She said, “Every year for the past 9 years the Mid Down Group has run a musical fundraising night in aid of Amnesty International and last year we tried a new type of event with the idea of getting more people involved in actually making music. We had a singing workshop on a Saturday in Downpatrick with 50 singers from Co Down and Belfast coming together to learn an eclectic bunch of songs from a range of countries, which included pieces from Croatia, the Hebrides and the Sephardic Jewish tradition.
[caption id="attachment_25761" align="alignleft" width="400" caption="The Big Sing. Laura Plummer pictured withperformers from the Lecale Singers, a folk-styled group covering many old favourites. www.lauraplummer.com"]
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“They had to learn the songs and harmony parts and perform them for an audience later the same evening in the St Patrick Centre! The event was a great success and so we’re doing it again – this time bringing it to the 25th International Fiddler’s Green Festival in Rostrevor. We think the whole thing will be even more enjoyable with the festival atmosphere around us.”
Laura has worked with hundreds of singers over the past few years – from community carol concerts to parish festivals and sessions in pubs and clubs, in hospitals, homes, libraries, stately houses and even the local supermarket. For the past seven years she has taught the Singers’ Circle class at Down Arts Centre and regularly gives workshops in Belfast and the Co Down area.
In 2007 she founded the community folk choir Voices of Lecale and is planning to produce their second CD later this year, a selection of songs from round the world to be called ‘Journeys’. As an Associate of the Natural Voice Practitioners Network (NVPN), her work is about providing opportunities for anyone who wants to sing to get involved in projects which will encourage them to ‘have a go’, with an underpinning philosophy that singing is everyone’s birthright, rather than the preserve of an artistic elite.
She added, “Getting people involved in group singing has become a bit of a mission for me – the greatest satisfaction is the buzz at the end of a workshop or concert when people realise the sound they can make together and the high they get from all the endorphins released into their system – it really makes you feel good.”
Now busy preparing the new selection of songs for this year’s BIGsing event she says the biggest problem is having to choose from among so many great songs:
“As we will have singers from all ability levels from complete beginners to experienced singers and maybe even the odd diva or two, I have to find a mix of songs from simple rounds to more demanding pieces in 4 parts so that everyone gets something out of it. This year there will be two or three songs from African countries, and others from Hawaii, eastern Europe, France, Scotland, and Ireland, of course.
“I love sourcing the songs – from other singers, at workshops, from cds etc, but the internet is increasingly useful, especially You Tube and I also love picking up songs while travelling. The next step is to adapt and arrange them for group singing – the harmonies are what really get singers interested. I aim to teach all the songs by ear – you don’t have to be able to read music – and most of them are tried and tested at my classes and workshops.”
This year’s BIGsing will be held in the beautiful An Cuan Centre overlooking Carlingford Lough and the word is that there may be one or 2 special festival guests joining the workshop participants at their evening concert.
Amnesty Mid-Down Chairperson Philip Nye said, “We are delighted to be bringing an event of this type to the Fiddler’s Green Festival. I would encourage people to come along, take part in the workshop, enjoy what promises to be a great evening of music and in doing so, support the work Amnesty is doing to protect and uphold the rights of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and communities in countries round the world.”
The Big Sing! is on Saturday 30th July at The An Cuan Centre, Rostrevor. The workshop is open to anyone aged 16 and over who would like to take part and runs from 10.30-1pm and 2-4pm with the concert at 6.30pm. Workshop fees are £10 & £7.50 (concession).
Admission to the concert is by donation at the door. For more information telephone 028 4461 9630 or download a leaflet from www.lauraplummer.com]]>
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