Armed Man in The Westmorland Gazette

‘Christmas Spirit’          released 22 October 2007

 Music for a December evening

 Kendal Choral Society, conducted by Alan Gardner, is presenting an evening of Christmas music at Kendal Parish Church on 8 December 2007 at 7.30 p.m. The centre piece of the performance will be Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (parts 1, 2 and 3). Soloists include Tracie Penwarden (soprano) and Janet Hoyle (contralto). The tenor soloist will be Richard Pollock, a talented post graduate student from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. KCS are pleased to welcome him back after his debut with the choir in May when he impressed the audience with his solo performance in Puccini’s Messa di Gloria. The bass soloist, William Hay, is performing with the choir for the first time although he is no stranger to Kendal and is the son of an active choir member, Gordon.

 Kendal Choral Society draws its membership widely from the local area and has members from Grange and Kendal. There are also members from Ambleside, Cartmel and Levens and two members of the choir travel from Accrington every week for rehearsals! In 2007, the choir participated in an active joint two way exchange with a French choir from the French Alps near Grenoble and also, with a choir from Pendle witch country in Lancashire, undertook a joint performance of the Messiah.

 Further information about the December concert can be found on the KCS website at http://www.kendalchoral.org.uk/ or by telephoning 01539 431025. If you are interested in joining the choir (no audition required) call Barry on 01539 730702 or Pam on 01539 740198 to discuss this further or come to the concert when there will be an opportunity to meet with members of the choir in the interval.

 

KENDAL CHOIR VISIT FRANCE     released 4 June 2007

Kendal Choral Society has just returned from Voiron, near Grenoble in France. The highlight of the visit was undoubtedly the concert in St Bruno’s church on Saturday 2 June. The concert of French and Italian music attracted an audience which packed the church and delighted the listeners. The successful performance was the result of the hard work and cooperation between about 80 members of three choirs – Kendal Choral, directed by Alan Gardner, and Groupe Vocal Toutes Aures and Maluraine, directed by Genevieve Blayo.

The performance was summed up by a member of the audience who said, “This was a superb experience in a wonderful setting with the choirs singing at their best, better even perhaps than they did in Kendal earlier this month!”

In talking about the exchange visits between the choirs which have been ongoing since 2002, the President of Toutes Aures, Jean Berthelet, said, “The pleasure of singing together in this way is that we can communicate with each other; the barriers between us have all fallen.”

Genevieve Blayo added, “The welcome we received in Kendal was superb. We hope to return there as soon as possible. After the joy of two such successful concerts, we must develop a new project for our next meeting.”

The pleasure of the visit was echoed by members of Kendal Choral who appreciated the overwhelming hospitality of their French hosts. For many of them it was a meeting with old friends. Those visiting Voiron for the first time found the scenery of the Alps and the surrounding countryside most attractive but as one of them said, “the picnic sites and the food provided by our hosts were truly amazing. We particularly enjoyed the lakeside chalet temporarily rechristened by our hosts as the Sharrow Bay Hotel!”

Kendal has more in common with the area than just the link between the two choirs. It turns out that Mme Bonnat who runs a famous chocolate shop in Voiron was an au pair in Kendal when she was a teenager!

Toutes Aures named after a local mountain pass means “All winds” and symbolises the bringing together in Voiron of people from many local villages to form a choir. The range of “the winds” is now such that it brings together choir members from Kendal as well in what was described by Alan Gardner, the conductor of the Kendal choir as “a truly international musical experience”.       

LA VISITE DE KENDAL CHORAL SOCIETY EN FRANCE

Kendal Choral Society vient de rentrer de Voiron, près de Grenoble en France.  Le point culminant de la visite était sans doute le concert dans l’église St Bruno le samedi 2 juin.  Les auditeurs qui ont rempli l’église ont beaucoup aimé l’interprétation de musique française et italienne. Le concert était le résultat de beaucoup de travail et de coopération entre à peu près 80 chanteurs dans 3 chorales – Kendal Choral Society, dirigé par Alan Gardner et Groupe Vocal Toutes Aures et Maluraine, dirigés par Geneviève Blayo.
Un auditeur a résumé le concert en ces mots: « C’était une expérience superbe dans un cadre magnifique où toutes les chorales ont chanté de leur mieux, mieux peut-être qu’à Kendal il y a quelques semaines ».
En parlant de l’échange entre les 2 chorales qui existe depuis 2002, Jean Berthelet, Président de Toutes Aures, a dit : « Ce qui fait plaisir en chantant ensemble comme nous le faisons, c’est que nous arrivons à communiquer, l’un avec l’autre; les barrières sont tombées entre nous ».
Geneviève Blayo a ajouté: « On nous a accueillis très chaleureusement à Kendal et nous espérons y retourner le plus vite possible.  Apres la réussite et la joie de ces 2 concerts, il faut trouver un nouveau projet pour notre prochain rencontre ».
Les chanteurs de Kendal Choral ont également apprécié la visite, surtout l’accueil et la gentillesse de leurs hôtes français.  Beaucoup ont refait la connaissance de vieux amis.  Ceux qui visitaient la région pour la première fois ont beaucoup aimé le paysage alpin. Un a dit : « les aires de pique-nique et les repas préparés par nos hôtes étaient vraiment incroyables. Nous avons surtout aimé le chalet au bord du lac, que nos hôtes ont surnommé ‘l’hôtel de Sharrow Bay’ ».
Il y a plus de liens entre Kendal et la région de Voiron que l’échange entre les 2 chorales.  Il parait que Madame Bonnet, qui tient la célèbre chocolaterie à Voiron, a fait un stage comme au pair à Kendal quand elle était adolescente !
‘Toutes Aures’ signifie ‘All winds’ en anglais.  C’est le nom d’un col dans la région et symbolise le rassemblement des habitants de plusieurs villages pour chanter ensemble dans une chorale à Voiron.  Maintenant les vents rassemblent aussi les choristes de Kendal pour produire ce que Alan Gardner a décrit comme « une expérience musicale vraiment internationale».

