Scotland Sings announced its new Chorus Awards in 2015. The aim of these awards is to showcase the outstanding practice and great things going on in Scotland’s choirs and to celebrate and honour the people who are promoting singing together. The awards are not about how well you sing or perform and they are open to any kind of choir, chorus or group of singers singing in any style, at any level.
Congratulations to The Royal Yacht Britannia Staff Choir who won the Newcomer Award category. We asked them the following questions.
Tell us more about yourself / the choir
The choir are very new to singing and came together early this year. It is a mixed choir, with members of the Royal Yacht staff. A number of the members have little or no choir experience, so each session is revelation with regards to technique, harmony skills and volume control to many.
Our rehearsals are fun-filled and contain lots of laughter in between songs!
How long have you been singing / has the choir been singing together?
4 months
What have you/has the choir got planned in the next 12 months?
A variety of classic and contemporary Christmas pieces to hopefully sing on board the yacht at some point.
What has been the highlight of your / the choir’s singing journey?
Singing our first piece all the way through as a group – it was a great achievement when all the hard work paid off.
What got you singing in the first place / why did the choir first start singing together?
The choir was started to provide a ‘get to know each other’ opportunity for staff who were interested. Many staff do not get the chance to meet due to shift patterns and the layout of the yacht.
How does it feel to be the first winner of the award?
To quote a choir member – ‘Giddy’! We could not believe it – we’re still getting used to the idea!
What styles of singing do you / the choir enjoy most?
We mostly work with contemporary styles – gospel, pop and some musical theatre sneaks in!
Read more about The Royal Yacht Britannia Staff Choir at their website
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