The English Choral Experience returns to Dore Abbey (From Hereford Times)

The English Choral Experience returns to Dore Abbey

2:18pm Friday 10th July 2009 in

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THE unique event that is The English Choral Experience – a singing course for experienced singers with a love of English choral music – returns for a third time to Dore Abbey from July 19 to 25.

The course is directed and organised by Paul Spicer, widely acknowledged as one of the UK’s moAst influential choral trainers, and the ‘experience’ has been designed to be not just a singing week, but a mini arts festival, with exhibitions, two artists-in-residence and evening events, culminating in a final concert on Saturday, July 25.

This year’s artists-in-residence, who will be present all week, are Anthea Stilwell, who will be drawing and painting, and Rolf Jordan working on wood engravings. Also on display will be watercolours and pastels by Susie Arbuthnott, finely decorated plaques by Jennifer Colquitt, stoneware and porcelain by Merryn Llloyd, ceramics by Geoff Townsend, woodturned pieces by Julie Heryet and blown glass by Anthony Wassell.

Previous exhibitors Monica Darnbrough and Ian Howie will again show their photographs, joined this year by Jesse Alexander.

Evening events during the week include a talk by English music scholar, Philip Lancaster, English Agnostics at Prayer’; ‘A Recital of English Song performed in Dore Abbey by Claire Seaton and Mark Opstad and English works for two pianos, performed by Mark Opstad and Michael Higgins. For the climax of the week’s events Paul Spicer will direct the English Choral Experience choir and soloists, with Mark Opstad and Michael Higgins (pianos), performing the works studied during the week: Orlando Gibbons’s O Clap Your Hands; George Dyson’s The Blacksmiths; three pieces from the Songs of Farewell by Hubert Parry and Howard Ferguson’s The Dream of the Rood. The course is limited to 60 places. A few still remain.

Maire Gibson, who attended last year’s course, said: “What is so special about Paul is that he is excellent with people who have a lot of experience of choral singing. I’m an absolute devotee,.

“He’s always very encouraging, and never lets people feel ridiculed, though he does have his own way of telling you it’s rubbish.

“He wants people to enjoy themselves, and they do.”

For details and for an application form for the course, which runs from July 19 to July 25, visit the website englishchoralexperience.co.uk.