We have completed the Ten Days of New Year!  The Ten Day Countdown to our Choir resuming after its Christmas Break for what is going to be its most busy year yet!

And Day Ten is now officially here!  Not only do we welcome back our Members to start the process of learning this year's pieces, but also our FIRST FOUR THURSDAY REHEARSALS are our first Open Rehearsals for 2019!

For non-Members, that's great news because it means No Charge - No Audition - No Obligation!

Adult Gents interested in singing with us, or Chaps who don't know whether they want to or not, or Fellas who just want to see what is involved, or indeed any Bloke looking for a new hobby, are all equally welcomed to swell our ranks during January.  It gives you a chance to understand our schedule, whether you like singing in harmony in the Male Voice Choir tradition, and if we are the Choir for you, so there's no reason not to come along and look, listen and have a sing on us!

And if you are still unsure, don't forget we can buddy you up with someone who knows their way around your voice range to help you find your feet.  Apart from not being available on Thursdays, we're not really sure what other excuses there are...!   Just turn up for 7.30pm at our Rehearsal Base in the rooms at the rear of Mile Cross Methodist Church, 341 Aylsham Road, Norwich NR3 2RU and park either around the Church or in the bank car park next door!
See you then?

On a different matter, the eagle-eyed will be searching for their Day Nine blog...   ...yes, it is true - I didn't do one...!   Even at university, you get a chance to catch-up with what you have already with a 'reading week', so Day Nine was a 'Reading Day' (for the previous '8 days of blog' - wow, there's an idea for a new blog series...!!!), but I had intended to upload - speaking of reading - our 2019 Concert Season Brochure.   I have now - it's linked from our NEXT EVENTS page in the Menu above!

Happy Reading and we hope to see you at our Open Rehearsals, or at one of our Concert Events soon!

Most readers will know that at the end of July 1969, Apollo 11 made the first manned landing upon the Moon.  Just like the writer, many readers of a certain age would have been ushered into their school halls to watch the very first moon walk (sorry, Michael Jackson...) on the school ‘black and white' TV.  It must have been a special occasion, because they were the only times the school TV would have been revealed in all of its contemporary glory, long before the age of videos, DVDs, today's streaming and other hi-tech.  And no, it doesn't snow on the Moon – that was what satellite-driven telly was like then!!!

But our focus is not Apollo 11.  It is Day Eight, so as exciting as reliving that memory was, today's focus is on its predecessor, Apollo 8.  Launched just before Christmas 1968, it was the proverbial 'figure of eight' return trip around the Moon and back again; looking out of the window was the nearest Jim Lovell got to the Moon...   ...he was the Apollo 13 Commander, so never actually made the landing planned for him then.

Nowhere near as dramatic as the Apollo missions, but hopefully just as exciting (OK, well, let's say exciting in its own right without the Apollo comparison...!) are our plans for the Summer when we take the trips 'south-east' and 'mid-west' to Loddon and Thompson respectively in July to fulfil our guest performances promises.

Loddon is a welcome return, having last visited there for a concert in 2016, but Thompson is a new venue for us and it will give an opportunity to view the fine work which has recently been undertaken in the Church there.  We will also be able to listen to the talents of our colleague guests performing that evening, so there is plenty to look forward to.  And there's the chance to see if we can find out how our Thompson Twitter Friend #BriantheAlpaca is getting on!!!

So having been all round there, it's back to Thorpe St Andrew, east of Norwich, Apollo 8-like, for the early-September joint concert with our Millhouse Green guests.

Keep singing...!   (and if you haven't started singing yet, join a choir!!!)

So, here we are, seven-tenths through the Ten Days of New Year, leading up to our January 2019 Open Rehearsals starting on - you guessed it - Thursday 10th January, to which all Gents thinking about singing with a choir (or those who have made a New Year Resolution to do so!) are warmly invited.  That was the easy bit... ...because it has been an incredibly difficult time thinking what to give our Day Seven focus to.

OK, today is 'back-to-work' for those able to take a super-extended Christmas break, but I doubt very much we'll find friends by reminding you of that!

Also, it would be great if we kept on the general theme of singing, for obvious reasons!  And that, unfortunately, is where it all fell apart...

...the problem was, once I had got 'seven' and 'going to work' and 'singing' in mind, all I could think of was Len Goodman, or the Seven Dwarfs...!

Of course, we would be pleased to welcome any of the eight to our new singing year because, as adult gentlemen, they all qualify for choir membership!  But I suspect that they all may be a little bit busy...?

