Serena Standley, Musical Director, Educator & Vocalist
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The Tour Weekend ;-)

28/4/2013

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Voci Nuove spent last weekend performing our 'Pitches be Crazy' program on tour, where we stopped in both Ennis & Galway. A fantastic time was had by all involved!

The two concerts were very successful, with nearly full houses both nights and wonderful feedback from all of those who came to see us.

All of the songs in our program were met with great applause, especially 'Short People' (I think its because Frank & I are so hilarious on our solos....), the Allelluia (a gorgeous piece full of intricate harmonies and two fabulous solos featuring the magical voices of Miss Emma Power and Mr. Conor Prendiville), and the moving 'My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord,' which had not only the entire choir pumped up with its rhythmical fervor, but the audience too (this will be performed at the Cork Choral Festival this coming weekend). 

The Choral Workshop we attended in Galway's gorgeous Hogwart's-like University was great fun, as seen in the photo above, and we all learned a lot, including how to perform a piece entirely made up of pictures, squiggly lines, and weird symbols.......
The hard work the choir has put in all year really paid off this weekend, with this successful tour giving us the energy boost we need just in time for the busy weeks ahead....... Can't wait for the next tour Voci!

Busy is the word best used to describe Voci's schedule for the upcoming week, where I'm looking forward to spending lots of time with my Voci peeps while getting tucked into 'everything choral' as we've a load of gigs on and the Cork Choral Competition itself to deliver on this week - check out the 'Upcoming Events' page to discover when you can catch Voci Nuove's next performances, which are not to be missed! ;-)

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Voci Nuove goes on Tour - This Weekend!!! 

18/4/2013

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I absolutely love being a member of the Chamber Choir, Voci Nuove, and am super excited about this weekend because we are travelling up to Ennis & Galway to launch our 'Pitches be Crazy' tour! 

After much success at our last concert in the Curtis Auditorium in Cork City (it was a sold-out, standing room only event- Yay!) we've decided to 'hit the road' and will be performing  in St. Columba's Church in Ennis on Friday 19th April at 8 p.m. We are going to be performing alongside the Cantare Choir of Ennis, and are really looking forward to hearing them and being a part of what will be a fantastic evening! 

We're then heading to Galway Saturday for a Choral Workshop in the afternoon, followed by a performance in aid of Foundation Nepal at the Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas at 8 p.m. Tickets are only a tenner (7 Euro for students), and we are hoping to raise a lot of money for this worthy cause! Performing with us Saturday evening will be Cois Clodaigh.

At both events we are performing some amazing works- including the riveting 'Allelluia,' the gorgeous sacred pieces 'Ave Regina' & 'Ave Verum Corpus,' the brand new composition 'Spectrum,' the hilarious 'Short People' -guess who's got one of the solos in this one?! :) -and one of my all time favourite Spirituals by composer Moses Hogan, to name just a few. 

I'm eagerly awaiting our departure tomorrow afternoon for Ennis, and for those of you too far away to attend the gigs- have no fear- my trusty sidekick is going to be recording both events in HD, so check back soon to watch some new video clips in the coming days, of the'Pitches be Crazy' tour! Now, are we there yet...? ;)

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A Marvelous Manic March

8/4/2013

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Manic March it was, but also Marvelous!

March was a very busy, wonderfully awesome month. Out in Mitchelstown our Easter Concert went over a treat- standing room only on the day! I couldn't believe how packed the Mitchelstown School of Music was for the concert & wine reception.

There was a lovely line-up of performers: pianists (the youngest was turning five the next day!), violinists, drummers, guitarists, and my own amazing singers & the Music Makers Junior Choir who finished the show with a sneak-peek of their Disney Menagerie, who received a roaring applause! There was so much excitement from the kids & young adults who participated and their very proud parents & community, the teachers & staff of the school (myself included) couldn't have been more thrilled with the performances on the day! The pride I felt watching two of my younger singers up on stage sing so beautifully was overwhelming (there were tears in her Mum's eyes!!) and my Music Makers were absolutely above and beyond brilliant (they're always so prepared and tons of fun to work with!) Well done again to all involved! :•)

Keep posted for more information on the school's next concert coming up the weekend of June 15th which will be 'Stepping into Summer' a Voice Studio showcase featuring our Vocal Tuition students, the Music Makers Junior Choir, & the debut of the Mitchelstown Adult Choir all accompanied by the amazingly talented pianist & repetituer Mr. Thomas Doyle! This show is not to be missed, so stay tuned for more details!

My Introduction to Singing & Intermediate Singing courses out in Bishopstown on Wednesday evenings finished up at the end of the month as well, and it was wonderful to see how much progress each student in both classes had made after 8 weeks in the course- the confidence, poise, & sound of each one vastly improved from week one to week eight & it was so thrilling to see each student grow over the (what seemed to fly by!) eight weeks.

The lovely ladies of my Intermediate Course took me out for a celebratory drink after class where we chatted about all things singing, musical, & ourselves- what a delight every one of them are! It was so surprising when I received some lovely gifts for being a 'great teacher!' (I felt so honored that my students would want to thank me for the experience they had in my class - what a brilliant feeling! I received a beautiful thank-you card and two porcelain mugs with roses & music notes (use them all the time now!), some gorgeous smelling Tahitian Coconut oil (actually brought back from when my student went on holiday!), and a lovely bottle of wine- thank you ladies all so much for your thoughtfulness.

I'm so looking forward to seeing my former students from both classes in the Bishopstown Community School Choir that will be starting up in September 2013 (fingers crossed!) with yours truly conducting! It is always the best compliment when students say, 'I'm so sad class is over, and I want to keep going, what else are you doing so I can keep learning with you?'

It feels like March ended on a very high note (pardon the pun!) and April is looking very good..... except for this silly cold windy-rain..... Wrap up warm everyone, and keep those singing voices healthy!! :-)
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March was a great month - lucky indeed!
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    Serena Standley, Soprano
    Cork, Ireland

    I grew up in little town east of San Francisco, California and somehow found myself in Ireland. Having settled here in Cork, I find myself captivated by the beauty of Ireland and its people. Singing is my passion and it brings me great joy to share a small part of myself with my audience each time I sing. There is something so powerful about music. I find nothing more satisfying than the applause at the end of a good performance and teaching others how to reach their performance potential!

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