winter singing news 2016

6 January 2016

Hello <<First Name>> and welcome to the winter edition of my twice-yearly newsletter. Well, I say 'winter', but we've got daffodils in the garden!

You’ll find details here of all my singing weekends for 2016 as well as many of my one-off singing days.

My workshops tend to sell out surprisingly quickly, so make sure that you book up as soon as you can to avoid missing out. I have many disappointed people languishing on waiting lists waiting for others to drop out!

For those of you interested in my annual Better Harmony Singing small group weekend in Cambridgeshire, it has now moved from April to November 2016. Worth waiting for!

Do feel free to contact me if you have an idea for a singing weekend, want me to run a workshop for you, have an idea for my blog – or if you have any general questions about choirs and singing.

You’ll find details of all my singing weekends below. Just click on the blue links to find out more. As always you can find up to date information about singing days, song arrangements, recordings, singing weekends and more on my website: chrisrowbury.com

I hope you enjoy reading and I look forward to singing with you in the future.

Happy New year and I hope you have a great 2016!

chris@chrisrowbury.com

new luxury venue for 2016

I've found a fantastic new luxury weekend singing venue in Cambridgeshire! It may seem a bit 'corporate' to be using a Holiday Inn, but a colleague of mine runs several yoga retreats there each year and her participants think it's marvellous. The hotel itself is furnished to a high standard, we get to use the jacuzzi, sauna and swimming pool for free, and just over the road is Ferry Meadows Country Park (pictured).

Less than two hours drive from London and only 1 1/2 hours by train, the hotel is just three miles outside Peterborough with easy access to the A1 and A47.

The weekend runs from 3 – 5 June 2016, and I've made it a general Harmony singing weekend open to anyone who loves to sing. Go on, treat yourself!

singing weekends for 2016

29 – 31 January 2016, Blaxhall YHA, Suffolk
Winter Warmer Weekend
Warm your spirit on a winter weekend with singing, walking, eating and laughing. Join a welcoming group and shake off the winter blues (and Christmas excesses!).
Just a few places left.

22 – 24 April 2016, Felden Lodge, near Hemel Hempstead
Singing for all: a weekend in harmony
A relaxed and fun weekend of glorious harmony singing. Lose yourself in gorgeous harmonies from around the world. No experience necessary.
Selling fast! Early bird booking ends 22 January — £20 extra per person after that date

3 – 5 June 2016, Holiday Inn, near Peterborough
Harmony singing weekend
A fantastic luxury weekend of harmony singing, fun and laughter in a superb venue opposite river and parkland walks. Price includes use of swimming pool, steam room and sauna.

22 – 24 July 2016, Brathay Hall, Lake District
Sing folk songs of Eastern Europe
A fun-filled weekend in the beautiful Lake District. Learn songs from ancient Eastern European cultures: crunchy harmonies, songs of passion, haunting chants, joyous celebration — for anyone who loves to sing, no experience necessary.

21 – 23 October 2016, Cromford, Derbyshire
Autumn in harmony
A weekend of glorious harmony singing amidst the colours of the autumn in a wonderful venue overlooking the Derwent Valley.

4 – 6 November 2016, Buckden, Cambridgeshire
Better harmony singing: the small group challenge
Take your singing to the next level by working as a small ensemble over a whole weekend. Your chance to explore your voice in a safe environment with a supportive bunch of like-minded singers. Strictly limited to 16 singers.

my monthly music roundup

My first ever monthly music roundup was published on 1st July 2015. Each month there's a collection of interesting articles, jokes, photos and videos that I come across related to music and singing. There are about 10 items in each edition, so not too much to read! Most people who have signed up find it interesting (thank goodness!).

You can sign up for your own copy (and read back issues) here:

tinyletter.com/chrisrowbury

I just need your email address, nothing else. It comes out on the first of each month.

men's weekend a great success!

My first ever singing weekend for men only back in November was amazing fun! We managed to muster a full house of 16 men and had a blast. Not only was there some fine singing, but everyone got to try singing in very small groups, managed to extend their range, learnt some more about harmony, enjoyed some great food (and lousy weather!), and got on like a house on fire.

Everyone had a lot of fun and I'd love to do it again. I've not got any dates fixed for 2016, but if I get enough men contacting me (hint, hint!) I'll see what I can do.

“I just wanted to say thank you for the way you thought about the weekend and leading it in your usual relaxed and humorous manner. It made it a very safe place to be and to try new things. A lot of good stuff came out of a couple of days away, so thank you again for making it all possible.”

#getmensinging

singing days

As well as weekends, I run singing days across the country. As always, these singing days are open to all, no experience is necessary, just a love of singing. Here are a few that might tickle your fancy:

Saturday 27 February 2016, North Mundham, near Chichester
All aboard the gospel train
A fabulous day of gospel singing for people of all faiths and none.

Saturday 9 April 2016, Hartest
Harmony singing day (theme to be decided)
A full day of singing in Hartest which lies between Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury.

Saturday 30 April 2016, King's Lynn
Harmony singing day
A full day of singing for anyone who loves to sing.

Saturday 21 May 2016, Kenilworth
Harmony singing day
Chris's annual visit to Warwickshire. A day of guaranteed fun and fine weather.

Saturday 25 June 2016, Stamford, Lincolnshire
Harmony singing day (theme to be decided)
A return to Stamford Arts Centre after last year's sell-out gospel day.

Saturday 8 October 2016, Hursley, nr. Winchester
Sing Africa!
An opportunity to sing and move to infectious African rhythms.

sing out Saturdays

A new venture for 2016: Saturday singing opportunities in Essex and Suffolk starting Saturday 16 January.

Monthly Saturday singing in Copdock near Ipswich (mornings) and/ or Wivenhoe near Colchester (afternoons), plus occasional whole singing days. We meet every 3rd Saturday of the month with brand new songs each time. There will also be whole days of singing scattered throughout the year in Ipswich and Capel St Mary. Come and Sing Out on Saturdays!

There's a website: SingOutSaturdays.co.uk

a Facebook group: Sing Out Saturdays

and a Twitter feed: @SingOutSaturday

seeking London venue

I've been looking for a venue to run a singing day in London for some time now without success. I've had lots of suggestions but either the venues are unavailable at weekends, not suitable for singing, too far from the centre or too expensive (£700+ for the day!).

Maybe it's an impossible quest, but I'd really love to come down to London to run a singing day in 2016. Do let me know if you can think of any suitable venues, i.e. must be available at weekends; fairly central (near the tube); can accommodate 30-40 adults standing in a circle (with chairs if people want to sit down); somewhere to make tea/ coffee; scope for having a shared lunch.

funding advice sought

I rarely seek funding, but I want to set up some workshops to encourage men to sing and I don't want to charge for them. So I'll need a bit of funding, not too much. However, almost every funding source insists that they won't fund individuals, but only organisations which have a constitution.

I know many colleagues in the same situation. One option is to team up with an organisation. Another is to constitute, but I don't really want to go down that path of having a committee, etc.

Does anybody know of a really easy way of setting something up that will enable me to seek funding? It could be just having a few signatories to a bank account for example.

I'm at my wits' end!

Forward

about chris rowbury

I am a choir and singing workshop leader based in the UK (I live in Woodbridge, Suffolk). My workshops are open to anyone regardless of experience. I teach right across the UK and beyond and have 30 years’ experience of helping people discover their singing voice. I am a patient, charismatic teacher with a relaxed style laced with plenty of humour. I will get you singing in wonderful harmony in a matter of minutes!

You can find out more about me and my work on the About page of my website.

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