| Hertford Choral Society
has a reputation for being imaginative and innovative. There
have been several specific initiatives in recent years –
in one case receiving an award from NFMS (as Making Music
was at that time).
Currently, the choir is focusing its attention
on the “whole audience experience”.
This is seen as becoming more critical as the years go by
and (particularly young) audiences are growing up to expect
high quality, both aurally and visually, in performances they
attend. The “whole audience experience” begins
with consideration of what it is like for an audience member
as they approach the concert venue. From that time to the
point that they leave after the performance is under the control
of the Society. Account is taken of the time of the year and
the character of the programme to be performed in deciding,
for example, whether a riot of flowers or glittering Christmas
trees are the appropriate visual style. Particular attention
is paid to the lighting of the concert. The normal venue is
a church that does not have especially attractive indigenous
lighting, so the Society calls on the expertise of Smart Light
and Sound to help. The lighting rigs have been quite adventurous
already (showing regular users of the building things they
have never seen before!) and more ideas are being discussed.
In order to encourage younger singers, the
Society has offered bursaries to Year 12 and 13 pupils from
local schools. However, since the introduction of AS level
exams, take-up of this scheme has fallen away. Not only did
pupils have free access to all the activities of the Society,
they were also given a contribution towards private singing
lessons.
A scheme that has been run at various times
with different London conservatoires is the opportunity for
post-graduate conductors to learn more about choral conducting.
Over the years, students from the Royal Academy of Music,
the Royal College of Music and Trinity College of Music have
worked with the Musical Director, Derek Harrison, and the
choir to gain valuable insight into and practical experience
of working with a “typical British Choral Society”.
Among the students who have worked with the choir are : Andrea
Quinn, Nick Wilks, Nick Jenkins and Andrew Morley.
The scheme that won an award for the
Society is the Part Coaching Scheme. Under
this scheme, a professional singer/coach joins each section
of the choir with the purpose of leading them in the learning
of the works being rehearsed and coaching them in how to tackle
the demands arising from the music. However we do not have
regular part coaches since it is not so easy to find those
special singers who are prepared to take on this role.
|