2018
2018 has been a year of Polar extremes for us: euphoric from the adrenalin fuelled rush of our appearance on the world-renowned stage of the Royal Albert Hall, London; followed by utter devastation at news of Clive’s intended reluctant resignation as our Musical Director after six-and-a-half wonderful years!
Planning for this year commenced in early 2015, when we made the decision to submit an application to participate in the ‘Festival of Brass and Voices’, in aid of Cancer Research UK, at the iconic Royal Albert Hall. There simply couldn’t have been a more pertinent event for us to be a part of given that cancer research in the broader sense has saved, extended or improved the quality of life of every one of our members! Our Choir is a symbol of the enormous strides achieved through research over the decades, right across the cancer pathway from diagnosis to survivorship and a shining example of life with and beyond cancer. This event more than any before would take us to the next level in terms of our performance, technical ability and confidence: a ‘dream come true’ opportunity, simply too good to be missed!
It subsequently transpired that out of the sixty plus Choirs participating there were in fact only three mixed-voice Choirs and we were one of them; meaning we faced twice the work in half the time! No pressure then!! With some extra support from our visiting Musical Director, Carolyn working alongside Clive, we were able to split the Choir and ensure each section got some quality time to focus on their part. Everyone worked incredibly hard throughout the year to prepare including attending three regional rehearsals in Huddersfield: each one of these giving us a deeper insight into the phenomenal experience awaiting us in November!
In taking on this incredible venture we accepted it would be accompanied by a substantial increase in our income requirement to ensure participation wouldn’t deplete our resources and adversely impact on the future of Bolton Cancer Voices. Sleepless nights apart, with a lot of hard work, overwhelmingly generous support and a mammoth fundraising effort by members, we surpassed our project target! Our heartfelt thanks go to each and every person who contributed to our Royal Albert Hall campaign: we couldn’t have done it without you!
Who’d have thought that a small community Choir from Bolton, formed just six-and-a-half years ago, would go on to appear at one of the world’s most recognisable and revered music venues. WICKED!!
As seats filled the atmosphere was palpable; super-charged with excitement plus an amp or two of apprehension! But as the proverbial ‘curtain went up’ and the opening bars of music soared the cast rose to the occasion with due aplomb and gave an outstanding performance, as befitting their breath-taking surroundings.
It was so moving and rewarding to see our members justly enjoying the fruits of their labours. In a vast sea of singers my eyes were transfixed on their easily spotted dazzling white blouses and shirts adorned with turquoise corsages and buttonholes, specially designed to be representative of our logo. Needless to say, there were no three prouder people in the audience than Clive, Mark and I!
To say the Choir were ‘on cloud nine’ doesn’t even begin to describe the euphoria of that night! As a Choir we scaled new heights and shared an amazing, unforgettable weekend with some wonderful people; united by our love of music and the desire to support a cause that sadly has every likelihood of directly or indirectly touching us all!
I think we’d agree that the event surpassed all our expectations! I’m not sure how we’ll top this as an experience but there’s no doubt we’ll try!
We appreciated an undertaking of this magnitude would clearly shape our year, as the focus had to be on ensuring we were concert-ready for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, as not all members were involved it was vital to strike a balance, which would offer performance opportunities for everyone and keep variety in our repertoire. Thus we used this as a chance to do more in the local community: on a sweltering summer’s day we entertained visitors to the Royal Bolton Hospital’s ‘Summer Celebration’; were delighted to have the opportunity to entertain guests at Bolton and Chorley Lions Clubs’ Christmas party; brought a touch of Christmas spirit to residents of Farnworth Care Home and provided a welcome respite for shoppers in Bolton Market Place. It was a privilege to have these opportunities and to be in a position to give a little back, if you like.
In addition, a well-received first for us, we held a ‘Songs & Supper’ concert at the Olympus Restaurant, with guest accompanist Guy Porteous. Following a tasty three-course meal, fish & chips being central to the menu of course, patrons relaxed over drinks and enjoyed a varied programme of song including many well-known favourites, to which they enthusiastically added their voices.
The year’s other activities included three Workshops, which are now regular features in our calendar; not only do they afford us some quality time to work on our programme, we get to relax over supper and have a catch-up. On a rather hot Summer’s day we held our first professional photoshoot at Arley Hall and Gardens in Cheshire resulting in over 800 shots, ultimately to be narrowed-down to just 30: believe me it took quite some doing!
However we now have a lovely portfolio of pictures, which are absolutely beautiful and can be viewed in our Photo Gallery. Spring saw us dine at the ‘Signature Restaurant’ in Bolton College and our festive celebration took us back to ‘Grappa Restaurant’, the ‘ancestral’ home of our Christmas meal: a fitting close to a busy, challenging, exciting, fun-filled 2018!
