On Wednesday (28th April) the choir I sing in, the Fleischmann Choir, opened the Cork International Choral Festival with the Cork School of Music Orchestra. Under the leadership of our conductor Dr. Geoff Spratt we performed Song of the Provinces, a piece written by Professor Aloys Fleischmann himself.
The wonderful thing about this musical work is that it requires audience participation. After the melody is taught, the audience must join in with the choir several times. It’s amazing how it came together on the night. Putting it together with the frankly EPIC orchestral accompaniment in rehearsals was one thing, but to hear the audience join in for the main melody was just unbelievable. It gave me shivers and I couldn’t keep the grin from my face.
I think Prof. Fleischmann was there in spirit, singing with us. He had admirable views on the importance of choirs in communities and it’s undeniable that the the sense of community in the City Hall on Wednesday was at its strongest while everyone sang together.
Below is the video of the performance. Watch Geoff conduct the audience, I love that!
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