Last night (Thursday) we performed our first concert in Germany with orchestral Great American Songbook repertoire, and it reminded me that when I first joined the KS we only ever used microphones when in this situation - with an orchestra behind us. Makes sense, really, as there's no way our six voices could blend and match 80 musicians all playing away behind us, but it was a real shock at my second ever KS concert (in Milwaukee) when I had to get used to using a microphone!We're much better at it these days, in no small part because we've performed so many Great American Songbook concerts using amplification and had a little coaching along the way - most notably from the wonderful Carrie Grant, who also helped us with stagecraft for the show. The key for us is that we sing in exactly the same way as without microphones; the blend, balance and sound is the same principle, and the amplification is there just to boost things rather than mask anything bad that's going on.Some of our purist fans have not taken well to this new project, but the majority have enjoyed experiencing something new from the KS. After nearly 50 years, it's important that we try to push boundaries and present new experiences to audiences, and whilst we'll always remain true to our roots with good, mixed programmes of renaissance, romantic and contemporary music (with plenty of other things in between!). There was something really fresh and liberating about taking a new concept, having brand-new arrangements made, putting a show together with lights and stage movements, and deciding to present it with microphones to add to the flexibility. Having performed over 50 shows with that programme, I'm now really enjoying going back to the Renaissance music - including (tomorrow) Adrien Willaert's incredible motet "Ave virgo, sponsa dei."As I've said countless times before, it's that kind of variety that makes this job unique. With what other group could you be on-stage with an orchestra in a sell-out jazz concert one night, and experiencing the acoustics of a beautiful church the next, singing a true masterpiece 500 years after its composition? It's a wonderful life...
Last night (Thursday) we performed our first concert in Germany with orchestral Great American Songbook repertoire, and it reminded me that when I first joined the KS we only ever used microphones when in this situation - with an orchestra behind us. Makes sense, really, as there's no way our six voices could blend and match 80 musicians all playing away behind us, but it was a real shock at my second ever KS concert (in Milwaukee) when I had to get used to using a microphone!We're much better at it these days, in no small part because we've performed so many Great American Songbook concerts using amplification and had a little coaching along the way - most notably from the wonderful Carrie Grant, who also helped us with stagecraft for the show. The key for us is that we sing in exactly the same way as without microphones; the blend, balance and sound is the same principle, and the amplification is there just to boost things rather than mask anything bad that's going on.Some of our purist fans have not taken well to this new project, but the majority have enjoyed experiencing something new from the KS. After nearly 50 years, it's important that we try to push boundaries and present new experiences to audiences, and whilst we'll always remain true to our roots with good, mixed programmes of renaissance, romantic and contemporary music (with plenty of other things in between!). There was something really fresh and liberating about taking a new concept, having brand-new arrangements made, putting a show together with lights and stage movements, and deciding to present it with microphones to add to the flexibility. Having performed over 50 shows with that programme, I'm now really enjoying going back to the Renaissance music - including (tomorrow) Adrien Willaert's incredible motet "Ave virgo, sponsa dei."As I've said countless times before, it's that kind of variety that makes this job unique. With what other group could you be on-stage with an orchestra in a sell-out jazz concert one night, and experiencing the acoustics of a beautiful church the next, singing a true masterpiece 500 years after its composition? It's a wonderful life...
Last night (Thursday) we performed our first concert in Germany with orchestral Great American Songbook repertoire, and it reminded me that when I first joined the KS we only ever used microphones when in this situation - with an orchestra behind us. Makes sense, really, as there's no way our six voices could blend and match 80 musicians all playing away behind us, but it was a real shock at my second ever KS concert (in Milwaukee) when I had to get used to using a microphone!We're much better at it these days, in no small part because we've performed so many Great American Songbook concerts using amplification and had a little coaching along the way - most notably from the wonderful Carrie Grant, who also helped us with stagecraft for the show. The key for us is that we sing in exactly the same way as without microphones; the blend, balance and sound is the same principle, and the amplification is there just to boost things rather than mask anything bad that's going on.Some of our purist fans have not taken well to this new project, but the majority have enjoyed experiencing something new from the KS. After nearly 50 years, it's important that we try to push boundaries and present new experiences to audiences, and whilst we'll always remain true to our roots with good, mixed programmes of renaissance, romantic and contemporary music (with plenty of other things in between!). There was something really fresh and liberating about taking a new concept, having brand-new arrangements made, putting a show together with lights and stage movements, and deciding to present it with microphones to add to the flexibility. Having performed over 50 shows with that programme, I'm now really enjoying going back to the Renaissance music - including (tomorrow) Adrien Willaert's incredible motet "Ave virgo, sponsa dei."As I've said countless times before, it's that kind of variety that makes this job unique. With what other group could you be on-stage with an orchestra in a sell-out jazz concert one night, and experiencing the acoustics of a beautiful church the next, singing a true masterpiece 500 years after its composition? It's a wonderful life...
