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The Fleet Singers after a performance with French musicians The Bellboys at the Learning Something New weekend at the Barbican earlier this year |
More than a fleeting fancyREVIEW - FLEET SINGERS
FLEET SCHOOL
THE first anniversary of Fleet Singers’ formation was marked by a concert of the community singing group at Fleet School alongside singing by all the children in years five and six at the school.
The group of three dozen singers was formed to participate in Carmina Burana with St Bart’s Hospital Choir at the Royal Albert Hall. Members so enjoyed the experience they decided to keep going.
Strikingly, this week’s concert illustrated the potential of community singing groups, open to all without audition, regardless of experience or perceived ability.
A varied programme of short pieces included some testing works for the group on its own, among them Mozart’s Ave Verum, Mendelssohn’s Hear My Prayer and William Byrd’s difficult Non Nobis Domine canon at the fifth.
In addition, there was a Liberian folk song, Petula Clark’s pop song Downtown and Hey Mister Miller, a jazzy song about Glen Miller.
Surprisingly, most of the singing was in tune, which is more than can be said sometimes for amateur singing groups that require new members to take an audition.
Much of the group’s musicality is down to January’s appointment of James Davey as its musical director.
He’s a distinguished young choral conductor, much in demand throughout the country.
He has worked with the BBC Singers as both conductor and, more recently, as an education practitioner for their GoSing project.
And he’s the conductor and vocal trainer for the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain.
“Singing is such an excellent way of bringing people together that there should be more community group’s like Fleet Singers,” he said.
“There’s not many in North London, only the LSO’s community choir at St Luke’s, Old Street, so far as I know. Funding is the problem.
“The LSO supports its choir, of course, but group’s like Fleet Singers need some form of backing, possibly from the Arts Council.”
One of the Fleet Singers is local resident Marlene Hobsbawm, aged 76, wife of the Marxist historian.
“Although I’ve played the recorder for years, this is the first time I’ve sung in a choir,” she said.
“It really is very enjoyable, particularly singing with other people in the neighbourhood and getting to know them.” |
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