- Join our Facebook page
-
Date Posted: Wed, 7 Feb 2024
Why not stay up to date with all of Collegium's news and activities on our very active Facebook page? There you can see all our recent rehearsal videos for a taste of what's coming up in our next concert, and other related news.
See the link to Like us!For more information, see: https://www.facebook.com/CollegiumS
- Recording of pieces in our forthcoming concert
-
Date Posted: Thu, 25 Jan 2024
We have published 2 more pieces on our You Tube channel that will be featured in our upcoming concert Vigils and Vespers: Os Justi by Bruckner and Abendlied by Rheinberger. We hope you enjoy them! YouTube Video URL:
- Abendlied by Rheinberger
-
Date Posted: Thu, 25 Jan 2024
YouTube Video URL:
- Recording of the Somerset Carol
-
Date Posted: Thu, 30 Nov 2023
We were delighted to invite KB Wedding Videography to record one of the pieces that we are doing for our Xmas concert, "A Christmas Story". The Somerset Carol is now available to see on our You Tube channel. This traditional carol was discovered by Cecil Sharp when he visited Bridgwater during the English Folk Song revival in the early 20th Century. It was subsequently used by Vaughan Williams in his Fantasia on Christmas Carols. YouTube Video URL:
- Vocal Workshop in October
-
Date Posted: Tue, 31 Oct 2023
In October we enjoyed a superb vocal workshop in Culmstock Village Hall.
Starting with coffee and cake (always a feature of Collegium Singers events!), the day began with a brilliant session on vocal care with Jenna Brown from Bristol Voice Care. Safe to say we will never look at a drinking straw in the same way again!
After a delicious lunch we enjoyed a workshop on sightsinging with Leonie Anderson from Barkham Exmoor , where memories of do, re, mi were stirred for many of us!
Our next session was on Beat Boxing, led by tenor Jonathan. It was a real eye-opener and great to go outside our comfort zone.
The day was rounded off recapping the learning points of the day with our MD Elinor Cooper - Conductor and singing through some repertoire for our February concert.
Thank you to Jenna, Leonie, Jonathan and Elinor for inspiring us and to Monty the spaniel for being so well-behaved and allowing us to have cuddles
Thank you as well to Catherine Orbell Bass and Geoffrey for hosting us for lunch.
- Advance notice of our February concert
-
Date Posted: Tue, 31 Oct 2023
This season we are scheduling our concerts to a new plan, presenting just our Christmas concert in the Autumn term, and moving our first big non-Christmas programme to February. This affords us new possibilities in repertoire, and our concert on Sunday 25 February at St. Andrew's Church, Wiveliscombe will reflect the time of year.
Entitled Vigils and Vespers, it features excerpts from Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil.
Click here for the full programme, and save the date!
- Open Rehearsal in May
-
Date Posted: Sun, 21 May 2023
Our first Open Rehearsal Evening was a success, with five potential new members attending. We are delighted to welcome Jonathan to our tenor section and look forward to meeting more future new recruits when we hold our next event.
Watch this space, as they say -
- May Day at Sheppy's
-
Date Posted: Wed, 3 May 2023
We had a lovely time joining in with the May Day Celebrations at Sheppy's Cider Farm. It was a great opportunity to sing some of our summer concert music plus a few rounds, shanties and favourite traditional folk songs.
Dancing around the Maypole was best left to the Taunton Morris Men though!
- New Choir Members
-
Date Posted: Sat, 7 May 2022
We are delighted to have welcomed three new sopranos to our ranks this year. New members keep our sound fresh and bring new colours to our music-making.
If you are interested in joining us you are most welcome to attend a rehearsal. Simply contact John Edwards: chair@collegiumsingers.org.uk to arrange a date.
We rehearse on Monday evenings 7:30-9:30 at St Michael's Church, Pitt's Close, Taunton, TA1 4TP
- 'High musical quality': Our Sea Fever Concert reviewed
-
Date Posted: Mon, 21 Mar 2022
With numbers diminished by COVID but enthusiasm undimmed, Collegium Singers distinguished themselves and rewarded the inspiration of their talented Director Elinor Cooper in their concert at North Curry Church - ‘The Cathedral of the Levels’ - on 19 March. The theme of water and the sea - in all its guises, and its effect on people’s lives - was the unifying factor of an imaginative, varied and consistently absorbing programme of choral pieces from the last 150 years. Folk song settings by Vaughan Williams, Holst and others enabled the choir to demonstrate precise tuning, crisp ensemble and mellifluous vocal blend and balance, as well as a wide and flexible dynamic range. Particularly impressive was a piece by Kerry Andrew in which tide and wind were unforgettably recreated in sound - although not notes! But perhaps the centrepiece of the concert was an extended work by Finnish composer Mantyjarvi about the wreck of MS Estonia in 1994, setting words from the Requiem, the Psalms and Radio Finland’s Latin (yes, Latin) news broadcast. The mixture of styles and textures had a strong emotional impact. Settings of spirituals, and a remarkable virtuoso miniature by Elgar encompassing calm and tempest in a few bars, added diversity. Various pieces required soloists from the ranks of the choir; while all were excellent, especial mention should be made of Catherine Bass and Matthew Jelf. All in all this was a challenging and rewarding concert of high musical quality. We look forward to their next concert, with a Royal theme, on 28 May in Taunton Minster.
- Feedback from our Christmas Concert
-
Date Posted: Mon, 17 Jan 2022
We were very pleased to receive this comment from an audience member after our concert in December:
"Delightful subtle dynamic, growing gloriously with their new conductor who is a nonpareil"
Many thanks, we enjoyed singing the programme as well!
- Christmas Concert raises money for St Margaret's Hospice
-
Date Posted: Wed, 29 Dec 2021
Considering the uncertainty with Covid, we were very please to have a large and enthusiastic audience attending our charity Christmas concert in aid of St Margaret's Hospice and we were delighted that altogether we raised over £480 to support their excellent work.
