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Take a miserable, grey day in October, add a group of singers (some experienced others less so), throw in some Puccini, Faure and Stanford with a soupcon of Jenkins to top it off, add a welcoming environment and stir together under the tutelage of Jamie John and Claire plus many scrumptious cakes and you have the recipe for a truly great Workshop.

Some 50+ singers spent the day at Thomas Mills High School, Framlingham, being taught singing techniques and sharing the music of three great composers, the centenaries of whose deaths we were remembering, as well as looking at a piece from Karl Jenkins in his 80th year. We started as a full ensemble before breaking out into smaller sections to get to grips with the particular pieces (Kyrie from the Messa di Gloria by Puccini, Agnus Dei from Faure's Requiem, Shall we go dance by Stamford and Adieus by Karl Jenkins) that we were to perform at the end of the afternoon. Lunch in the canteen gave attendees time to mix and chat with each other before reconvening for more tuition and practice. Friends and families were invited to afternoon tea with masses of wonderful cakes baked by Suffolk Singers before the close of the Workshop with a performance of all that we had achieved during the day.

Take a miserable, grey day in October, add a group of singers (some experienced others less so), throw in some Puccini, Faure and Stanford with a soupcon of Jenkins to top it off, add a welcoming environment and stir together under the tutelage of Jamie John and Claire plus many scrumptious cakes and you have the recipe for a truly great Workshop.

Some 50+ singers spent the day at Thomas Mills High School, Framlingham, being taught singing techniques and sharing the music of three great composers, the centenaries of whose deaths we were remembering, as well as looking at a piece from Karl Jenkins in his 80th year. We started as a full ensemble before breaking out into smaller sections to get to grips with the particular pieces (Kyrie from the Messa di Gloria by Puccini, Agnus Dei from Faure's Requiem, Shall we go dance by Stamford and Adieus by Karl Jenkins) that we were to perform at the end of the afternoon. Lunch in the canteen gave attendees time to mix and chat with each other before reconvening for more tuition and practice. Friends and families were invited to afternoon tea with masses of wonderful cakes baked by Suffolk Singers before the close of the Workshop with a performance of all that we had achieved during the day.

Last Thursday we replaced rehearsal with a chance to celebrate our wonderful Musical Director, Claire! After telling her she was going out for dinner, we surprised her a party and got out the champagne! We are so grateful for everything Claire does for us and we loved having an excuse to celebrate her. 

What better way to dispel those January blues than with an uplifting concert full of beautiful music, inspirational moments and laughter. Suffolk Singers certainly delivered all of these in their annual concert raising funds for Suffolk charity FIND (Families in Need).

Leading from the front as always was Suffolk Singers Music Director, Claire Weston, whose infectious energy and enthusiasm helped to keep the audience enthralled and entertained in equal measure. Claire was ably assisted on the keyboard by accompanist Elizabeth Elliott. 

From the very first piece in the programme, the choir showed its versatility. “Breathe Soft, Ye Winds”, a traditional Gleesong from the 18th century by William Paxton, was followed by “Wherever You Are”, written by Paul Mealor and made famous by Gareth Malone and the Military Wives Choir in 2011.

The wide ranging programme continued with two pieces, John Rutter’s “Home is a Special Kind of Feeling” and “Blue Skies” by Irving Berlin, performed by two octets drawn from the choir. The choir came back together to sing “Two for the Price of One”, a combination of two traditional nursery rhymes, “This Old Man” and “Michael Finnegan” and arranged by Andrew Carter into a tricky but fun song. Either side of the interval the choir performed two Suffolk Singers favourites, “The Seal Lullaby” by Eric Whitacre and “Sure on This Shining Night” by Morten Lauridsen.

Suffolk Singers were delighted to be joined at the concert by The West Tones, a group of talented young singers from years 7 & 8 at Woodbridge School where Claire Weston is Head of Singing. The singers beautifully performed three songs to the delight of the audience, “The Rose”, made famous by Bette Midler in the 1979 film of the same name, “You Raise Me Up” and Abba’s “Mamma Mia”.

The final piece of the evening was a version of the gospel song “Down By The Riverside”, arranged by John Rutter, and sung by the choir who were joined by The West Tones for the final chorus.

A wonderful concert that was enjoyed by a packed audience at Woodbridge Community Hall. But the real winners on the evening were FIND, the inspirational charity that does so much to help families in need in Suffolk. Maureen ReynelMBE, founder of FIND, gave a moving address setting out the work that the charity does and how it is working to further develop the services it provides and the facilities at its headquarters in Ipswich. Suffolk Singers are delighted to have collaborated again with FIND and to have raised in the region of £2,000 from the concert to help support the vital work carried out by FIND and its fabulous band of volunteers.

Seasons Greetings from Suffolk Singers!

Listen again to the choir performing The Virgin's Lullaby from The Suffolk Carols, composed for Suffolk Singers by Jamie John Hutchings, and under the direction of musical director Claire Weston