Author: Marie O'Brien

FUSION CHOIR – FLASH CHOIR AT THE WINCHESTER HATFAIR : 4th July 2020….put the date in your diary. We did it last last year and we have been invited to do it again. Theme – take to the streets.

Sheila’s party was brilliant….everything about it was joyous and the choir had a ball. It was a complete celebration and it was lovely that Barbara was there too. Thank you Sheila and Happy Birthday.

Wow, thank you so much for the card. Nearly in tears reading it, what a start to the day. Thank you everyone for your support and greetings, lots of love, Kate 

Worth sharing: a choir leader has contacted me to say they have listened to the Fusion Choir on YouTube singing the Mingulay Boat Song and loved it and they have requested professional permission to use the arrangement. It states on Youtube, Harmonies and arrangement by Marie O’Brien. Interesting…new territory!

THANK YOU FROM BARBARA: Thankyou everyone for the beautiful flowers you all sent me. I’m so lucky to have such love and support from a wonderful choir. Thinking of you all today and when I’m stronger I will be back . XX ❤️❤️ Barbara – lovely to see Barbara at Sheila’s party.

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• Various choir are travelling
• Ruth are in Australia
• Carol, alto, is having surgery to her knee and will be away until feeling fit to return – hope it goes well
• Kay Duggan is recovering from pneumonia and will return in the spring – heal well

• Welcome to our fabulous choir for a new year of singing
• Welcome to our new singers – relax and enjoy
• Heal well all choir who had illness, accidents and surgery but still came along to sing on Friday. Great to see you
• Thanks to the tea rota girls and boys for nourishing and refreshing the choir
• What a great start to 2020
  
• A cheque for £950 was sent to each of our four Christmas concert charities: SVP, Gold, Friends of the Family, Rose Road

Previous relevant info:
19th February
Marjon, Anne and I spent Wednesday morning going the song portfolios and a few things have changed. If you already have the portfolios you need do nothing, just add Hine e Hine and Let it be and see the updated song index list and some updated pages that you will need to mark up.
If you have not yet printed the portfolios you will find everything there that you need, with a wider left hand margin. The portfolios are now in .doc – please check before you print that the pages are all in order. There are many websites that will accommodate the transfer of .doc to .pdf, if you would prefer. Also, if you wish a bigger typeface then feel free to alter your pages – whatever works for you. There will be no further changes at my end.
Also, the blog has changed.
A big thank you to Marjon and Anne.

10 Jan 2020. – So pleased to hear you speaking and singing again, Sheila – your voice was gone for quite sometime and this poem shares it with us.

I lost my voice this Christmas.
I lost my voice this Christmas,
Where oh where’s it gone?
It was working well on Friday then Saturday all went wrong.
My mouth still shuts and opens and tries to make the words,
But all else has disappeared, not a peep is heard.
If someone else has found it, I’d really like it back,
I’ve grown accustomed to its pitch and tone, always seemed on track.
It wasn’t the best of voices but nor was it the worst,
It’s range just really suited me and I would rate it first.
It excelled at giggling and laughter, could really tell a joke,
Family and friends recognised it along with other folk.
Now I can’t  even whisper, not a croak or groan,
Makes me feel a bit isolated, silent on my own.
I can’t even hum, let alone sing, all really most bizarre,
Can’t communicate close by, let alone from afar.
When my voice heals and repairs I’ll welcome it back again,
I’ll value it most dearly and will try a short refrain.
Marie’s given me an exercise blowing bubbles down a straw,
Tony says a snorkel in the bath will heal my voice for sure.
I’m letting it rest, giving it time, it worked very hard just lately,
When it returns I’ll respect it more and enjoy it oh so greatly.

Great rehearsal on Wednesday…..sounding ready and looking and sounding good….enjoy. An enormous thank you to choir members who have welcomed choir into their homes for rehearsals….and to all who have shared their musical knowledge, and to those who are helping in any way to make this concert amazing. Thank you to the choir committee who have worked diligently organising often that which is unseen but makes for a smooth experience. I feel the benefit of all your support and love and kindness. Thank you to all for all you are doing.