THE FRENCH CONNECTION released 7 May 2007

 

The strength of the five year friendship between Kendal Choral and Toutes Aures, from Voiron, a small town near Grenoble in the French Alps, was obvious during the visit of the French choir to Kendal last weekend. French guests stayed with hosts as far a-field as Arnside, Grange and Ambleside as well as in the town centre. Many lodged with friends met during previous visits but there were some French visitors and some English hosts who enjoyed the “entente” for the first time.

 

The highlight of the six day visit was a concert in Kendal Parish Church on Saturday 5 May with a programme of mostly French and Italian music. When both choirs joined the audience in the interval for a glass of French wine, the church was filled with excited French and English chatter as everyone joined in the fun of socialising with the foreign guests.

 

Is it difficult to organise a bilingual event? Well, yes and no. Singing together unites the members of both choirs. A member of Toutes Aures summed it up:

 

“We sing for pleasure, we just love to sing, and to do it with our English friends is special”.

 

Alan Gardner, the conductor of Kendal Choral, is used to rehearsing both choirs in their own language and he had much of the responsibility for making sure that everyone knew what to do. Even so, everyone laughed at the rehearsal when the English choir stood up and the French choir sat down to the same command and no-one was quite sure who was right!

 

The real test of understanding each other came with the social activities. Both choirs have members who speak only one language and both have members who are fluent French and English speakers. Surprisingly, one member of the French choir is an Englishman working in France who admits that he does not speak French particularly well because he only speaks English at work!

 

Mixing over meals and sight seeing together around the Lake District was mostly managed in an entertaining “franglais” with resort to a battered dictionary which was passed around when the need arose. Election time led to an exchange of views about the outcome of the French presidential election and voting for councillors in South Lakes. Not surprisingly, food was much discussed – sticky toffee pudding, Kendal Mint Cake, Damson products and Cumberland sauce versus tartiflette (a Voiron speciality) and Chartreuse – and Cumbrian products were widely sampled during the visit. But above all, the two choirs were united in their singing. The Parish church may have resounded with Puccini’s Messa di Gloria but those residents walking past the Kirkland Hall later on Saturday would have heard strains of “Liverpool Lou” and “My bonny lies over the ocean”. And did the pianist really play the National Anthem and the Marseillaise?

 

The love of the French visitors for Kendal is obvious – they keep coming back. When asked what she likes about it, one French visitor said:

 

“I love the weather in Kendal. The sun shines all the time!”

 

Smiles all round and not just from the hosts. As Kendal Choral prepare for the return visit to Voiron at the end of May, choir members hope that it will be just as sunny in the French Alps too. 

L’ENTENTE CORDIALE

L’amitié entre Kendal Choral Society et Toutes Aures de Voiron a duré 5 ans et la force de ce lien a été évidente pendant la visite de la chorale française à Kendal le week-end dernier.  Les visiteurs français ont logé chez des hôtes à Kendal,  mais aussi à Arnside, Grange et Ambleside.  Beaucoup sont restés chez des gens qu’ils avaient déjà rencontrés pendant d’autres visites, mais il y en avait d’autres qui profitaient de ‘l’entente’ pour la première fois.

Le point culminant de la visite était un concert dans Kendal Parish Church le samedi 5 mai, où les choristes ont chanté de la musique française et italienne.  A l’intervalle, les chanteurs se sont mêlés aux auditeurs pour prendre un verre de vin français et l’église était pleine de bavardage, comme tout le monde prenait plaisir à communiquer en français et en anglais.

Est-il difficile d’organiser un événement bilingue?  Oui et non.  Chanter ensemble unifie les membres des deux chorales.  Un chanteur français a expliqué :
‘Nous chantons parce que ça nous fait plaisir.  Nous aimons beaucoup chanter et quand nous chantons avec nos amis anglais c’est un régal’.

