News
Next production...
Autumn 2011
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND
by Richard Taylor and Russell Labey
Visit this page again soon for latest developments
Read about all the things that have been going on at Music in the Minster. If you're a journalist and would like more information about a story please contact us.
We've won a High Sheriff's Award!
Music in the Minster received a High Sheriff’s Award at a ceremony at the Customs House, South Shields on the 29th March.
Young singers Mel Warwick and Abi Carlisle received the award and a cheque for £400 from out-going High Sheriff of Tyne and Wear Gavin Black, and Olympic swimmer Chris Cook.
In the past year, Music in the Minster has produced a pageant, Making Opera, in Sunderland Minster, and workshops leading to a performance of Oliver’s Army with pupils of Monkwearmouth School. In addition, several schools on Wearside have experienced ‘taster days’, enabling young people to develop skills in singing and acting. The team has also run days for adult singers called ‘The Secret of Great Singing at Washington Arts Centre, which have been supported by Youth Music’s Vocalise project.
Alison Barton, Music in the Minster’s Artistic Director, says ‘We’re thrilled to receive this recognition of the exciting work we’re doing on Wearside. We’re already working on our plans for the coming year, when there will be more opportunities to develop young people’s musical, vocal and theatrical skills. Buzzwords from our recent production cast included concentration, fun, and enjoyment……life is better with music!’
Oliver's Army show an explosive success!
Last year over 30 young people gave a stunning performance of ‘Making Opera’ with singing, dancing, and stagecraft developed through workshops devised by Sunderland-born opera mezzo Alison Barton and stage director Mark Hathaway.
The team, including Simon Raybould, Clare Andrews, and Rebecca Topping, returned this year, with the support of funding from Youth Music. Alison says ‘It’s tremendous to have this vote of confidence from a prestigious national organisation. It has helped to put Sunderland on the map, musically, and culturally.’ During February and March, Music in the Minster were ‘in residence’ at Monkwearmouth School running a series after-school workshops – and the resulting show, Oliver’s Army by Alan Penman, was shown at the school on Saturday March 13th.
This stage work, specially devised for young people, is about Oliver Cromwell, and includes 6 catchy songs and a narrator. It’s a romp through the history of Great Britain, and as well as the music, the audience experienced theatrical explosions and an execution! For the young people involved, the experience of making this piece of theatre has been intense but rewarding.
Next production...
Autumn 2011
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND
by Richard Taylor and Russell Labey
Visit this page again soon for latest developments
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New Policies Added.
Music in the Minster's Policies are now available by clicking here:
Policies
Further policies may be available by request.
Sharing the secrets of the Opera House
Are great singers born or made?
Confident singing requires a skill set that can be learned. Opera singers learn how to develop their voices for strength, flexibility, reliability and range. Their living depends on it. Our workshop draws on the skills of the opera world for people who want to improve their singing, and the satisfaction they derive from it. Suitable for singers at all levels, including those who attended the first day on 13 January.
We will cover
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Body and voice – the mechanics of singing
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Stretching your boundaries – strategies for increasing your capabilities
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Enhancing your expressive possibilities - ‘how might I?’ rather than ‘can I?’
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Troubleshooting – your singing queries answered, your challenges addressed.
We will do this by
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Sharing our knowledge of vocal technique
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Exercises for improving breath control & voice production
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Intensive coaching and rehearsing
You will leave with
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An understanding of how professional singers ‘make it happen’
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Enhanced singing capability
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Tools to develop your vocal skills
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The Secret of Great Singing; 13th January 2010.
We took warm silent breaths. We raised our soft palates until they ached. And we laughed – how we laughed! Tiny titters, great guffaws… laughter yoga was new to all twenty of us, and loosened us up, both mentally and physically..
We were taking part in ‘The Secret of Great Singing’ , led by Alison Barton, the Artistic Director of Music in the Minster, and Clare Andrews, workshop leader, and drama coach.
We were from all quarters of the singing spectrum, from the frankly terrified to the trainee diva. Alison introduced us to some vocal exercises which were strenuous but effective. Many of us who had vocal problems found that we were on the way to fixing them. One hour in, we were singing 3 part harmony with confidence and full voice. (OK, it was a round, but quite complicated!) Two hours in, it was harmony from memory, walking round, delivering different moods to order, singing with and to each other, with no visible embarrassment.
Coaching from Alison and Clare had twenty relative strangers singing as a unit, with full tone, and with passion and commitment.
After a convivial lunch in the Washington Arts Centre café, we re-convened to meet Alan Craig, a chorus master with attitude! With his encouragement, we rapidly learned by heart an African greeting song in genuine 4-part harmony, which we delivered with great panache. And then on to the grand finale – the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Verdi’s Nabucco. This was a huge step up for some of us, but with Alan driving it from the keyboard, and Alison reminding us of the techniques we’d learnt that morning, we threw ourselves into the performance – English National Opera, eat your heart out!
I have waited for a course like this for years. Very relaxed & extremely enjoyable – have learnt an enormous amount…
Fantastic – I learned so much!
Clear, supportive, got rid of common prejudices, funny…
Excellent – presentations of music & drama were interesting & encouraging…
It all flowed very well & each leader’s input supported the others – fun, & good-humoured…
Enjoyed everything about the day & would love to come to more!
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Music in the Minster - Making Opera
An exciting opportunity for young singers
Music in the Minster was set up in 2006, and mounted a production of Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde in 2007. Music in the Minster is now running a series of workshops and events encouraging community participation in opera and music theatre. The first performance in March 2009 was a great success – with young people and adults from Sunderland performing alongside professional singers and instrumentalists.
“There was great support from the director and the adult performers. My students said that they felt that they had been part of a major production.”
