There were 79 members in the chapel and 6 on Zoom last week with several more people coming for a taster session too. We are continuing to review how we can improve our rehearsals in the chapel on a weekly basis. We have moved the piano and the speaker which has improved the sound quality further down the chapel and are hoping to have a second speaker in place this week too.
I must apologise to those on Zoom as I know there were sound issues. Unfortunately we were using a mobile phone as we could not access the school’s wireless system with the computer we had brought with us. Ken and I have a different plan for this week, so please bear with us.
We know also that we need to organise the 1st and 2nd voices in each section better, which will make the Parry easier to sing together. The voice reps, Jo and I will be ready to direct you to an area of the pews this week.
Rehearsal September 22nd – there are no parking restrictions this week.
- We will be finishing working on the Domine Fili Unigenite movement of the Vivaldi Gloria. There are clips of individual parts on Youtube for the Gloria and don’t forget that many of you have access to the John Fletcher rehearsal website.
- We will continue with Parry’s I Was Glad. Scores have been provided. There are spares if you weren’t there last week.
- Please take time to look at both of these before the rehearsal. Please bring a pencil to mark in the instructions Naomi gives us. I will make sure there are some spare next week. Not everyone appeared to be marking their scores last night.
- Bring your European Sacred Music book. This week we will be doing Bruckner’s Locus Iste. Here is a link if you do not have the book, so you can print it off at home.
- https://mcusercontent.com/9765d85c001230d56b55de0dd/files/1d859175-9182-80d1-f52c-e6bb46729316/Locus_Iste_rev.pdf
MUSIC TO BUY:
For those of you who have ordered music to buy from Angela, she should have the music by Wednesday so please arrive early on .Wednesday so she can distribute before the rehearsal starts. She will have the costs for people then and will ask them to pay by direct bank transfer if possible. Please bring the exact amount if paying by cash.
SUBS REMINDER:
“The subscription for the coming year will be £165, as agreed at the last AGM, and that is due by the end of September. There are three ways you can pay:
- BACS transfer to our CAF bank account no 00008828, sort code 40-52-40 (please put your surname and voice / instrument in the reference)
- Cheque to “Tonbridge Philharmonic Society”, posted to G.Bignell, 7, Broad Oak, Brenchley, Kent, TN12 7NN
- Hand cash or cheque to your voice rep or Stewart / Jo at rehearsal.
If you have any problems with this, or if payment is difficult for you, we can offer instalments, and remember that we have the Morrish Fund to support our members, so just speak to me or Stewart confidentially.” Graham Bignell, Treasurer.
VOICE REPS:
We still need a tenor and bass rep. Currently Graham, Treasurer and yours truly are standing in for these roles, so would appreciate other members coming forward to do this. It is not an onerous task.
COVID SAFETY:
Thanks to everyone for following the guidelines last week. Please remember these guidelines:
- If possible, complete a lateral flow test in the 24 hours before you attend a rehearsal. Do not come if your test is positive, and follow government advice. These are available from chemists and can be ordered online by clicking the link above.
- We can provide good ventilation in the chapel by having the doors open, and this will reduce risk – it may be a bit cold later in the year!
- When you attend a rehearsal, please wear a mask entering the building, and until you sit down at the very least. This is government advice, and seems to make sense. Also put on a mask if moving around during the interval and on leaving. If you wish to sing with a mask on that is absolutely fine too.
- As far as is practical, try to maintain a 6 feet distance between you and other choir members. In the pews this means not sitting directly behind another person, and a maximum of 4 or 5 people per pew.
- If you do develop symptoms of Covid 19 after you have been to a rehearsal, please inform Jo (depchchair@tonphil.org.uk) or me (chchair@tonphil.org.uk), so that we can assess what risks there might be to the rest of the choir, and what action we should take.