A Conjuring of Two Choirs
This half term’s rehearsals have been extremely special. With a magical wave of Andy’s baton- and a little help from Giuseppe Verdi- we have been transformed from one fantastic choir into two! There has been a total change to our usual seating arrangements, with our voice parts spread from one side of the rehearsal hall to the other like a delighted smile. We are the same and yet we are different, our singing at times seeming indeed to be that of twice our number.
It’s incredible and very exciting to think that the fabulous music that we’re already producing in rehearsals, with our two choirs and George/Andy H’s phenomenal piano accompaniment, is just a small taste of what we’re going to experience come the concert itself. It’s going to be amazing!
New Members
We have also actually increased in number this half term as we have had the pleasure of welcoming four new members:
Jessica Bartlett, S2
“I’ll be joining the choir from April and am really looking forward to singing with you all! We've only just moved to Winchester and are still very much finding our feet. I’m a doctor in paediatrics and have a toddler at home, so music is my escapism from a rather hectic life! I've been singing in choirs for years, though mostly with chamber/chapel choirs - so I'm excited for the new challenge of singing with a much bigger group!”
Diana Briggs, S1
“Music has always been a major part of my life. Over the years I've belonged to a variety of choirs both large and small, and also play the cello. It's an absolute pleasure to join the Wayns and I look forward to being part of another good choir.”
Claire Jones, A1
“I moved to Winchester in 2006 to work for LCP, a consultancy firm with offices in London and Winchester. I work with large institutional investors – mainly UK pension schemes – helping them invest more sustainably and manage the risks to their investments from climate change.
I’ve sung with various choirs since I was a child, including the Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir when it was a semi-finalist in the BBC Choir of the Year competition in 1994. For the last ten years, I’ve sung with Winchester A Cappella (formerly Tudor Roses), a four-part ladies chorus which sings a wide range of popular music, always unaccompanied. I’m looking forward to getting back to singing large-scale classical choral works with the Wayns.
Stephen O’Connell, B1
“I worked with IBM, initially as a Systems Engineer in London. After moving to Chandler’s Ford in 1980, I was involved with software development (and robots!) at IBM Hursley Park. I then lectured at the University of Southampton and led professional IT training courses. For many years, I was Chair of Governors at Thornden School. In 2012, I trained as a Guide at Winchester Cathedral.
My family are all musical, my wife taught the piano, my elder daughter plays all sizes of flute, and my younger daughter is a professional French Horn player. I have sung in many choirs over the years, including the Royal Choral Society in London, but after lapsing for a while, I am delighted to be able to return to choral singing again. Thank you to everyone for the very warm welcome I have received to the Waynflete Singers.”
It’s good to know that our new members feel welcome and we wish them a all a great onward journey with us!
Let’s all enjoy a healthy half term break and return refreshed and ready to divide and conquer the Verdi again!
The idea behind our Wayns Augmented blog is to help keep us connected as a choir, to share our knowledge and experiences and to boost our musical camaraderie! If you have an idea for a future blogpost then please don’t hesitate to contact Sarah Jones or Jacki Donnellan!