PLAYLIST AND WHO DOES WHAT

A few points about our songs:
1. Ding dong merrily on high – lots of singers gather on altar, a few walk down sides of church and join all on stage, Lorraine and Veronica will lead the wings.
2. I will introduce you, we all bow, applaud, Fr Tom will welcome us
3. And we are off into our concert ……
4. When a child is born – now changed – choir harmonies are quiet and gentle, the last part choir hum and only one (not three) ‘this comes to pass’ is sung by the leaders and one final, ‘when a child is born’ – then Sheila recites her beautiful poem.
5. Joanne and John lead us into Golden Slumbers – they sing first verse then pull back from the microphone and we all quietly sing together ‘Golden slumbers fill your eyes’ etc. At verse, ‘once there was a way’ all singers drop back and sing quietly so that the Alto harmony can be heard. At end, Joanne & John come back to the microphone and the last ‘I will sing a lullaby’ is sung by just Joanne and John.
6. Adiemus – I will play the start note (A) on the piano – this note will be sung as an ‘mmm’ then ‘ah’ the other notes.
7. Joy to the world – bells/rattles and will call all singers back, gather on altar, we start singing immediately.
8. River – singers will move to front of choir, all choir will step back to allow them space. Chris will play guitar. I will leave the podium for Heather to conduct. All girls sing jingle bells, low group and all sing the last line of the verse where bold on sheet.
9. Driving home for Christmas has been speeded up – it sounds so much better. Sopranos finish with Do do do while all hold the last note.
10. Run is our last number
11. Make your own kind of music is our encore followed by ‘we wish you a merry Christmas’ sung 3 times as walking off stage. Music will start playing after our third ‘we wish you a merry Christmas’ just keep walking and waving and smiling.
12. And the most important part of all of this – just ENJOY. Enjoy it all – we are so very ready, you have prepared well – so just breathe, relax, sing, smile and enjoy.

An enormous THANK YOU to John Bennett, from the Eastleigh Fusion Choir, for the raffle prizes given to both Eastleigh and Winchester Fusion Choirs. John is a pilot and glider instructor and he has given us the most excellent prize of a glider flight. And, thank you to everyone who has contributed prizes, the raffle is abundant. Thank you to so many who are working diligently to make the Christmas concert a huge success.

IMPORTANT DATES
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Wednesday, 4th December
Rehearsal for concert at:
St Peter’s pastoral centre from 1.30pm-5.30pm with a few tea/coffee breaks
*
Friday, 6th December
NO choir practice on day of concert to allow us to be rested. Rehearse St Peter’s 5.15pm duet/poet/group/instrumental Choir on stage and ready at 5.45pm
*
Friday, 13th December
Choir sessions as normal and Christmas party between 3-4pm
*
Monday, 16th December
Christmas songs and carols to the residents and friends of St John’s care home – Nancy organising
*
Wednesday, 18th December
Christmas carols we love for half an hour in St Peter’s Church then we will join the Dementia group and friends for a mince pies and tea – Maureen organising
Carol Suggestions: Christmas Carol (Laudete)
133 – While shepherds watched
137 – Away in a manger
136 – Silent night
128 – Once in royal David’s city
150 – The first Nowell
144 – In the bleak midwinter
134 – On Christmas night all Christians sing
145 – What child is this
151 – See amid the winter’s snow
141 – Ding dong merrily on high
159 – O come all ye faithful
*
Friday, 20th December
Final choir session of 2019

Other dates: Singers wanted at Winchester Hospital – speak to Anne Whitmarsh. Wednesday 11th December, 10.30 to 12noon – only 6 singers needed. The Winchester Hospital Chaplain, Rev Christine would really appreciate if a small number of Choir members could join the weekly Chapel Coffee Morning to sing Carols alongside elderly patients who will be brought from the Wards to enjoy a little festive event. Thursday 19th December – open to all. Singers are invited by the Hospital Chaplaincy Team to sing Carols around the Hospital Wards. Please meet in the Hospital Chapel at 6pm, ready to sing on the Wards at 6.30pm.

ADIEMUS: PLEASE NOTE – when you sing this a few times you will really get it – we sang it at the workshop and this song will be an amazing piece for our repertoire forever and a day.
This is for 4 voices – the sopranos sing from the very beginning – they only split at the a -ya-coo-ah-eh – that is when it becomes 5 voices. Just listen to Sop1&2 and we will piece the parts together at choir.

Sop1 … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQzpGk4yAy8
Sop2 … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcybOI7m2ho
Alto … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88FQd0IECJk
Tenor … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rikWl8vhC2c
Bass … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAvGxvGd16A

MESSAGE FROM MAUREEN: Thought you may want to know what happened to the £1001 that the SVP received from the 2018 Christmas concert……it went to fund days out to a Friends of the Family toddler group to Finkley Farm, an older children’s trip to Calshott, a single dad’s group visit to Marwell Zoo, donated towards a summer camp for 2 children and this week we are taking 8 Home Start families to the sea-side! So that money has brought joy to so many families. Thank you choir!!