Grand Central Chorus

As we get to the end of October, members of Grand Central can look back on a month where we couldn’t have fitted more in if we tried.

The weekend of the 3-5 October saw about 25 singers plus their wives and partners visit Sligo for the Irish Barbershop Convention where we were placed 4th in a highly talented field. We were all thrilled when Retro, won the bronze medal in the quartet event - all four members being singers with Grand Central. We enjoyed the hospitality (and the Guinness), got wet more than once when it poured on Saturday, and enjoyed the sunshine (and the Guinness) on the seafront on Sunday lunchtime.

The following weekend was the Quartet Prelims with various chorus members involved with their respective quartets.

One week later, 18 October, and it was time for Harmony Junction - the Loughborough Show. Crossroads topped the bill and it was easy to see and hear why this talented quartet won the silver medal at the International Convention in Nashville in the summer.  And it just got better…

On Sunday 19 October, following the Saturday show, the chorus had a full day rehearsal coached by Crossroads. Jim Henry took the lead role and  we all experienced the teaching skills of this highly talented barbershop educator.

One week later, and a small chorus took to the streets of Long Eaton on Saturday morning to sing and publicise our upcoming Open Evening. The cold wind blew and it tried to rain, but a “good time was had by all” especially when we retired to one of the local pubs to warm up.

And finally we had our open evening when we welcomed several visitors to our regular Wednesday night rehearsal. New faces, and familiar faces who we hadn’t seen for a while, joined us on the risers to learn a tag or two, and we sang some repertoire to entertain our visitors.

If despite all this activity you still haven’t seen us sing, why don’t you watch a video?

(Hopefully there will be a few photos of the above events before too long)

That is, ordinary men from all walks of life who enjoy singing. Many of us didn’t know if we could sing or not until we came along to a rehearsal and “had a go” so why not visit us one Wednesday night and find out more.

Or…….this Saturday, 25 October, we will be out and about in Long Eaton town centre. If you have no idea what a modern barbershop chorus is about, you will have the opportunity to hear us sing and have a chat about getting involved. We expect to be in the centre of Long Eaton or at the local supermarkets between 12 and 2 so keep your eyes and ears open if you are in town that day.

Alternatively, come along to our rehearsal at 7.15 pm on Wednesday 29 October when we expect to welcome several newcomers to an introductory rehearsal at Harrington School, Derby Road, Long Eaton, Nottingham, NG10 4BQ.

Not only is 18 October the day of the much anticipated Harmony Junction show in the evening at Loughborough Town Hall, but following the recent TV programme, “Last Choir Standing” there has been an explosion of interest in learning close harmony singing. So we are organising a youth workshop on close harmony singing for 14 to 25 year olds. This will be run at Loughborough Town Hall on Saturday 18th October, from 10am to 4pm.

The youth workshop is completely free of charge, and is open to both male and female voices. It will run from 10am to 4pm, during which students will learn a complete song. At 4pm there will be a free concert for everyone to attend. This will enable workshop attendees to try out their new skills, and will also feature special guest acts, including a top quartet from the USA, and the current British quartet champions ‘Monkey Magic’.

Follow the Youth Workshop link on the right to enrol…

Once again Grand Central are delighted to present the annual show at Loughborough Town Hall on Saturday 18 October. For the third year running a top American barbershop quartet will top the bill in the Loughborough show, which has sold out in previous years.

Crossroads Quartet

The “Harmony Junction” show will feature, for the first time in the UK, Crossroads - runners up at this year’s International Barbershop Convention.

They will be supported by Monkey Magic, 2008 UK Gold Medalist quartet, and the Grand Central Chorus - 4 x UK Gold Medal Chorus Champions.

Also appearing are the young ladies from the LABBS Youth Chorus - The Ivy League - and the “lads” from the National Youth Barbershop Chorus.

It promises to be a fantastic night of unaccompanied singing so please buy your tickets as soon as possible because we expect tickets to sell out. They are available now from Loughborough Town Hall or from Grand Central Chorus members

We’re back - well almost! At Grand Central Chorus we’ve decided to change our site over to more of a blog style so it can be more informal in style and easily updated. While the majority of the work will still be down to me (Big Mike - webmaster and bass), this new style of site will mean that others, e.g., our energetic and talented young director Zac Booles, will be able to contribute with posts quickly and easily from time to time.

Why do i say “almost back?” Because it’s going to take time to add content and provide the information that you would hope to find on the website of one of the country’s most successful Barbershop Choruses. Please be patient while we add details of our shows and rehearsals in particular, and also continue to add photos, audio tracks and contest results to name just a few.