Last night (Thursday) we performed our first concert in Germany with orchestral Great American Songbook repertoire, and it reminded me that when I first joined the KS we only ever used microphones when in this situation - with an orchestra behind us. Makes sense, really, as there's no way our six voices could blend and match 80 musicians all playing away behind us, but it was a real shock at my second ever KS concert (in Milwaukee) when I had to get used to using a microphone!We're much better at it these days, in no small part because we've performed so many Great American Songbook concerts using amplification and had a little coaching along the way - most notably from the wonderful Carrie Grant, who also helped us with stagecraft for the show. The key for us is that we sing in exactly the same way as without microphones; the blend, balance and sound is the same principle, and the amplification is there just to boost things rather than mask anything bad that's going on.Some of our purist fans have not taken well to this new project, but the majority have enjoyed experiencing something new from the KS. After nearly 50 years, it's important that we try to push boundaries and present new experiences to audiences, and whilst we'll always remain true to our roots with good, mixed programmes of renaissance, romantic and contemporary music (with plenty of other things in between!). There was something really fresh and liberating about taking a new concept, having brand-new arrangements made, putting a show together with lights and stage movements, and deciding to present it with microphones to add to the flexibility. Having performed over 50 shows with that programme, I'm now really enjoying going back to the Renaissance music - including (tomorrow) Adrien Willaert's incredible motet "Ave virgo, sponsa dei."As I've said countless times before, it's that kind of variety that makes this job unique. With what other group could you be on-stage with an orchestra in a sell-out jazz concert one night, and experiencing the acoustics of a beautiful church the next, singing a true masterpiece 500 years after its composition? It's a wonderful life...
Last night (Thursday) we performed our first concert in Germany with orchestral Great American Songbook repertoire, and it reminded me that when I first joined the KS we only ever used microphones when in this situation - with an orchestra behind us. Makes sense, really, as there's no way our six voices could blend and match 80 musicians all playing away behind us, but it was a real shock at my second ever KS concert (in Milwaukee) when I had to get used to using a microphone!We're much better at it these days, in no small part because we've performed so many Great American Songbook concerts using amplification and had a little coaching along the way - most notably from the wonderful Carrie Grant, who also helped us with stagecraft for the show. The key for us is that we sing in exactly the same way as without microphones; the blend, balance and sound is the same principle, and the amplification is there just to boost things rather than mask anything bad that's going on.Some of our purist fans have not taken well to this new project, but the majority have enjoyed experiencing something new from the KS. After nearly 50 years, it's important that we try to push boundaries and present new experiences to audiences, and whilst we'll always remain true to our roots with good, mixed programmes of renaissance, romantic and contemporary music (with plenty of other things in between!). There was something really fresh and liberating about taking a new concept, having brand-new arrangements made, putting a show together with lights and stage movements, and deciding to present it with microphones to add to the flexibility. Having performed over 50 shows with that programme, I'm now really enjoying going back to the Renaissance music - including (tomorrow) Adrien Willaert's incredible motet "Ave virgo, sponsa dei."As I've said countless times before, it's that kind of variety that makes this job unique. With what other group could you be on-stage with an orchestra in a sell-out jazz concert one night, and experiencing the acoustics of a beautiful church the next, singing a true masterpiece 500 years after its composition? It's a wonderful life...
Last night (Thursday) we performed our first concert in Germany with orchestral Great American Songbook repertoire, and it reminded me that when I first joined the KS we only ever used microphones when in this situation - with an orchestra behind us. Makes sense, really, as there's no way our six voices could blend and match 80 musicians all playing away behind us, but it was a real shock at my second ever KS concert (in Milwaukee) when I had to get used to using a microphone!We're much better at it these days, in no small part because we've performed so many Great American Songbook concerts using amplification and had a little coaching along the way - most notably from the wonderful Carrie Grant, who also helped us with stagecraft for the show. The key for us is that we sing in exactly the same way as without microphones; the blend, balance and sound is the same principle, and the amplification is there just to boost things rather than mask anything bad that's going on.Some of our purist fans have not taken well to this new project, but the majority have enjoyed experiencing something new from the KS. After nearly 50 years, it's important that we try to push boundaries and present new experiences to audiences, and whilst we'll always remain true to our roots with good, mixed programmes of renaissance, romantic and contemporary music (with plenty of other things in between!). There was something really fresh and liberating about taking a new concept, having brand-new arrangements made, putting a show together with lights and stage movements, and deciding to present it with microphones to add to the flexibility. Having performed over 50 shows with that programme, I'm now really enjoying going back to the Renaissance music - including (tomorrow) Adrien Willaert's incredible motet "Ave virgo, sponsa dei."As I've said countless times before, it's that kind of variety that makes this job unique. With what other group could you be on-stage with an orchestra in a sell-out jazz concert one night, and experiencing the acoustics of a beautiful church the next, singing a true masterpiece 500 years after its composition? It's a wonderful life...
Last night (Thursday) we performed our first concert in Germany with orchestral Great American Songbook repertoire, and it reminded me that when I first joined the KS we only ever used microphones when in this situation - with an orchestra behind us. Makes sense, really, as there's no way our six voices could blend and match 80 musicians all playing away behind us, but it was a real shock at my second ever KS concert (in Milwaukee) when I had to get used to using a microphone!We're much better at it these days, in no small part because we've performed so many Great American Songbook concerts using amplification and had a little coaching along the way - most notably from the wonderful Carrie Grant, who also helped us with stagecraft for the show. The key for us is that we sing in exactly the same way as without microphones; the blend, balance and sound is the same principle, and the amplification is there just to boost things rather than mask anything bad that's going on.Some of our purist fans have not taken well to this new project, but the majority have enjoyed experiencing something new from the KS. After nearly 50 years, it's important that we try to push boundaries and present new experiences to audiences, and whilst we'll always remain true to our roots with good, mixed programmes of renaissance, romantic and contemporary music (with plenty of other things in between!). There was something really fresh and liberating about taking a new concept, having brand-new arrangements made, putting a show together with lights and stage movements, and deciding to present it with microphones to add to the flexibility. Having performed over 50 shows with that programme, I'm now really enjoying going back to the Renaissance music - including (tomorrow) Adrien Willaert's incredible motet "Ave virgo, sponsa dei."As I've said countless times before, it's that kind of variety that makes this job unique. With what other group could you be on-stage with an orchestra in a sell-out jazz concert one night, and experiencing the acoustics of a beautiful church the next, singing a true masterpiece 500 years after its composition? It's a wonderful life...
