳過來，從古老神祕的大海傳來 從遙遠的、寧靜的雪白世界傳來，當歌聲響起的時候 已被遺忘的祈禱中，美妙的旋律從遠方傳來 聽啊，那聲音，像一個源源不絕的深深水井 聽啊，那聲音，展開雙手緊緊抱住無知的罪人 聲音的雙腳用力擊打大地 她的雙眼充滿渴望尋找失喪的靈魂 她的雙耳聽見美妙的聲音 小小嬰孩在母腹中興奮雀躍的迎接新世界 在黑夜凝視中，陌生小孩，他的臉上掛著無助眼淚 世上所有安慰都無法滿足他心靈，他在尋求一個不變永恆答案 歌聲穿越國與國的界限，征服沙漠 融化人們頑固心靈，讓彼此的仇恨化作和平 向著未來美麗的世界傳達祥和慈愛 當歌聲響起的時候，帶來和平新希望 當歌聲響起，那美妙旋律為人們帶來和平 當歌聲響起，那美妙旋律帶給全世界新希望  less