Finally singing in Belfast!

I discovered one sad thing. I miss music in Belfast. At my home university I was attending university choir rehearsals twice a week (Hey guys, I miss you!), plus concerts, our Illegato vocal group (Hey guys, I miss you!) and just singing at parties. Here, I had none of it. Everything escalated quite quickly and when I caught myself listening to the university choir concert recording for a third time in a row, I discovered I´m probably damaged forever. I just need some music in my life.
Taking in mind that I´m here just for one semester and I don´t want my voice to die in the meantime, I wrote an email to a Queen´s university chamber choir school contact. This man told me to contact an auditions lady. The lady answered to me in few days and told me just to come 10 minutes before start of a rehearsal to meet a director of the choir. So I went there, after this comunication round, I expected I will have to sing something at least. The director wrote down my name and asked me which voice I want to sing and gave me musicsheets. I have to say I expected something harder to get in when I saw the management structure of choir. But here I am :D.
There is approximately 30 singers in the choir. At this particular rehearsal there were 4 boys and for a moment it seemed I´ll be the only alto. But finaly we were 2 or 3! I´m not sure. For me it is really different style of work than I´m used to. At my university choir there is 60 people and carefully balanced voice groups. Also they practice in very spontaneous way. That´s in a way more fun, in a way I don´t know what to sing much and I miss the detailed work on every phrase or note. Also an accent of the director is not possible to decypher for me so far. That complicates any communication between us. Because when he asks something I´m still just dumb smilling and saying "Oh yes". Another difference between this choir and mine - we didn´t go for a beer after the rehearsal. On the other hand I have to admit the people in choir have really beautiful voices, so the potential is huge. We´ll see where it will evolve. And the songs they sing are just amazing. Especially the irish traditional ones. I am so happy to have the opportunity to sing them! And you can understand the harmony much more when you sing in choir.
One of the songs we will sing. Yes!

I also found amazing showcase in School of Music where the choir rehearsals take place. It´s full of different director´s batons. There are cool historical details about using batons too. Like that first reported use of conducting baton is dated back to 709 bc. Or that a baton was directly responsible for death of  Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687), who succumbed to gangrene after stabbing his foot whilst conducting.

Cool batons

More of them - it´s hard to make a photo through glass

The choir will have a concert at the end of april. I think it can be pleasant activity to do during free day. So everybody will be welcome!

Motto of the day: Don´t stop your hobbies during study abroad. You will miss them. So find a way!