January 6th is celebrated by many as the Feast of the Epiphany - the revelation of Jesus to the Wise Men of the East.  And when singing with a choir, things can come as a bit of a revelation!

We were more than surprised to see a good number of the people at our recent Christmas Concert were, well, erm... how do we put this...?  ...young!  Younger than the general age profiles of choristers in many English male voice choirs.  We always thought with the great Welsh Male Voice Choirs (and we stand to be corrected by our Welsh colleagues in song!) that each new generation followed their grandfathers and fathers not only into work, but also into song or musicianship.  We who admire and support the tradition in England have struggled with achieving that kind of organic growth, so appealing to the generation younger than the membership is important to us all.  Seeing this new audience profile at our door was therefore a revelation.  But not the only one...!

...Yes, there's more - many approached us afterwards!  They said whilst they didn't know when they arrived whether they would enjoy our concert or not, in fact, they had had a very enjoyable evening!  What a welcome revelation, and we hope that our new-found audience will return - and that some of those younger men might consider joining our ranks in the future.

However we don't sing just to pass the time; we sing to educate and to entertain (OK, that might be a revelation for some of you!!!)   But we also join a choir and sing because we feel better for it!  It is good for us!  But don't take just our word for it!

When you get the chance, paste each of these links into your internet browser and take a look at some of these articles which explain the benefits of singing in groups.  No particular order, and our  colleagues in song around the country identify new ones very frequently:

http://bit.ly/2Fbk5jb
http://bbc.in/25J4ywt
http://bit.ly/2FcxKr4
http://bit.ly/2GWS3KL
http://bit.ly/2JXPcie
http://bit.ly/2C4Yu8Y

We think the benefits of joining a choir are there for all to see!  And that's a revelation that has to be worth acting upon!!

So what about the Wise Men from the East, you say?  Well, who do you think put on the show our bumper audience enjoyed so much, and then brought you the wisdom of the benefits of singing in a choir to your attention???

Yes... You are probably thinking, "Can't be asked to blog once a day...", or "New Year's Resolution to blog daily broken by Day 2"!!!   But I'm actually making a point.  It's easy to MAKE a New Year's Resolution, but the hard bit is KEEPING to it!!!

So that's the message - 'keep a commitment to the commitment'!  Make the New Year's Resolution (Day 2) and renew the commitment to keep it (Day 3).

So Gents, what's your 2019 commitment...?   ...to join a choir by any chance?

First and foremost, we wish you a very peaceful and fulfilling 2019 with everything of what you wish for!  Can't wait to meet you again soon!

And the 12 Days of Christmas may not be over yet, but we are starting a different countdown...
...the countdown to our new singing season, with our biggest schedule of singing events yet!

But to undertake that and do the things we want to with performance quality and rehearsing the repertoire that you, our Supporters, want us to sing, we need, erm, yes, you guessed it...   ...Singers!!!   We may look like the proverbial tin of sardines when lined up in 'singing mode', but there really is bags of room for gents to join us!

And that's what 'The Ten Days of New Year' is all about.  How the New Year Resolution to take up a new hobby, the secret harbouring of ambitions to sing with others in a choir, the transfer of talent from the shower to the singing stage, or the urge to know what happens behind the scenes in a male voice choir, can be fulfilled...

...well, in just 10 days' time, we are holding our first Open Rehearsal of 2019, so Gents, come and see what we are about!  As a certain Russian meercat would say, "Simples!"!  See you there?

So, that is that!  The last chair is put away, order has been restored at our very accommodating host 'home base' Church for the following morning's service, and the last 'Goodnight! Merry Christmas!' has been wished to our audience as they safely make their way home after our last 'gig' of the year.

But what a night...  ...and what an Audience!  Just an hour before 'doors opened', the foulest breeze-fuelled clouds decided to deliver a rain shower of force, which not only made setting-up pretty uncomfortable, but invited thoughts as to whether our hoped-for audience would be deterred...

...and how wrong we were!  Our best-ever attendance had arrived outside, as patient as the rotten, but improving, weather would allow! That's why our message is even more heartfelt than usual, because without our fabulous audiences, we don't really have a real purpose as a Choir to entertain and to support the traditions of male choral singing.

So 'Thank You!', a hundred, thousand, million times - whatever is appropriate - as we wish you all the warmest of Seasonal Greetings and hopes for the best of what the New Year brings!

On which note (with apologies for the pun), whatever you hope for yourself in 2019, have a look at our Open Rehearsal Dates and think about 'having a sing on us', Gents! Otherwise, Lady or Gent, if you prefer to let us do the singing, do look at our 2019 Programme and be welcomed to one of our singing events.

