Workshops for choirs

One-day choral workshops are becoming increasingly popular with choirs. They are relatively easy to organise, are terrific for promoting the choir, recruiting new members and even fund raising.

With his experience of devising and directing workshops for choirs, and his knowledge of what tends to work and what doesn't, Nick Houghton is the obvious choice for leading your choral workshop.

The following format is tried and tested:

• 2-hour session in the morning
  
• Lunch in a local pub
  
• 2-hour session in the afternoon
  
• Short tea break, followed by
  
• Informal performance of the day's work

Workshops can be a means of exploring new material completely unrelated to your choir's concert programme, or trying music for a future season.

Nick's choral workshops are based around a theme or a popular piece. The emphasis is on enjoying and getting to know new work in a friendly and informal atmosphere. Most importantly, participants have the chance to do plenty of singing - with the aim of finishing the day exhilarated rather than exhausted!

Remember, people expect to pay to attend a workshop, and if you are able to keep your costs quite low, a choral workshop can be a good way of raising money towards future concerts.

Although the following are examples of choral workshops Nick has run, he is always open to suggestions!

Purcell & Blow: Anthems for the Coronation of James II

Monteverdi: Selva morale e spirituale. Lesser known vesper settings, published 1640

'Fantastic Unexpectedness' Sacred music & madrigals of Thomas Weelkes

Orff: Carmina Burana

Haydn: The Creation