Now, with funding from Youth Music’s Vocalise programme, Music in the Minster is presenting further exciting opportunities to young people in the community.
Music in the Minster would like to invite you to join our workshop programme. The rewards are tremendous as you get to work with a skilled professional team, and learn and improve your own singing and theatre skills. You will also have lots of fun and meet other young people interested in the same things are you are. This is quite big commitment as we are asking you to attend workshops on Saturdays – sometimes for half a day, and sometimes for a whole day.
These workshops will not lead immediately to a performance, but gradually as we build up a keen team of young people, and improve their skills and understanding of what opera requires, we will be planning performances, in which you can take part.
Making Opera Workshop - Student Letter Pg 1
Making Opera Workshop - Student Letter Pg 2
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Concert that filled you with city pride
Music in the Minster launched on Saturday night
with "Making
Opera" a short inspirational pageant of sport, legend, love
and tragedy.
The Bishopwearmouth Young Singers were joined by Monkwearmouth Community
High School Singers in "Sporting Chance". This fun and
very energetic singing and dancing portrayed various sports including
athletics, ice skating, scuba diving, football and weight lifting.
The music was written by Bob Chilcott (formerly of the King's Singers)
and performed by our local Prince Bishops Ensemble. The conductor
was Marco romano the Musical Director of Music in the Minster (MiM).
The kids were wonderful, their enthusism, ability and discipline
made me a very proud citizen.
Next came the story of Dido and Aeneas from the opera by Purcell.
Narrated by director Mark Hathaway, it brought the whole thing to
life. The children mimed some of the action, then came the Pageant
Chorus of adults accompanied by Eileen Bown on the piano in a chorus
from the opera. Dido's Lament for her lost love was sung by Alison
Barton (artistic director of MiM) bringing her great experience and
professionalism to the event.
Finally the atmosphere lightened with "The Lambton Worm",
sung by the choirs but with the happy audience joining in the chorus.
As I left the minster I heard the words brilliant, wonderful, great,
super kids, when is the next one.....
and I could only agree.
Music in the Minster is an exciting new cultural development. It
aims to involve people of the region in the enjoyment of opera and
its associated arts - musical and dramatic- by active participation
across all ages and communities. If
Saturday night was just a start, I look forward to the future.
www.musicintheminster.org.uk will
keep you informed.
For me, seeing children having so much fun, it was an evening well
spent.
Moira Johnston - Sunderland Echo, March 24th, 2009
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Rehearsals hot up
The performers in MiM’s forthcoming production are hard at work, learning their parts and memorising them for the show.
Conductor Marco Romano and repetiteur Eileen Bown have been rehearsing the singers intensively, with vocal coaching from opera singer Alison Barton, so that they can be ready to work on the dramatic aspects of the music.
This is what makes opera different and special – singing and acting together at the same time, and our performers are rising magnificently to the challenge!
Soon, they will all have mastered their songs, their moves and their props to produce an all round theatrical feast to remember.
Come and check out the results at the performance, 'Making Opera': 7 – 8.30pm, Saturday 21 March, Sunderland Minster. Tickets £3, £1 (children under 16), from Sunderland Tourist Information (0191 553 2000) and Sunderland Minster (0191 565 4066).
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Press Release
Tuesday, 18th February 2009
An exciting new project to encourage public participation in music and singing was launched at the Place in Sunderland today.
Music in the Minster recognises the growing popularity of making music, and that singing together is good for you. Primarily focussed on opera and music theatre, it promotes opportunities for whole communities, regardless of age or education, to join together in making and performing music.
The brain-child of Marj Barton, it was inspired by her experience of community music-making during her year as High Sheriff of Tyne & Wear. In 2007 she encouraged and hassled a group of friends and enthusiasts to undertake a production of Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde in Sunderland Minster. 160 people were involved directly in the project, of whom 114 were youngsters. The experience provided the stimulus for the creation of Music in the Minster. Today it is launched as an organisation able to undertake music and education projects on Wearside to give communities the opportunity to perform music which brings genuine enjoyment, but also make a real difference to the quality of their lives.
Music in the Minster is based at Sunderland Minster, but its work is in no way restricted to religious music or denominational ties. It aims to reach out into the whole community as a centre of musical excellence providing workshops, training in drama, movement and costume - all the skills which go to make up a musical production.
The social benefits of active participation in music-making are increasingly well-known. Singing and performing are good for your health. Rehearsing and participation build up valuable social skills and personal confidence. The development of such a project also enhances the profile of the region and adds to its cultural resource.
Music in the Minster is a registered charity, committed to encouraging everyone to appreciate music. It brings experts from the world of opera and music to share their skills with the communities of Wearside and will commission new work for performance.
Today also sees the launch of the official website, www.musicintheminster.org.uk.
Its Artistic Director is Alison Barton, supported by a Committee of volunteers and Trustees. Sir Thomas Allen, the internationally renowned opera singer, who comes from the region, has agreed to be its Patron. The project has also received the enthusiastic support of Wearside-born Chris Cowey, who worked for many years on TTTV’s The Tube and produced the BBC’s Top of the Pops.
In launching Music in the Minster, Alison Barton said: “
I am passionate about this project and all that it means for people of all ages and abilities to be involved in opera and music theatre on Wearside.”
Sir Thomas Allen adds: “
This is a very enterprising scheme and I am happy to become a Patron - and to see your commitment to commissioning new work.”
The next production will be on Saturday 21 March 2009, 6.30 pm at Sunderland Minster.
Tickets from the Sunderland Tourist Information Centre, and Sunderland Minster available from the beginning of March.
CONTACT:
Alex Murchie
07554-357419
info@musicintheminster.org.uk
c/o Sunderland Minster, High Street West, Sunderland SR1 3ET
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