Holst and Poulenc Newsletter No 3 - 2024 Big Sing

Type of post:	Choir news item
Sub-type:	No sub-type
Posted By:	Mike Elcock
Status:	Current
Date Posted:	Wed, 26 Jun 2024

Reply to Jos Gregson,
18 Willoughby Close,
Alveston,
Bristol BS35 3RW
Tel: 01454-411652
Email: josgregson@gmail.com
SCBSG Website: bigsing.org

WEEK 4

Dear Singer,

Thank you for signing up to sing in our performance of Holst’s Hymn of Jesus and Poulenc’s Gloria. This will take place in Gloucester Cathedral on Friday 12^th July 2024 as part of the Cheltenham Music Festival, we will be conducted by Adrian Partington and accompanied by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

By the time you get this we will have had the two Choir 1 and Choir 2 rehearsals in Alveston and Stonehouse and also the first joint rehearsal in Cheltenham and should all be getting a feel for the three works that we are singing.

WHICH REHEARSALS SHOULD I ATTEND?
Adrian would like all singers to attend the rehearsals that he is taking, namely those on 22/6, 26/6, 3/7, 6/7, 10/7, 11/7 and 12/7. The evening rehearsal on 11/7 is particularly important as that is when our Concert Manager, David Joyce will sort out the seating plan and allocate places. If you cannot attend this please arrange with someone from your voice section to make sure that you know where to sit.
Singers from audition choirs are also encouraged to attend the local rehearsals in Stonehouse and Alveston. While these are for singers from smaller choirs to get to learn the work it is very helpful to have a more experienced singer singing alongside one and I hope that many of you will consider doing this.

SCORES
I have a small stock of the Poulenc Salabert score at £16, the Holst is sold out. I will have a small number of both scores for hire at £2 and also the Messiaen “O sacrum convivium”? ? which we are also singing, this one is free to hire.

SCORE AMENDMENTS
Adrian has produced a number of revisions to all three scores. These are available to download on the website bigsing.org or if preferred ask me and I can email them to you. I will also have printed copies at rehearsals.
At the rehearsal at Christ Church on June 22nd he changed one of his original revisions. In the Poulenc Gloria we will no longer change “Deus” to “fili” at two places after rehearsal mark 39, please revise your scores accordingly

TICKETS
I will have a number of tickets available for sale. These are priced at £42 (38), £32 (34), £22 (14) and £15 (28). Numbers in brackets are the numbers of seats in our original allocation.
As we have a large orchestra and the four front rows have been removed the rows have been renumbered so that the front row is again A.
£42 seats – A7-10, D3-6, H4-6, K7-8, M15-18, P5-6, R13-18
£32 seats – EE3-8, EE15, FF13-15. GG6-8
£22 seats – HH5-8, JJ12-16, KK3-7
£15 seats – these are aisle seats and unnumbered, state whether you prefer south or north aisle.
I have a seating plan and can send it to you if you require it or you can look on the Cheltenham Festival website. As I sell tickets I will update this list so that it is current when I send it out.
Seats are also available from the Cheltenham Festival Box Office at cheltenhamfestivals.com/booking. Any tickets that I have not sold by 10^th July will be returned to the Festival Box Office that morning.

BUSES
We will be running buses from Thornbury to every Gloucester and Cheltenham rehearsal and the performance. These will leave from outside Aldi in Thornbury which has two car parks adjacent to it. The cost will be £15 per trip and the 33-seater coach will be operated by Mike’s Travel apart from the 26^th June when Mike’s Travel have had to hire in another operator as they are already booked up. Margaret Pinder will be coach monitor. Booking forms are available on the SCBSG website bigsing.org or from myself.

CONCERT DRESS
For ladies – black top with at least three-quarter length sleeves, long black skirt or trousers.
For gentlemen – black dinner jacket with white shirt and black bow tie. We will be watching the weather forecast in concert week and if it will be very warm on concert day will dispense with jackets for the men. We will be changing in the Parliament Suite at the Cathedral and will be able to leave our smart clothes there for the rehearsal, the concert manager will lock the suite when we are rehearsing.

TOILET
The Cheltenham Festival are bringing in a mobile toilet for this concert which will be parked opposite the south door. It will be installed from 10am on concert day.

