The Big Sing
Bristol Old Vic Artistic Director, Nancy Medina, invites Bristol to come together for a community choir day inspired by our upcoming production of Choir Boy!
Whether you have a passion for singing or want to move on from singing in the shower, everyone is invited to join in with The Big Sing!
Inspired by Nancy’s first production, Choir Boy, Bristol Old Vic is pulling together a 200-strong choir from across the city, to blow the roof off the theatre, and sing songs from the show at the end of the day-long event.
There will be different workshops taking place throughout the day, all exploring the powerful ways singing can bring people together, create joy and nourish the soul.
The Big Sing is completely free to attend and for people of all ages, who have some experience of choirs or individual singing. Pre-booking is recommended to secure your spot!
Led by Choir Boy’s musical director, Femi Temowo, the day will include guest performances by local choirs, workshops led by local voice specialists, and presentations by national experts.
In Bristol there are over 100 choirs currently running – which is a huge number for a city of this size. Everything from Barbershop to Blues – and people joining in for a variety of reasons: the extraordinary health benefits, the connection to others, a love of the music or the joy felt when you join your voice together with hundreds more.
The workshops
For the below workshops, attendees must visit the welcome desk in the foyer on arrival to sign up.
Singing for Wellbeing | Coopers' Hall, 13:30 & 14:20pm
Led by Orgena Rose, SingOut Bristol
Orgena Rose is a powerhouse vocalist, composer, producer, and TV host who has appeared on various stage including Carnegie Hall, Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage, Oprah, the BBC and many more. She has worked with top companies such as Disney, Universal, and Sony and has appeared in numerous TV commercials and movies where her original music is featured. She has opened for artists such as Elton John, Blondie and Sophie Ellis Bexter and sung with artists such as Patti Labelle, Lea Michele and Audra McDonald. Orgena Rose has over 25 years of experience in the arts and is a renowned singing for wellbeing coach. She has inspired hundreds of thousands of people with her Keynote Concerts, Singshops, and Rose Voice MethodTM at colleges, universities, organizations, and with choirs around the world since 1993.
Technique and blending | Rehearsal Room, 13:30 & 14:20pm
Led by Jonathan Grosberg, Some Voices Bristol
Jonathan graduated with First-Class Honours from the University of Kent with a BA in English and Drama in 2013. As part of this he spent a year at Penn State University in Pennsylvania specialising in directing.
Since then he has enjoyed varied experience in the arts as a performer, composer, musical director, choir leader and vocal coach. Adding an extra string to his bow, Jonathan undertook the MFA in ‘Professional Voice Studies’ at BOVTS, and wrote his dissertation on how musical ear training could be used with acting students.
Career highlights include teaching Musical Theatre students at Mountview Academy in Peckham, taking his choirs to the legendary Abbey Road studios to record and, backed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, performing a solo in front of 40,000 people at Hyde Park for Proms in the Park. Recently, Jonathan worked as a vocal coach for the CBBC show ‘The Beaker Girls’.
Creative Arrangements | Clore Learning Studio, 13:30 & 14:20pm
Led by Chloe May Thurlow, Bristol Old Vic Community Choir
Chloe Thurlow is a performer and composer, who leads and arranges for Bristol Old Vic Community Choir. Recently she composed for Orpheus and Eurydice, and conducted the choir who sang live in every show. She is also musical director at Eat The Wolf, and spends her free time writing comedy songs and cooking. Chloe is leading a workshop about writing creative arrangements for choirs, looking into different genres of music to find inspiration, and utilising diverse voices.
The Songs That Take You Home
Alongside The Big Sing, Bristol Old Vic is asking people to share the one special song that takes them home. What is the track that connects you to the generation that went before? What song transports you back to a special moment in your life, or a place or person that’s special for you? What’s the music that matters to you and gives you that sense of belonging?
We’d love to know and celebrate that with you. Just send the song title and artist (if you have it) and we’ll create a playlist from these musical memories to run at Bristol Old Vic throughout the run of Choir Boy.
