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Our sister choir University of Exeter World Music Choir
Repertoire: over the years we've sung an amazing range of songs - songs with beautiful harmonies, songs with exciting rhythms - songs from all over Africa, First Nation songs, songs from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, from Australia, from North and South America ... lullabies, songs of celebration, work songs, laments, love songs - we've not only travelled the world but given voice to a wide range of human experience.
Performances: we were regularly invited to perform at local events and festivals in and around Crediton. For a number of years we've sang at Animal Aid's Cruelty-Free Christmas event in Exeter (a tradition the University of Exeter World Music Choir is proudly continuing!). A particularly exciting occasion for us was when we performed in Exeter Cathedral at an event in aid of local and international AIDs charities.
Joining us:... well, from now on, when we have 'reunion get togethers', as before new people are welcome to join us - we do not have auditions - everyone who loves to sing is welcome. We just ask you to try your best, along with the rest of us, to do justice to the musical traditions we explore, and to have fun in the process!
We sing a cappella, so we have to be able to hold our tuning without the support of accompanying instruments. This means we all need to develop our ability to hold our own part whilst hearing the harmonies around us. This is a major challenge and a skill which comes with practise. Being amongst these vocal harmonies is the glorious thrill of harmony singing! If you're new we'll try to make sure you're in the middle of the group singing your part. As you get more experienced you can venture out to the edges where you can bathe in the harmonies!
Here we are outside George's Hall at the Bristol Community Choir convention in 2010, with our sister choir, the University of Exeter World Music Choir, which is also directed by Alise and is still on-going during University term time.
We sang and performed together many times and it was always a treat for both choirs to join together for a big sound and to enjoy each other's energy!
We performed two First Nation songs and a Bulgarian song. You can watch our performance below:
Click on the play icon to hear us perform For the Pepper and Mahk Jchi, two First Nation songs. For the Pepper is a rattle song by Pura Fé, and Mahk Jchi is composed by Jennifer, Soni and Pura Fé of Ulali. Both these songs feature on their CD 'Mahk Jchi'. Grateful thanks to Pura Fé for her permission to arrange and perform these wonderful songs!
If this video does not show you can view it on youtube here.
This (to the left) is our performance of I Dumai a Bulgarian folk song arranged by Filip Kutev.
If our video does not show you can view it on youtube here.
Here we are at the Bristol Community Choir convention two years later in March 2012. We performed an Afro-Cuban song Yemaya Asesu arranged by Brian Tate and Zangaléwa from the Cameroon.
You can watch Yemaya Asesu below:
If this video does not show you can view it on youtube here.
And here below you can see us at the height of our potential 'energeticness' performing Zangaléwa, originally composed and performed by the Cameroon group Golden Sounds. It has been a treat to receive lovely feedback from the lead singer Emile Kojidie, who wrote, "Very very good job. There is a big energy in this performing. Big hug to all the band."
If our video does not show you can view it on youtube here.
Nearly every year over our 19 year history we sang on the sea front at Sidmouth during its famous folk festival and raised money for WaterAid. Perhaps some of us will carry on the tradition after a Summer reunion?
You are welcome to come and join us at one of our reunions! All you need is a love of singing and an interest in other singing cultures ... oh and if we do more performing ... then eventually something to wear in turquoise or white, though in the winter,
we tended to wear red like this:
