Music in May

There is a bottomless resourcefulness in man that ultimately enables him to transform ‘the spear of frustration” into a shaft of light  – Howard Thurman

Congratulations to all concerned and big thank you for such a great turnout at Newark Show last weekend. It’s not so easy to perform under a canvass marquee but I thought the sound was pretty good and I’m sure we made a good impact on the public. Thanks, as always, to the music team and to Geoff, who does so much work in organising these events.

“Your performance was first rate – but then Meryl would not allow anything less! There were many compliments flying around afterwards and you certainly made a great impression.” said music coordinator of the Event, Gabrielle Burgin Lister. Gabrielle is an international adjudicator and musical consultant of considerable reputation.

A big week ahead sees us at QEA on Friday evening and at Sutton URC on Saturday.

Male voice choirs generally have a wide and varied repertoire and we, as choristers, enjoy singing a variety of different kinds of music.

Our audiences too, love variety. Musical theatre, modern classics and traditional folk and pop songs with exciting and clever arrangements can be  mingled with the more “traditional” items to make up a programme which offers something for everyone.

Each year the NAC Midlands East Region stages a major concert and this year Mansfield & District Male Voice choir are privileged to host and manage the event.

We are inviting five of the best choirs in the East Midlands to the United Reformed Church, Sutton-in- Ashfield, Nottinghamshire to sing and make music in this wonderful building with its astonishing acoustics.

The concert, this coming Saturday evening, is billed as “Music in May” and full details, of course, are on the Events page. Details are also on the Events page and an introduction on this blog (“In Tune With Charity”) for Friday’s show.

The massed choirs on Saturday evening will sing together, at the end of the programme, the modern spiritual, I’m Goin’ Up A-Yonder (Walter Hawkins; Arr. Martin Sirvatka).

The negro spiritual is a very well established part of the repertoire and is also  the subject of a book by Howard Thurman “Deep River and The Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death”. The book  is an attempt to explain why those songs will remain with us forever whilst ever joy and pain and life and death are at the core of the human condition. He writes at length on these songs and with  great  passion and insight.

But of course you have to  hear and feel them to really appreciate the power of the music. Mansfield & District Male Voice Choir have performed this song on numerous occasions and we, as singers, have been moved to see audiences so moved themselves by this song.

It will be a fantastic evening on Saturday. A musical evening full of variety and entertainment, guaranteed to lift the spirits of all who will be there. Don’t miss it!

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