Women sing East sing with Sally

Sally MacTaggart is one of this year’s Music Animateur Apprentices, and has been spending time this term with inimitable band of forty female voices, Women sing East. As the Summer Festival draws near, she tells us what she been up to with the choir.  

I am now eight weeks into my time with Women sing East and everything is starting to come together for our concert at Shoreditch Church on the 13  June. I have spent this year with Spitalfields Music – going around an eclectic mix of projects within different parts of the community within Tower Hamlets – but I was initially a little nervous before the start of my time at Women sing East. As a saxophonist, I had never spent any time within a choir before and wondered what I could bring to the group. These worries were soon gone within my first 5 minutes of walking through the door. Even though all members come from a variety of backgrounds and age groups, and most members fly in after a long day at a mix of different jobs, they all are upbeat and ready to go. Anyone new to come in is instantly welcomed into the mix.

Women sing East in rehearsal

The key to this group being a success is the infectious personality of Laka D, who is the group’s leader, and brings such energy into the room that you can’t help but get swept up into the activities. As one of the Music Animateur Apprentices, I have had a great experience introducing different warm ups to hopefully bring enjoyment and new challenges to the group (as well as stealing a few along the way that Laka has also tried out with the group).

This term the choir has been tackling some fiendish arrangements by Laka and each time a new section is tackled, with the glorious harmonic progressions falling into place, there is a major sense of achievement from everyone. We still have a lot of work to do in the next two weeks – which is a little scary – but I am extremely excited about the upcoming concert. And yes, I am going to be rocking out on my sax in some of the songs in the concert as well!

Sally MacTaggart
Music Animateur Apprentice

Catch Women sing East in concert on Wednesday 13 June, 7.00pm at Shoreditch Church (St Leonard’s).
Book your tickets online via the Spitalfields Music website.

Intern Diaries: Caroline & the Spitalfields Singers

The merry band that is Spitalfields Singers, our community choir, has now met for six weeks on Thursdays between 12.30 and 1.30pm.

In the light and airy space of Hanbury Hall, we follow Camille Maalawy’s enthusiastic directions. Starting with syllabic warm-ups and breathing exercises before embarking on sung interchanges to learn each others’ names whilst clapping and tapping and stamping and…. what multi-tasking! We’re currently singing some English folk songs, a German nursery rhyme round and a Macedonian 3-part song as well as the nursery rhyme cantata called “Fairest Lady” which quotes from the old English lullaby “Golden Slumbers” (these words were also used by the Beatles on their Abbey Road album!).  Jessie Mayron-Davies accompanies on the keyboard and all too quickly the hour has passed.

Full from our musical feast – it’s back to work! But what a tonic!

Caroline Went
Learning & Participation Intern

If you would like to become a part of Spitalfields Singers, please email Cathy Birch or ring 020 7377 0287 for more information.

Spitalfields Singers will be performing in Winter Songs in Crispin Place, Spitalfields E1 on Tuesday 14 December at 12.30pm.