Alan Gardner, qui dirige Kendal Choral Society, a l’habitude de faire répéter les 2 chorales dans leur propre langue et c’était lui qui devait vérifier que tout le monde savait quoi faire.  Malgré tout ça, on a ri pendant la répétition quand Alan a dit quelque chose et les Anglais se sont levés et les Français se sont assis en même temps.  Personne ne savait très bien qui avait raison!

Les activités sociales ont provoqué les plus grandes épreuves de compréhension.  Dans les deux chorales il y en a qui parlent couramment le français et l’anglais et d’autres qui ne parlent qu’une des deux langues.  C’est étonnant, mais un choriste de Voiron est un Anglais qui travaille en France et qui admet qu’il ne parle pas très bien le français, parce qu’il ne parle que l’anglais au travail!

On a bien réussi les repas et les sorties en ‘franglais’, à l’aide d’un vieux dictionnaire.  Au moment des élections on a découvert des opinions différentes sur le choix de Président de la République et des conseillers de SLDC.  Evidemment, on a beaucoup discuté la nourriture !  Sticky Toffee Pudding, Kendal Mint Cake, les prunes de Damas et la sauce de Cumberland contre la Tartiflette (une spécialité de Voiron) et la Chartreuse.  Les Français ont essayé beaucoup de spécialités de notre région pendant leur visite.  Mais les deux chorales étaient  unifiées surtout par la musique.  Dans l’église samedi soir on aurait entendu Puccini’s  ’Messa di Gloria’, mais ceux qui passaient devant la Kirkland Hall après le concert auraient entendu ‘Liverpool Lou’, ‘ My Bonny lies over the Ocean’ et ‘Chevaliers de la Table Ronde’.  Et est-ce que le pianiste a vraiment joué ‘God save the Queen ‘ et ‘La Marseillaise’ ?

Il est évident que les Français aiment beaucoup Kendal.  Ils reviennent !  On a demandé à une Française ce qu’elle aimait en particulier et elle a répondu : ‘J’aime le temps qu’il fait.  Le soleil brille tout le temps !!!’ Il y a eu beaucoup de sourires, pas seulement des hôtes.  Comme les choristes de Kendal Choral Society font des préparatifs pour leur visite à Voiron à la fin de mai, ils espèrent qu’il fera aussi beau dans les Alpes.

 

 

COMPOSE A CAROL COMPETITION released April 2007

 

In an exciting new initiative, Kendal Choral Society has launched a Compose a Carol Competition. This is open to school children in South Cumbria. The prize winning entries will be performed with Kendal Choral at their Christmas concert on 8 December 2007 in Kendal Parish Church.

 

There are three classes in the competition – Junior (Years 4 to 6), Intermediate (Years 7 to 9) and Senior (Years 10 to 13). The entry should be a composition of a Christmas carol with original words and music. Full details about how to proceed are to be found on the entry form which has been circulated to all schools in the area. Extra copies or further information can be obtained from www.kendalchoral.org.uk

 The closing date is 30 September 2007.

 

Kendal Choral is the oldest choral society in the area. Founded in 1871, it is still going strong and is keen to look at new ventures. In addition to the Compose a Carol competition, the choir has regular exchange visits with a French choir, Toutes Aures, and there will be performances of the combined choirs in Kendal and Voiron, near Grenoble, in May 2007.

 

Talking about Compose a Carol, Kendal Choral’s conductor, Alan Gardner, said,

 

“While many of us are thinking about our summer holidays, many choirs are planning music to sing at Christmas and carols are important part in the life of any Choral Society. We hope to tap in to the undoubted musical talent of our local primary and secondary schools. Students might like to plan a carol composition as part of their work in the classroom or to include one in their portfolio of compositions in preparation for exam work such as GCSE and A Level. This is not the first time that KCS will have performed music by local students but it will be the first time that we will include compositions from across the age range in one of our concerts.”

 

 

 

TOUTES AURES AND KENDAL CHORAL SOCIETY released April 2007

A happy series of coincidences has led to a friendship between Kendal Choral and Toutes Aures, a choir from Voiron, near Grenoble in France.

The French choir was formed by a group of friends in 1995 and to start with had about 25 members. It is conducted with enthusiasm by Genevieve Blayo and under her leadership has increased to about 60 members drawn from over 20 towns and villages around Voiron. Genevieve is a fanatical lover of all things English and her ambition was to bring Toutes Aures to sing at Cartmel Priory. Her dream was fulfilled in May 2002 through the first joint concert of the two choirs. When Kendal Choral returned to France in 2002, they took part in a performance of the Messiah in front of an audience of 900 people!

The joy of this link between the two choirs will be celebrated again in Kendal Parish Church on 5 May 2007 in a performance of Puccini’s Messa di Gloria. Over the holiday weekend, members of both choirs will be spending time together during the six day visit of the French choir. This isn’t just about singing together, it will be an opportunity to cement old friendships and make new ones. The choirs will be out and about visiting local attractions together, enjoying each other’s company and making plans for the visit by Kendal Choral to France later in May.