Happy New Year everyone!   

I trust you all had an enjoyable break and are looking forward to getting back to the choir on Sunday (12 January).

We are pleased to be starting the new year with a concert on the 24th January.

For Sunday’s rehearsal please bring the following music:

• The Mermaid
• Non Nobis Domine
• Scotland the Brave

Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday.

Best wishes

Mark

We are well on the way to a spectacular Christmas Concert. We are hoping that all our preparation will ensure our audience can’t wait to say to their friends ‘have you heard the sound of the Bothwell voices, ringing out so sweetly, ringing out so clear‘.

There is NO group rehearsal on the 15th December, but ladies still to be measured for gowns should attend the usual rehearsal venue at 7 pm for about half an hour.

There IS a group rehearsal on Tuesday 17th December at 7 pm in Bothwell Parish Church.

Home rehearsal links can be found on the Autumn rehearsal notes page. 28 visits were made to this page in the week commencing 9th December. Please do help to increase this number and boost your singing confidence. If you are new to the choir, please also visit the choir dress code page.

The new choir gowns are unlikely to be ready for all choir members in time for the concert on the 19th. We expect to have enough to allow there to be an even distribution of black gowns amongst the purple gowns in the back rows of the choir. At the time of writing, ladies in the front row should expect to be wearing the purple gown. (This post will be updated if there is any later change). Please note that the black tops underneath should be sleeveless (and worn with black undergarments). Ladies still seeking a suitable top should check out the links on this page. Also, ladies wearing the black gown should, where possible, wear a long black skirt rather than trousers, due to the sheer nature of the material.

On the 19th December itself we will meet at 3.30 pm and rehearse till 5 pm in the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (G2 3DB). Doors will open at 7.00 pm. Please make a note in your folder of your row and seat number from the  choir seating plan to make lining up on the night easier.

Bus arrangements: The choir bus will leave from outside the Bothwell Doctors’ Surgery at 2.45 pm prompt. The fans and family bus will leave from St Brides Pastoral Centre Fallside Road, Bothwell G71 8BA at 6.30 pm prompt.

Choir Rehearsals will resume in the New Year on the 12th of January.

With the concert season already under way, accompanied by the cold, flu and tummy bug season, we have our work cut out to make sure we can enjoy as well as perform the December concerts on the 8th December and 19th December. It is to be expected that some people may miss a rehearsal because of ill health, but this makes all our other group rehearsals, as well as our home rehearsal in-between all the more important.

It is hoped that members will try to attend all rehearsals over the next few weeks and in particular an extended rehearsal for the Christmas concerts. Due to lack of accommodation availability, this date has been moved from 24th November to 1st December from 4-9 pm, with a meal break at 6-7 pm.

The October update has been modified to take account of this change and all other rehearsals are listed there. Our home rehearsal links as well as the draft concert programmes are listed on the Autumn rehearsal notes page. Please suggest any good links you find that are not listed to Hazel Scott.

For the RSC Concert on the 19th December, you might find it helpful to have a copy of the choir seating plan and to make a note in your folder of your row and seat number.

Ladies who missed a measurement for their choir gown on the 10th November will be offered an opportunity for measurement again soon. Ladies looking for a top to wear under the new gown might find one of the links below of some use:

• M+S one
• M+S two
• M+S three
• Next
• French Connection
• Fenn Wright Manson

A helpful reasonably priced suggestion for ladies looking for long black skirts (to be worn in future with the black gown) is to check out the skirts being sold by New Look

Please note that the rehearsal schedule has been updated.

Sunday 10th November will be an important rehearsal for ALL sections (it is not now an altos only rehearsal but will be for all, from 7-9 pm).

Please can all members do their best to attend.

Ladies please note: please come ready to be measured for your new choir robe. This is the only chance for the seamstress to attend the choir, so please come to the rehearsal and please bring the shoes you would usually wear to concerts!

Please can members also circulate this news to those members they know are without web access.

Please note the alterations to our rehearsal schedule as per the recently modified October Members’ Update.

Please also note the music required for those rehearsing for the St Bride’s Organ Concert.

In addition, please have in your folder music as per the draft programmes for the December concerts: Bothwell Phil Rotary Draft 2013  and Bothwell Phil Christmas Prog 2013 Choir version (updated)

Rehearsal at home links are as below. They are mixture of youtube videos and links to downloadable midi files for individual and group part renditions. Most but not all our music to the end of the year is here. (If you find links to our other pieces or better links than these ones, please let Hazel know!)

Ave verum corpus: separate downloadable midi files per part  available here http://johnfletchermusic.me.uk/MozartWA_Ave_verum_corpus.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXjn6srhAlY&list=PL5yHeKht9Evj6oYxvQrgOtEJa0bcfVrOL

Fa la la

Christmas fa la la  …tenor only:

Christmas Sanctus -best I can find -not that great though, hopefully OK to sing along with but not to practice phrasing, diction etc

The Gift of Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9h2texLN3U

The Holy City

In the bleak midwinter midi files for separate parts are here: http://johnfletchermusic.me.uk/XX_In_the_bleak_midwinter_Darke.php and the Cambridge Choral setting is below

Angels’ Carol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOIhzqutZuQ

Still Still Still -individual part midi files here: http://johnfletchermusic.me.uk/XX_Still_still_still_Ledger.php and Mormon Tabernacle version below

Jingle Bells: (need to double checlk if this is the right version) midi files: http://johnfletchermusic.me.uk/XX_Jingle_bells_Willcocks.php

White Christmas

The very best time of the year

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq_zX57hbjk

The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy -sorry -have removed this as it was the wrong version and there don’t seem to be any of our one online

Oh Holy Night- midi files here:  http://johnfletchermusic.me.uk/AdamA_O_holy_night_Parker.php and video versionbelow

He shall feed his flock (this track starts with spoken words over the intro)