WEEK 4
Tuesday 2^nd July – rehearsal 7.30-9.30pm at Wycliffe Junior School Performing Arts Centre, Ebley Road, Stonehouse GL10 2LD to be taken by Chris Swain. This rehearsal is for Choir 2. We will be serving water and orange squash at around 8.30.

To get to the venue from the M5 head for Stroud and cross five roundabouts. About 200 yards after the fifth roundabout there is an opening on the right labelled Gate 19 and a large car park. Go into the car park, park and there is a small gate in the fence. Go through this and the Performing Arts Centre is on the left after about 200 yards. Do not be diverted onto the Stroud bypass.
Coming out of Stroud follow the A419 out of Stroud along Cainscross Road. Go straight across the large roundabout at the Marling School end into Westward Road. Gate 19 is around 1.25 miles on your left. Kennedy’s Garden Centre used to use the car park.

Wednesday 3^rd July – rehearsal 7.30-9.30 at St John’s Northgate, Gloucester GL1 2AN to be taken by Adrian Partington. This is a combined rehearsal for both Choirs 1 and 2 so please attend if you possibly can. Please use the St John’s Lane entrance, not the Northgate Street entrance as this will facilitate checking in. We will be serving water and orange squash at around 8.30.

Follow A417 towards Gloucester. At the first roundabout, take the 2^nd left (A417). At the next roundabout take 2^nd left (Corinium Avenue). At the next roundabout turn right along Barnwood Rd. At the *next roundabout turn right onto Estcourt Rd. At the next roundabout follow Estcourt Road (straight on). At the next roundabout turn left into Kingsholm Rd (A430) and follow the A430 to the Gouda Way T junction and turn right. Turn left into Park St/Hare St car Park.

Walk south along Hare Lane and turn right into Northgate Street. Turn right into St John’s Lane to Church entrance.

Please note it is easier to travel into Gloucester via J11A rather than from J12 if traveling from the South, although you could follow the A38 to Cole Avenue and turn right onto the A38 Southern and Eastern Avenue to Barnwood Rd Roundabout, turn left * onto Barnwood Rd and follow instructions above.

Thursday 4^th July -? ? rehearsal 7.30-9.30pm at Alveston Methodist Church, Greenhill Road, Alveston BS35 3RA to be taken by Steven Kings. This rehearsal is for Choir 1. We will be serving water and orange squash at around 8.30.

Coming out of Bristol take the A38 – after you pass the village sign saying ALVESTON St Helen’s Church is on your left. Turn left immediately after St Helen’s Church, Alveston Methodist Church is around 400 yards on the left on the corner of Wolfridge Ride.
Coming from the Stroud and Gloucester direction on the A38 go through the lights signed to Thornbury by Berkeley Vale Motors and immediately get into the right hand lane. Turn right into David’s Lane, drive to the T junction at the bottom, turn left and immediately right and Alveston Methodist is up to your left.

Saturday 6^th July –Workshop 10am-4pm at Christ Church, Malvern Road, Cheltenham GL50 2JH to be taken by Adrian Partington and Steven Kings. This is a full rehearsal for both Choir 1 and Choir 2 and as many of you as possible are urged to attend. There will be a tea and coffee break at around 11am. Please bring your own lunch, we will stop for lunch between 1pm and 2pm. Parking – Please be sensible with parking and provided that you are fit park well away from the church, there is a lot of on-street parking. If you are coming from south of Bristol this might be a very good occasion to use the bus from Thornbury.

Coming in to Cheltenham from Junction 11 on the M5 approach Cheltenham on the A40. Cross the first roundabout taking the third exit, pass GCHQ on your left and take the second exit at the next roundabout. Go straight ahead at the lights by the Shell station into Lansdown Road, Malvern Road is the eighth left turn and Christ Church faces you at the bottom of the road. There is parking along a lot of Malvern Road but as stated above please if possible park a good distance from the Church.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at each rehearsal relevant to the Choir that you are in, especially all the joint rehearsals in Cheltenham and Gloucester. Tickets are selling well and hopefully we will be singing to a full house.

If you have any queries at all please contact me at any of the contact points at the head of this Newsletter.

Jos Gregson

Chairman, South Cotswold Big Sing Group