News and Notices

Join the Choir School of Delaware weekly for a live web series on their Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages for intimate conversations with choral leaders. Choir School choristers and staff will interview prominent choral conductors, composers, and singers on topics including career and educational paths, favorite choral works, and more! 

Graduating seniors, or any students who are missing the inspiration of music and poetry, might enjoy the gift of this text, which was used by Randall Thompson for a 1973 commission for the 10th Anniversary of a girl’s school in Connecticut, as part of a celebration devoted to “The Challenge of Excellence.” The music is available from ECS. The text delivers a powerful message of its own, especially for these times.

A HYMN FOR SCHOLARS AND PUPILS

Though knowledge must be got with pain,
And seemeth bitter at the root,
It brings, at last, a matchless gain,
And yieldeth forth most pleasant fruit.
It is the richest kind of trim
That noble persons can put on;
It reason keeps from growing dim;
It sets a lustre there upon,
And raiseth princes now and then,
Out of the lowest ranks of men.

But such as do this gem neglect,
Or seek it not when they are young,
Grow old in years without respect
And perish in the vulgar throng.
When others rise they then are still;
They see no choice ‘twixt good and ill;
And that which best commends their state,
Is they repent when ’tis too late.

We therefore now do sing thy praise
And give thee thanks, thrice blessed Lord,
That thou in these our youthful days,
The means of knowledge dost afford.

Vouchsafe us, therefore, so much grace
As to endeavor that we may
Whilst we have leisure, means and space
And wits, to bear this prize away,
Be pleas’d likewise to reason so
The knowledge which we shall attain,
That puffed up we may not grow,
Nor fooled be with science vain,
But let our chief endeavor be
To know ourselves, thy will and thee. Amen.
— George Wither (1588-1667)

Following the success of the last two week’s Q&A sessions, Michael is back this week with some guests who will join the conversation and answer your questions.
As always, Michael is honest and genuine in his response, which are always interesting and thought provoking.

Play It Forward, created by founding artistic director Dr Jonathon Welch AM, is excited to announce the upcoming launch of Permission to Shine, which will be a true celebration of voice.

“We have really embraced the opportunity to take our programs online and present this exciting new style of singing competition! It doesn’t matter where you are in the world or what type of music you like to sing, pop or folk, blues, hip hop, music theatre or classical – there will be something for everyone of all ages to get involved in!” said Jonathon.

The Play It Forward team have been working very hard to engage a wide variety of people in our arts programs during these difficult times and we are so very excited to share Permission to Shine with you all.

Register your interest now to receive our newsletter at our website
http://www.playitforward.org.au/shine

Watch this space, we will be releasing further details about the competition and how to take part soon! All funds raised will go towards Play It Forward’s inclusive arts projects and programs.

We can’t wait to tell you more very soon, so make sure you sign up for more details now.

Hi there! Hope you are staying safe and well… We’ve launched a new project that we hope you, or someone you know, might be interested in getting involved in, so please spread the word!

Here are details of how to get involved in our ‘Summer Song Series’ project – a project for fellow musicians who would like the opportunity to perform and record whilst being unable to do so publicly in concerts or recitals due to the current circumstances. We have over 20 songs in our catalogue, the tunes of which can largely be sung by almost any voice part or played by any solo instrument …. but it is imperative that the accompaniment for all the songs is played on the piano since the arrangements are written specifically for it.

Details of the songs can be found on our website via this link https://www.timknightmusic.com/choral-and-vocal-music?Voicing=Vocal%20%2F%20Solo%20Voice and, in return for a good quality recording (just audio will do in an mp3 format or suitable format for Youtube), we will send you a FREE PDF copy of your chosen song choice for your use only. We can send sample first pages of the songs to help you decide whether they are suitable for you. So, please just get in touch at and tell us what pieces you would like to see!

PS… We would ask that, once in receipt of the free PDF, a usable recording is produced as soon as possible thereafter and at least within one month. We reserve the right to charge £2.00 per song if a recording is not forthcoming thereafter.

I had a question for everyone. For many of us choristers, the choir season is quickly winding down as we head into summer and anticipate a very uncertain fall season. My own choir is currently looking at what we can do for next fall besides doing Zoom rehearsals.

I would like to discuss the possibility and feasibility of using UV light during music rehearsals and possibly at concerts. There has been serious consideration in many respected medical circles about using UV light to possibly stop the spread of Covid 19. This idea is based on previous medical research showing that UV light won’t kill a virus like Covid 19 if someone already has it, but UV light will stop the airborne spread of a virus like Covid 19 and prevent it from attaching to new hosts.

As some of you may or may not know, using UV lighting has been used for years in many industrial and medical facilities to sanitize packages and equipment to stop the spread of various types of viruses and other airborne illnesses. As previously stated, it is strongly believed that Covid 19 is also susceptible to UV light. There are, however, some serious radiation concerns with UV lighting that are currently being addressed by medical researchers. To use UV lighting in a rehearsal or at a concert, I would suggest that the ACDA start consulting very soon with medical researchers to determine how much UV lighting would be safely required to get sufficient coverage in a room for the UV lighting to be effective.

I understand that ACDA recently had a major meeting to discuss how choirs can still function during a pandemic. Did any of the medical advisers at this meeting bring up the use of UV lighting or even considered how it could be safely used in a rehearsal or performance setting? If not, I think it should seriously be looked as part of the solution we need to implement in preparation for next fall? As crazy as it sounds, this may be part of our new musical environment for the next few years.

I would be very much interested in getting input on this topic from all concerned, especially medical staff and even leadership from ACDA?