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2018
2018 has been a year of Polar extremes for us: euphoric from the adrenalin fuelled rush of our appearance on the world-renowned stage of the Royal Albert Hall, London; followed by utter devastation at news of Clive’s intended reluctant resignation as our Musical Director after six-and-a-half wonderful years!
Planning for this year commenced in early 2015, when we made the decision to submit an application to participate in the ‘Festival of Brass and Voices’, in aid of Cancer Research UK, at the iconic Royal Albert Hall. There simply couldn’t have been a more pertinent event for us to be a part of given that cancer research in the broader sense has saved, extended or improved the quality of life of every one of our members! Our Choir is a symbol of the enormous strides achieved through research over the decades, right across the cancer pathway from diagnosis to survivorship and a shining example of life with and beyond cancer. This event more than any before would take us to the next level in terms of our performance, technical ability and confidence: a ‘dream come true’ opportunity, simply too good to be missed!
It subsequently transpired that out of the sixty plus Choirs participating there were in fact only three mixed-voice Choirs and we were one of them; meaning we faced twice the work in half the time! No pressure then!! With some extra support from our visiting Musical Director, Carolyn working alongside Clive, we were able to split the Choir and ensure each section got some quality time to focus on their part. Everyone worked incredibly hard throughout the year to prepare including attending three regional rehearsals in Huddersfield: each one of these giving us a deeper insight into the phenomenal experience awaiting us in November!
In taking on this incredible venture we accepted it would be accompanied by a substantial increase in our income requirement to ensure participation wouldn’t deplete our resources and adversely impact on the future of Bolton Cancer Voices. Sleepless nights apart, with a lot of hard work, overwhelmingly generous support and a mammoth fundraising effort by members, we surpassed our project target! Our heartfelt thanks go to each and every person who contributed to our Royal Albert Hall campaign: we couldn’t have done it without you!
Who’d have thought that a small community Choir from Bolton, formed just six-and-a-half years ago, would go on to appear at one of the world’s most recognisable and revered music venues. WICKED!!
As seats filled the atmosphere was palpable; super-charged with excitement plus an amp or two of apprehension! But as the proverbial ‘curtain went up’ and the opening bars of music soared the cast rose to the occasion with due aplomb and gave an outstanding performance, as befitting their breath-taking surroundings.
It was so moving and rewarding to see our members justly enjoying the fruits of their labours. In a vast sea of singers my eyes were transfixed on their easily spotted dazzling white blouses and shirts adorned with turquoise corsages and buttonholes, specially designed to be representative of our logo. Needless to say, there were no three prouder people in the audience than Clive, Mark and I!
To say the Choir were ‘on cloud nine’ doesn’t even begin to describe the euphoria of that night! As a Choir we scaled new heights and shared an amazing, unforgettable weekend with some wonderful people; united by our love of music and the desire to support a cause that sadly has every likelihood of directly or indirectly touching us all!
I think we’d agree that the event surpassed all our expectations! I’m not sure how we’ll top this as an experience but there’s no doubt we’ll try!
We appreciated an undertaking of this magnitude would clearly shape our year, as the focus had to be on ensuring we were concert-ready for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, as not all members were involved it was vital to strike a balance, which would offer performance opportunities for everyone and keep variety in our repertoire. Thus we used this as a chance to do more in the local community: on a sweltering summer’s day we entertained visitors to the Royal Bolton Hospital’s ‘Summer Celebration’; were delighted to have the opportunity to entertain guests at Bolton and Chorley Lions Clubs’ Christmas party; brought a touch of Christmas spirit to residents of Farnworth Care Home and provided a welcome respite for shoppers in Bolton Market Place. It was a privilege to have these opportunities and to be in a position to give a little back, if you like.
In addition, a well-received first for us, we held a ‘Songs & Supper’ concert at the Olympus Restaurant, with guest accompanist Guy Porteous. Following a tasty three-course meal, fish & chips being central to the menu of course, patrons relaxed over drinks and enjoyed a varied programme of song including many well-known favourites, to which they enthusiastically added their voices.
The year’s other activities included three Workshops, which are now regular features in our calendar; not only do they afford us some quality time to work on our programme, we get to relax over supper and have a catch-up. On a rather hot Summer’s day we held our first professional photoshoot at Arley Hall and Gardens in Cheshire resulting in over 800 shots, ultimately to be narrowed-down to just 30: believe me it took quite some doing!
However we now have a lovely portfolio of pictures, which are absolutely beautiful and can be viewed in our Photo Gallery. Spring saw us dine at the ‘Signature Restaurant’ in Bolton College and our festive celebration took us back to ‘Grappa Restaurant’, the ‘ancestral’ home of our Christmas meal: a fitting close to a busy, challenging, exciting, fun-filled 2018!