Baroque Choruses

Running alongside Benslow Music’s celebrated Baroque Opera Project, this choral course for SATB focuses on exploring and deepening your knowledge of baroque chorus repertoire and performance practice. Under tutor Nicholas Shaw, and with sessions with the director and other specialists in historical performance you will develop not only your choral and musicianship skills but your understanding of baroque style and approach.

In addition to discovering 18th-century chorus repertoire, you will prepare the chorus part of Rameau’s Pygmalion and perform in the public performance of the fully staged production of the opera on the Saturday evening. As a member of the chorus you will, as is historically accurate, perform from the side of the stage (wings) alongside a period-instrument orchestra led by musical director Fernando Miguel Jalôto. The production will feature emerging artists as soloists and dancers.

We will:

• Prepare and rehearse the chorus part of Rameau’s Pygmalion and perform in the fully staged historically informed opera on the Saturday evening
• Explore wider baroque chorus repertoire
• Develop and deepen knowledge of key issues related to the performance of 18th-century repertoire
• Work on issues of tone, pronunciation, and style
• Benefit from one-off sessions by tutors on topics such as gesture and style

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Perform in a public performance of an historically informed opera with orchestra and soloists
• Sing baroque choruses with stylistic understanding
• Bring knowledge of key issues related to this repertoire to your interpretation and approach
• Have a greater understanding of historically informed pronunciation
• Listen and respond to your fellow singers with sensitivity and nuance

Tutor Nicholaas Shaw will direct sessions exploring a range of baroque choruses and prepare you to perform as the chorus in the public performance of Rameau’s Pygmalion. In addition to exploring repertoire, you will receive sessions aspects of baroque performance and will work with members of the creative team for the Baroque Opera Project as part of rehearsals for the Saturday evening public performance.

Confident and Skilful.

You should be able to comfortably read a score and have some experience singing as part of a chorus. No prior knowledge of the repertoire or of baroque vocal performance is expected or required.

Music for the course will be sent out in advance to aid preparation. This will include the sheet music for the Pygmalion choruses and a selection of other baroque choruses that will form part of the repertoire explored. Please bring hard copies or a tablet (with the music downloaded) with you.