After all, in 2019, we're 'hoping' to see you there!

'Tempus Fugit' and 'Carpe Diem' - that is, 'Time Flies' and 'Seize the Day', - never did sit well together with the writer, so 'catch up' it is, as usual...

We were privileged to sing at Fred Lake's funeral service and help celebrate his life, and it also gave us that last opportunity to say goodbye to our singing chum.  It was somehow fitting that we were assembled either side of his coffin as we sang, so he was with us too, for that one last time.   We managed 'You'll Never Walk Alone' as our own tribute, and then 'Gwahoddiad', Fred's repertoire favourite, judging by the great gusto he used to sing it with.  It was our great honour to do this and we thank Fred's family for asking us in the midst of their own sadness.

It was also good to spend some time with them afterwards and to see the many photographs of Fred in earlier times.  Their great dignity and the kindness they showed us said everything about what we knew of Fred, and what we learned about his very full life.  But it proves you still don't completely know someone, even when you spend time with them!  Who knew Fred was in the choir for Team England's official 2018 Commonwealth Games anthem and video? !!!  Here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ4K-2MINV8
and if you freeze at 1m 36s and 2m 29s, you'll catch our 'dark horse' Fred doing one of the things he liked best...   ...singing!  Thank you for the memories, Fred!  Gone, but not forgotten.

Talking of 'catching up' earlier, we've got our Christmas Concert this Saturday (we hope to see you there!), and it's the full runthrough final rehearsal tonight!   So no time to waste...   ...on with the motley...

We are saying our fond farewell to our singing colleague, Tenor 1 Fred Lake.  His unexpected passing is still beyond our day-to-day belief and the thoughts of everyone associated with Norwich's Phoenix Male Voice Choir remain with his immediate family and friends for whom those feelings are all the more intense at this very sad moment.

We have been deeply privileged by his family to be asked to sing at his service and we accept with humility, but with solemn pride to thank Fred for his unwavering support of our Choir and to honour his memory as part of our heartfelt tribute to one of our own.

Meanwhile, we have substituted the banners on the Choir's Twitter account @PhoenixMVC (http://www.twitter.com/PhoenixMVC) which now reflect one of the messages in music we will remember him by, and a cameo picture of the Fred we knew and remember as our Singing Friend.

Thoughts and Prayers, Fred.  Rest Peacefully. 

Well, how else should we encourage gentlemen interested in singing our Christmas programme to come to our final Open Rehearsal this Thursday, 27th September for 7.30pm at our Norwich rehearsal base?

It's not that we want to seem unwelcoming and won't let you join us later on.  If you are already an accomplished singer who can read music, later is fine!  But if you are not...

...we have firstly spent Thursdays this month welcoming not just our own members back post-Summer break, but also visiting non-members who have come to see what we do, how we do it, and whether singing might be for them...!

...secondly, we've been getting familiar with the songs planned for our December 2018 concert to ease everyone back in.  From October though, we'll be meeting twice a week in earnest to fine tune our programme, so new and social singers will notice that the pace picks up from next month.

After what has been for many a glorious scorcher, Summer is sadly fully on its final warmish sunrays.  ‘Back to school/college/university/work' is a reality, holidays away (or here, if you are coming to The Broads!) are for those not bound to academic terms, ‘Strictly' is back and devotees not able to get to London's Royal Albert Hall have been glued to the pomp and circumstance of the Last Night of the Proms (including your scribe of the perpendicular personal pronoun!). OK, football is back too, but in a World Cup year, most would argue it never really went away...?

But as regular as clockwork, something else happens at the end of Summer if you are (or you know) an adult gentleman who loves singing but is at a current loose end, or a gent whose public performances to date consist of tuneful ‘earworms’ (the songs you just can't get out of your head) in the bath or shower – yes, those tiled wall acoustics never lie!   At the end of every Summer, our own Gentlemen Songsters open our beloved rehearsal doors every Thursday evening for a month to non-Members!

All we schedule in September is a run-through and a ‘get to know' of the songs we have in store for our Winter/Christmas programme this year, so it’s a great time to accept our open invitation and visit us!  If you want to get involved in what we do, we can sit you if you want with a singing buddy to ease you in, so do spend an evening with us and find out how we do things!

But what if your bark is worse than your dog’s, your last note was used as a foghorn, or your family and neighbours forbid you from singing?

Don't be put off, because we won't be worried – come and learn with us – it will be a great journey and a fabulous hobby!