Here (a day late) is my blog. All I can say is that Friday was a busy day, with no internet! I was fortunate to be able to attend my daughter Bella's class assembly on Friday morning. Each class takes its turn to present something to the other classes in the Pre-Prep part of the school, and this time it was on the subject of "ourselves." I've never before been able to make it to one of these occasions, as we're usually on tour, so watching Bella and her friends speak, sing and play instruments was a wonderful moment for me. Hearing how they're developing as children and learning about the world around them reminds me of the process Julian is going through with the KS. It might seem like an odd analogy, but joining this group means throwing a lot of what you've already learned our of the window, and starting from scratch. Each joining member already has a strong track record of choral singing, of course, but if the KS simply sang like any other ensemble we wouldn't be successful. There's something unique about the way our sound is put together, balanced, blended and (above all) poised to be delivered in the best way, no matter the acoustics or style of music. I've been thinking about this a lot recently - you have to, when you're trying to describe to a new member exactly how to slot into the sound. What are we trying to teach Jules to do? For me it's really the sense of poise that counts the most. Waiting after each note is blown for the "golden moment" at which it's best to turn the silence into sound. Knowing at the end of each phrase how to "feel" the release of the chord, when to work with the soundless gaps in order to keep the music flowing yet allow a pause, and how to sink into each chord perfectly in terms of balance and blend. Really, what we do on-stage is the same as the post-production mixing process that gives the results you hear on recordings. The difference, and the key skill, is in doing this as a live process. It involves constant adjustments and re-adjustments of balance within the six voices, ensuring the right voice is prominent in each phrase and applying the right amount of weight to each note in a complex chord to get the perfect balance. That's what most ensembles can't do. And that's what we're teaching Julian to do.
Here (a day late) is my blog. All I can say is that Friday was a busy day, with no internet! I was fortunate to be able to attend my daughter Bella's class assembly on Friday morning. Each class takes its turn to present something to the other classes in the Pre-Prep part of the school, and this time it was on the subject of "ourselves." I've never before been able to make it to one of these occasions, as we're usually on tour, so watching Bella and her friends speak, sing and play instruments was a wonderful moment for me. Hearing how they're developing as children and learning about the world around them reminds me of the process Julian is going through with the KS. It might seem like an odd analogy, but joining this group means throwing a lot of what you've already learned our of the window, and starting from scratch. Each joining member already has a strong track record of choral singing, of course, but if the KS simply sang like any other ensemble we wouldn't be successful. There's something unique about the way our sound is put together, balanced, blended and (above all) poised to be delivered in the best way, no matter the acoustics or style of music. I've been thinking about this a lot recently - you have to, when you're trying to describe to a new member exactly how to slot into the sound. What are we trying to teach Jules to do? For me it's really the sense of poise that counts the most. Waiting after each note is blown for the "golden moment" at which it's best to turn the silence into sound. Knowing at the end of each phrase how to "feel" the release of the chord, when to work with the soundless gaps in order to keep the music flowing yet allow a pause, and how to sink into each chord perfectly in terms of balance and blend. Really, what we do on-stage is the same as the post-production mixing process that gives the results you hear on recordings. The difference, and the key skill, is in doing this as a live process. It involves constant adjustments and re-adjustments of balance within the six voices, ensuring the right voice is prominent in each phrase and applying the right amount of weight to each note in a complex chord to get the perfect balance. That's what most ensembles can't do. And that's what we're teaching Julian to do.
