Fiona Funnell – Delicious Sounds Choir

Come-Unity Charity Tea and Concert

Fiona Funnell — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 11:59:56 +0000

Peartree Church Hall

80 Peartree Road, Bitterne, Southampton SO19 7GZ

3pm – 5pm

With entertainment by Delicious Sounds Choir and Southampton Brass Ensemble.

Raising funds for WaterAid.

Vintage Tea Party and Concert Prep

Fiona Funnell — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 11:52:13 +0000

Rehearsals are going well for our vintage tea party and concert on Sunday 23rd July at Peartree Church Hall, raising funds for WaterAid. We’ll be dressing up in posh frocks (not obligatory!) and hats.

Other entertainment will be provided by Southampton Brass Ensemble.

I’m really enjoying having the time to work on blending the choir voices as well as having some fun with a couple of old tunes’ I Got Rhythm and Tuxedo Junction.

Workshop with Brendan Taaffe

Fiona Funnell — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 14:40:07 +0000

Wednesday 15th March, 2017 – 7.30 to 9.30pm

Join acclaimed American song leader and composer Brendan Taaffe in Winchester for a lovely evening of singing. Brendan teaches a variety of music: American bluegrass, gospel, Appalachian ballads, shape note, songs learned during trips in Africa, and his own wonderful compositions and arrangements. Brendan will give you the chance to sing songs with compelling rhythms and evocative harmonies that come from community-based traditions that draw people together around the world.

He has led vocal workshops in many different countries, and is the founder of Turtle Dove, an organisation which runs singing camps and vocal workshops in America.

Brendan is an experienced, adaptable and charismatic leader: good humoured, patient, and has bags of energy!

All parts will be taught by ear and no experience is necessary. This workshop is open to all.

Cost in advance: £12.50 full/£10 low income.

St Mark’s Church
Oliver’s Battery Road South,
Winchester,
SO22 4EU

Delicious Sounds to sing at Music Fayre

Fiona Funnell — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 12:55:24 +0000

Delicious Sounds will be singing some of the songs from their current repertoire at The Music Fayre at Central Hall on St Mary’s St (SO14 1NF) on Saturday 28th January at about 12.30 followed by a free workshop led by Fiona. Come along at any time between 11.30 – 3.30 to hear other performances and spend your pennies at the stalls. The Music Fayre is organised by Southampton Music Hub.

southamptonmusichub.org

First rehearsal of Spring term

Fiona Funnell — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 12:47:20 +0000

Fantastic start at choir to 2017! Really uplifting and happy. I hope the 4 new members enjoyed it and will feel they can make a real contribution to choir and that they will get a lot out of it. During the physical and vocal warm up session as the hall was cold we greeted friends, old and new with a chant in a circle which spiralled around the hall. After that we learnt a Syrian greeting song and an old traditional Swedish song plus a Continue reading →

Wow……an encore!

Fiona Funnell — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 13:06:55 +0000

Singing in God’s House Tower was an amazing experience. The acoustics were fantastic and the atmosphere in the room, which was packed, was electric. The fairy lights and torches added to an excellent ambience. We got lots of cheers and applause and at the end were asked to sing Gaudete again. Next time we need to prepare an encore….just in case! Some people felt it was our best concert ever.

We just hope we will be able to sing in there again sometime in the future.

The evening ended with a convivial session in The Platform with mulled wine, sausage rolls and mince pies. What an amazing part of the city! As I walked aalong the walls and into Winkle St I felt like I was stepping back in time. One of Southampton’s hidden gems.

Final session of this term in God’s House Tower

Fiona Funnell — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 12:12:00 +0000

Fiona announced this week that we would be singing our final session in the historic God’s House Tower on Town Quay.

God’s House Tower is a late 13th century gatehouse into the old town of Southampton, England. It stands at the south-east corner of the town walls and permitted access to the town from the Platform and Town Quay. It has served as the town gaol and housed the Museum of Archaeology. The building is Grade II listed and a scheduled ancient monument.

The acoustics are amazing but there is no heating so we will have to wrap up warm! Exciting to be inside a building not normally open to the public. No doubt we will retire to The Platform or Dancing Man to warm up after.

New term starts soon

Fiona Funnell — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 13:32:47 +0000

Summer is almost over, although this week is fantastic, and it’s time to think about keeping ourselves occupied in the long haul up to Christmas so what better than to join a choir and get all the health benefits of singing. No doubt our first session on Monday September 12th will be a noisy affair with everyone trying to catch up on all the news after the summer (we are worse than school students!) Fiona will then try to restore some order to begin the exciting process of learning our first song and getting us ready for Music in the City on October 1st at Talking Heads. We can then continue the chat later at Monday Club in The Giddy Bridge over a glass of wine or pint. See you soon!

Sing for Water 2016

Fiona Funnell — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 17:47:32 +0000

An excited choir rehearsed in the afternoon of Sunday 3rd July ready for the 15th Mini festival in aid of WaterAid. Some of us were a little confused as most of the songs were about water and boats, but we managed to distinguish them in the end. ‘Boat on the River’ became ‘Boat on the River Volga’ to the sopranos as our introductory section sounded very Russian! We enjoyed our two African songs as we usually do and we were joined by Dan Ahuma-Akboto of One Root Drummers who comes from Ghana and was wearing a stunning outfit.

We were treated to some European songs by The Shimmering Bees. Most of us were intrigued by the mix of instruments from the hurdy-gurdy to the didgeridoo. Southampton Gay Men’s Chorus sang some glorious harmonies to Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Paul Simon and joined Delicious sounds Choir for our finale – ‘I am a River’.

Everyone enjoyed the interval with our stalls selling scarves, jewellery as well as the raffle, face painting and a wonderful massage that relaxed many members of the choir ready for their performance.

WE RAISED AN AMAZING £3000 FOR WATERAID

Well done to everyone!

Under 3 weeks to go!!

Fiona Funnell — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 15:02:58 +0000

We have 2 rehearsals left before our big event of the year to raise money for WaterAid at Turner Sims on Sunday 3rd July. We are now polishing all the songs and thinking about our performance. Southampton Gay Men’s Chorus will join us next rehearsal as we are singing ‘I am a River’ together. It should be a great sound. The women will be outnumbered for once. So sing up girls!!

We will be very happy to perform again with One Root Drummers. Their energy and enthusiasm is infectious. Shimmering Bees will bring an entrancing mix of folk and contemporary music from Europe and the world. Should be a good mix with our African songs.

So get along to Turner Sims and buy your tickets. We need a good audience to join in and make the whole evening fun.

Here are links to the other performers:

Southampton Gay Men’s Chorus – http://southamptongmc.wix.com/southamptongmc

Shimmering Bees – https://www.facebook.com/shimmeringbees

One Root Drummers – (still trying to find link)