We are starting to meet in person, after a year online, from June 22nd 2021. Below you’ll find information about how to get involved, when and where we meet in normal times, and what kind of music we sing, and parking info etc
Online Meeting Times
From June 22nd 2021, we are meeting in person again, after a year on Zoom.
7:30pm to 8:30pm every Wednesday.
Please email our director Jon for details of how to log on to join the group.
thestonegatesingers@gmail.com
Our first 3 meetings will be on a TUESDAY (22nd, 29th June, 6th July)
before our regular Wednesday slot returns 14th July.
We will take a break for August, and resume Wednesday 8th September
Normal Meeting Times
We come together to sing each week
Every Wednesday, 7:30 – 9:30pm
(there’s a break 8:30-8:45pm for a tea, biscuits and a chat)
Summer term: N/A
Half term break : N/A
Location
St Lawrence Church Hall
Lawrence Street
York YO10 3WP
Just near Walmgate bar
Plenty of Free parking available on site (around the back of the hall, behind the church, accessible from Lawrence Street by car)
Concerts
Our latest performance was 3 short concerts in Homestead Park, as part of York Big Sing 2019. In June 2019, we performed a concert at the Unitarian Chapel, York, to raise funds for St Nicholas Fields Nature Reserve and Environmental Centre. In March 2019, we performed as part of the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Community Choir Festival.
Upcoming plans include a candlelit Christmas concert at Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, for the Churche’s Conservation Trust, Tuesday December 10th and Tuesday December 17th.
We performed a short concert and vocal workshop in Rowntree Park, as part of York Big Sing 2018. In June 2018, we performed a concert at the Unitarian Chapel, York, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of St Nicholas Fields Nature Reserve and Environmental Centre. In August 2017, we performed as part of Refugium, a special composition created by director Jon Hughes, and performed at Creswell Crags limestone gorge in Derbyshire. This combined specially composed vocal pieces for choir with a 30 meter outdoor ambisonic speaker circle to create an immersive experience for the audience, and was seen by over 250 people.Our first concert was broadcast live on BBC Radio York, Friday April 7th 2016. It was part of York in Harmony, a project run by the BBC to encourage community choir singing in York.
Repertoire
In terms of repertoire, the key words are simplicity and beauty. Music doesn’t have to be complex or difficult to be beautiful, and the human voice comes into its own with simple material that contains real emotional depth.
We are all the custodians of a rich global vocal music tradition, and so much of it is accessible, singable, and easy to learn. We can draw on music from many countries and traditions, connecting with artistic and vocal expression from diverse cultures. Our repertoire includes the following, and is growing all the time:
Bat’onebis Nanina – traditional Georgian folk song
Bright Morning Star – early North American folk song
Bushes and Briars – English folk song
Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby – slave era North American spiritual
Grey Funnel Line – English folk song
Haiku for St Nicks – specially composed for the choir by composer David Hammond 2018
Hamba Lulu – South African traditional
Hide Your Love Away – The Beatles
Canopy of Voices – contemporary fusion of South Indian vocal music and modern European composition
Lou Bouie – traditional L’Occitan
Love Call Me Home – Peggy Seeger
Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrica – South African national anthem
Nkosi Yiba Nenceba – traditional African
O Sing to Me of Heaven – Primitive Baptist/early North American spiritual
Plovi Barko – traditional Croation folk song
Shell Prayer – contemporary composition by Jon Hughes 2016
Shimona – contemporary choral composition
Shoshaloza – traditional work song from Southern Africa
Sithi Molweni – Xhosa greeting song from Africa
Siya Hamba – traditional Xhosa song from Africa
Somagwaza – traditional African initiation song
South Australia – sea shanty from the 18th century
Sto Mi e Milo – traditional Macedonian folk song
Tantum Ergo Sacramentum – traditional Corsican spiritual
The Parting Glass – Irish folk song
The Young Fisherman – English folk song
Through the Gate – contemporary composition by Jon Hughes 2017
Thuma Mina – traditional African