Here (a day late) is my blog. All I can say is that Friday was a busy day, with no internet! I was fortunate to be able to attend my daughter Bella's class assembly on Friday morning. Each class takes its turn to present something to the other classes in the Pre-Prep part of the school, and this time it was on the subject of "ourselves." I've never before been able to make it to one of these occasions, as we're usually on tour, so watching Bella and her friends speak, sing and play instruments was a wonderful moment for me. Hearing how they're developing as children and learning about the world around them reminds me of the process Julian is going through with the KS. It might seem like an odd analogy, but joining this group means throwing a lot of what you've already learned our of the window, and starting from scratch. Each joining member already has a strong track record of choral singing, of course, but if the KS simply sang like any other ensemble we wouldn't be successful. There's something unique about the way our sound is put together, balanced, blended and (above all) poised to be delivered in the best way, no matter the acoustics or style of music. I've been thinking about this a lot recently - you have to, when you're trying to describe to a new member exactly how to slot into the sound. What are we trying to teach Jules to do? For me it's really the sense of poise that counts the most. Waiting after each note is blown for the "golden moment" at which it's best to turn the silence into sound. Knowing at the end of each phrase how to "feel" the release of the chord, when to work with the soundless gaps in order to keep the music flowing yet allow a pause, and how to sink into each chord perfectly in terms of balance and blend. Really, what we do on-stage is the same as the post-production mixing process that gives the results you hear on recordings. The difference, and the key skill, is in doing this as a live process. It involves constant adjustments and re-adjustments of balance within the six voices, ensuring the right voice is prominent in each phrase and applying the right amount of weight to each note in a complex chord to get the perfect balance. That's what most ensembles can't do. And that's what we're teaching Julian to do.
Here (a day late) is my blog. All I can say is that Friday was a busy day, with no internet! I was fortunate to be able to attend my daughter Bella's class assembly on Friday morning. Each class takes its turn to present something to the other classes in the Pre-Prep part of the school, and this time it was on the subject of "ourselves." I've never before been able to make it to one of these occasions, as we're usually on tour, so watching Bella and her friends speak, sing and play instruments was a wonderful moment for me. Hearing how they're developing as children and learning about the world around them reminds me of the process Julian is going through with the KS. It might seem like an odd analogy, but joining this group means throwing a lot of what you've already learned our of the window, and starting from scratch. Each joining member already has a strong track record of choral singing, of course, but if the KS simply sang like any other ensemble we wouldn't be successful. There's something unique about the way our sound is put together, balanced, blended and (above all) poised to be delivered in the best way, no matter the acoustics or style of music. I've been thinking about this a lot recently - you have to, when you're trying to describe to a new member exactly how to slot into the sound. What are we trying to teach Jules to do? For me it's really the sense of poise that counts the most. Waiting after each note is blown for the "golden moment" at which it's best to turn the silence into sound. Knowing at the end of each phrase how to "feel" the release of the chord, when to work with the soundless gaps in order to keep the music flowing yet allow a pause, and how to sink into each chord perfectly in terms of balance and blend. Really, what we do on-stage is the same as the post-production mixing process that gives the results you hear on recordings. The difference, and the key skill, is in doing this as a live process. It involves constant adjustments and re-adjustments of balance within the six voices, ensuring the right voice is prominent in each phrase and applying the right amount of weight to each note in a complex chord to get the perfect balance. That's what most ensembles can't do. And that's what we're teaching Julian to do.
Here (a day late) is my blog. All I can say is that Friday was a busy day, with no internet! I was fortunate to be able to attend my daughter Bella's class assembly on Friday morning. Each class takes its turn to present something to the other classes in the Pre-Prep part of the school, and this time it was on the subject of "ourselves." I've never before been able to make it to one of these occasions, as we're usually on tour, so watching Bella and her friends speak, sing and play instruments was a wonderful moment for me. Hearing how they're developing as children and learning about the world around them reminds me of the process Julian is going through with the KS. It might seem like an odd analogy, but joining this group means throwing a lot of what you've already learned our of the window, and starting from scratch. Each joining member already has a strong track record of choral singing, of course, but if the KS simply sang like any other ensemble we wouldn't be successful. There's something unique about the way our sound is put together, balanced, blended and (above all) poised to be delivered in the best way, no matter the acoustics or style of music. I've been thinking about this a lot recently - you have to, when you're trying to describe to a new member exactly how to slot into the sound. What are we trying to teach Jules to do? For me it's really the sense of poise that counts the most. Waiting after each note is blown for the "golden moment" at which it's best to turn the silence into sound. Knowing at the end of each phrase how to "feel" the release of the chord, when to work with the soundless gaps in order to keep the music flowing yet allow a pause, and how to sink into each chord perfectly in terms of balance and blend. Really, what we do on-stage is the same as the post-production mixing process that gives the results you hear on recordings. The difference, and the key skill, is in doing this as a live process. It involves constant adjustments and re-adjustments of balance within the six voices, ensuring the right voice is prominent in each phrase and applying the right amount of weight to each note in a complex chord to get the perfect balance. That's what most ensembles can't do. And that's what we're teaching Julian to do.
