2015

Happy second anniversary Sirens!

City SirensI can’t believe it’s been two years! It was an ordinary September morning when I received an email from a big choir in Cardiff who had decided to close their waiting list. I’d been on it for about a year after moving to Cardiff and was very sad. But I noticed something, all the girls on the waiting list (and it was all girls because there are always more цена экскурсии на метеоре в Санкт-Петербурге women than men who want to be involved in the arts) had been “cc’d” or copied into the email. I thought – why not get all these Social at Giovanni's in Cardiff!lovely ladies together to sing?

I popped an email to the ladies on the list to see if I could start something up with them. Although I’d been in an A Capella choir at university which I became the President of, I have never really learnt to read music and certainly couldn’t teach anyone! I asked in the email if anyone knew anyone who could help.

10464013_423958574412350_4643447921410100785_nAmazingly, one of the ladies on the list lived in the same building as Tom Colwell, a professional singer and teacher and before I knew it I was chatting to Tom in my work’s kitchen and we decided to meet up to find out what we could do. Tom had taught choirs before and was keen to help in this venture.

The first rehearsal took place in Wonderland Studios and we started with a Christmas carol – I think it may have even been Away in a Manger (sounds so tingly in three part harmony!) Christmas Concert 2014The next week we moved into Cathays Methodist Church which has been our home ever since. Around the end of November we decided to showcase the four songs we had managed to get together and invite our friends and family. Then we had minced pies and mulled wine!

In January we started again and spent most of that year with about 10 members. It was hard. But by the time the second Christmas concert rolled round, this time in a real venue and with tickets we’d sold, we had a real, proper choir. And things have gone from strength to strength. Even the change IMG_7512from last Christmas to this year’s summer concert is evident if you listen to our recordings.

CKR8O6FWcAA7TkFWe’ve been so lucky and called upon many favours and we’ve now had five musical directors who we would not be here without. Thank you to each and every one of the lovely ladies who has been a member over any part of the last two years. I’m excited about our next concert in the Norwegian Church and hope you can come along for some festive cheer!

Here’s to another successful year!

Christmas Concert tickets on sale Sunday 1st November…

Following on from a fantastic summer concert, we are delighted to be returning to the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay, on Friday 11th iStock_000004599539XSmall-BaubleDecember, at 19.30pm for our Christmas Concert.

Featuring a selection of classic and popular songs and Christmas carols, this is the perfect concert to get you into the Christmas Spirit!

Tickets go on sale Sunday 1st November at 10.00am and can be purchased from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/citysirens for the fantastic price of just £8.00 per ticket!

Tickets are limited and last year’s Christmas concert was a sell out – so remember to order your tickets nice and early to avoid disappointment!

Welcoming our new committee!

LogoLast night the choir met for the first time of the Autumn season, taking on their first Christmas song! It may be early but we think our Christmas Concert is going to be on Friday 11 December, so we need to get moving!

We were also happy to welcome Julian Martin as our Musical Director, who brought a very jazzy feel to the lesson.

We also held our annual general meeting and electing our new committee. We are pleased to welcome:

Chairperson – Emma Sands

Treasurer – Rhianne Haig

Secretary – Valentina Bianchi

Social Secretary – Amy Winter

Publicity Officer – Vanessa Oldham

Ordinary Members – Cat Bailie and Beth Evans

We are pleased to be working on a number of new ideas for the year ahead, which we will share in due course.

Unfortunately we are now currently at capacity – we won’t be accepting new members at this time unless we find we need extra people in certain parts.

Come and join us!!

City Sirens Summer Concert 2015 in Norwegian Church

City Sirens Summer Concert 2015 in Norwegian Church

City Sirens currently have the following vacancies (as of September 2015):

– Two soprano 1 positions

– One soprano 2 position

– Three alto positions

 

But I can’t read music..!

You don’t actually need to be able to read music to sing with us. Whilst some of our members do, many rely on recording the rehearsal to help them learn their part.

The members’ section on our website also contains music sheets and recordings to help with learning the repertoire.

What about rehearsals?

We are based in Cathays Methodist Church (Cardiff), and meet every Tuesday from 7:30pm to 9:30pm.

We will be starting our autumn term on Tuesday 8th September looking ahead to a Christmas concert in December.

We do not audition new joiners, but we do ask that you are committed to rehearsals, and therefore do not miss a rehearsal unless absolutely necessary.

We hope to perform at least three concerts a year, and try out new things including keeping it social!

How do I join?

If you would like to join us, or ask more information, please email citysirenscardiff@gmail.com

Vacancies will be assigned on a first-come first-served basis.

City Sirens perform at the Welsh Proms!

Yesterday, Sunday 19 July, some of the Sirens were lucky enough to be involved with the Welsh Family Prom at St David’s Hall in the city centre.CKR8O6FWcAA7TkF

The prom itself was themed around an award ceremony giving out awards to instruments which made the music possible. From Jurassic Park to Star Wars, the Lion King and the Hunger Games, there was something for all the family.

We were invited to take part in a ‘flash mob’ style event, picking up some of the verses in The Hanging Tree from The Hunger Games and we dressed up like glamorous ladies attending an awards ceremony!

The day began with a run through with other members of different choirs who had learnt the piece as well, and after a dress rehearsal we took to our seats as the crowds took to theirs, ready to make a surprise performance towards the end of the show!

The performance went very well and many members of the audience were indeed very surprised by the moment when we all starting getting to our feet, joining in the singing with the performers on stage at intervals. Then we sat down and enjoyed the rest of the show.

The day was compered by the fantastic Wynne Evans and the show was clearly very well received, with huge applause at the end. Finally we got to see our names in lights, rolling as the credits went off into the distance ‘Star Wars style’.

We’re looking forward to more flash mobs and ad hoc performances in the future! After such a wonderful day we went out for a few drinks to celebrate too.

We will be breaking from next Tuesday until the beginning of September for our summer break. Make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter to ensure you keep up to date with our work, the date for our Christmas concert and, if you’re interested in joining us, any vacancies we have!

Norwegian Church to host City Sirens

We are very pleased that we will be taking on our biggest venue yet; the beautiful Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay, on Thursday 25 June 2015, at 7.30pm.Norwegian_Church,_Cardiff - Nick_Russill

Featuring lots of new material and some golden oldies we will be taking on the musicals, Disney and some classic pop songs!

Tickets are on sale now, and you can buy them through our Facebook page, or from Ticketsource.co.uk

We would be delighted if you could join us, so please avoid disappointment by getting your ticket now!

Image courtesy of Nick Russill