Following a hugely successful summer of online singing sessions and lessons that attracted over 2,000 people, Opera North is extending its Couch to Chorus choir sessions for Christmas.
Ideal for singers missing their usual choral sessions, the new round is again also suitable for beginners keen to try mastering some operatic repertoire.
From Couch to Chorus: The Festive Edition will be made up of five weekly sessions led by a professional choral director over Zoom (the online conferencing system), with input from members of the Chorus of Opera North. Each 60-minute session will be prepared for the four main voice types: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. No previous experience or ability to read music is required, and the organisers will ensure participants get into the right group.
Those keen for a greater challenge can try a new fast-track option, in which singers of all vocal ranges team up for two evening sessions, with progress at a faster pace.
When the sessions are complete, everyone involved will be able to sing excerpts from Puccini’s La Boheme, while soprano and alto singers will also have learned the Evening Prayer from Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and tenors and basses will have mastered Sullivan’s The Marquis de Mince Pie.
The final session will bring all the singers together for an online festive concert of the learned pieces and Christmas songs and carols.
Opera North education director Jacqui Cameron, said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer everyone another opportunity to be part of a virtual choir. One of the great advantages of offering sessions digitally is that people can join them whatever their circumstances.”
All sessions will be “pay-as-you-feel” – what you want to pay. Register online here.
Sessions will be held on Wednesdays and Thursdays over five weeks from November 11, with the final concert online on December 14.