Here (a day late) is my blog. All I can say is that Friday was a busy day, with no internet! I was fortunate to be able to attend my daughter Bella's class assembly on Friday morning. Each class takes its turn to present something to the other classes in the Pre-Prep part of the school, and this time it was on the subject of "ourselves." I've never before been able to make it to one of these occasions, as we're usually on tour, so watching Bella and her friends speak, sing and play instruments was a wonderful moment for me. Hearing how they're developing as children and learning about the world around them reminds me of the process Julian is going through with the KS. It might seem like an odd analogy, but joining this group means throwing a lot of what you've already learned our of the window, and starting from scratch. Each joining member already has a strong track record of choral singing, of course, but if the KS simply sang like any other ensemble we wouldn't be successful. There's something unique about the way our sound is put together, balanced, blended and (above all) poised to be delivered in the best way, no matter the acoustics or style of music. I've been thinking about this a lot recently - you have to, when you're trying to describe to a new member exactly how to slot into the sound. What are we trying to teach Jules to do? For me it's really the sense of poise that counts the most. Waiting after each note is blown for the "golden moment" at which it's best to turn the silence into sound. Knowing at the end of each phrase how to "feel" the release of the chord, when to work with the soundless gaps in order to keep the music flowing yet allow a pause, and how to sink into each chord perfectly in terms of balance and blend. Really, what we do on-stage is the same as the post-production mixing process that gives the results you hear on recordings. The difference, and the key skill, is in doing this as a live process. It involves constant adjustments and re-adjustments of balance within the six voices, ensuring the right voice is prominent in each phrase and applying the right amount of weight to each note in a complex chord to get the perfect balance. That's what most ensembles can't do. And that's what we're teaching Julian to do.
Here (a day late) is my blog. All I can say is that Friday was a busy day, with no internet! I was fortunate to be able to attend my daughter Bella's class assembly on Friday morning. Each class takes its turn to present something to the other classes in the Pre-Prep part of the school, and this time it was on the subject of "ourselves." I've never before been able to make it to one of these occasions, as we're usually on tour, so watching Bella and her friends speak, sing and play instruments was a wonderful moment for me. Hearing how they're developing as children and learning about the world around them reminds me of the process Julian is going through with the KS. It might seem like an odd analogy, but joining this group means throwing a lot of what you've already learned our of the window, and starting from scratch. Each joining member already has a strong track record of choral singing, of course, but if the KS simply sang like any other ensemble we wouldn't be successful. There's something unique about the way our sound is put together, balanced, blended and (above all) poised to be delivered in the best way, no matter the acoustics or style of music. I've been thinking about this a lot recently - you have to, when you're trying to describe to a new member exactly how to slot into the sound. What are we trying to teach Jules to do? For me it's really the sense of poise that counts the most. Waiting after each note is blown for the "golden moment" at which it's best to turn the silence into sound. Knowing at the end of each phrase how to "feel" the release of the chord, when to work with the soundless gaps in order to keep the music flowing yet allow a pause, and how to sink into each chord perfectly in terms of balance and blend. Really, what we do on-stage is the same as the post-production mixing process that gives the results you hear on recordings. The difference, and the key skill, is in doing this as a live process. It involves constant adjustments and re-adjustments of balance within the six voices, ensuring the right voice is prominent in each phrase and applying the right amount of weight to each note in a complex chord to get the perfect balance. That's what most ensembles can't do. And that's what we're teaching Julian to do.
