How Do You Keep the Music Playing?

Photo credit: Benjamin Ealovega

“Joanna is charismatic and so, so talented. I would travel anywhere in the world to sing a shopping list with her”

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"How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" is a song composed by Michel Legrand, with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman for the 1982 film Best Friends. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 55th Academy Awards. In this course, our soloist is Helen Charlston who has sung with The Self-Isolation Choir on several occasions.

However, this is no ordinary Self-Isolation Choir course. Not only will we learn this beautiful piece; we shall also look into the musical theory of harmonisation, taught by the wonderful Joanna Forbes L’Estrange.

Our version is arranged by Alexander L’Estrange for a choir of 7 voice parts (SSAATBB) and is taught to us by his wife, Joanna Forbes L’Estrange. Our version is based on this rendition Joanna taught the Trinity College Cambridge choir with Helen as soloist. When you watch this quite remarkable performance of “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” below, please wear headphones if you can and listen carefully to the detailed harmonies and stunning choral support.

The backing tracks recorded specially for this course were performed by Ben Parry and Joanna herself, both ex- Swingle Singers.

This course will focus on HARMONY and Joanna will teach us the how the combination of our individual voices can work together to produce such a wondrous sound.

Helen Charlston

We are honoured to announce that mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston will return to sing the solo part exclusively for this course. She won first prize in the 2018 Handel Singing Competition and was a finalist in the Grange Festival International Singing Competition.

She was a Rising Star of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment 2017-2019 and is a 2018 City Music Foundation Artist.

Her website is www.helencharlston.com

Course Director

We are proud to have Joanna Forbes L’Estrange teaching us this beautiful piece.

Joanna Forbes L’Estrange began her career as soprano and Musical Director of The Swingle Singers and is founder and director of AQUILA, the all-female a cappella group at St John’s College, Cambridge. Choirs and a cappella groups in the USA, China, Australia and throughout Europe and the UK have benefitted from her coaching and workshops.

She prepared the choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, for their close harmony album and is guest conductor for the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain

Joanna’s website is www.joannaforbeslestrange.com

Timings

Starting on Monday June 21st at 15:00 UK time, the course will run for 4 weeks with rehearsal dates as follows:

All at 15:00 UK Time

Full Choir on 21st June, 28th June, 5th July and 12th July

Soprano 1 on 22nd June, 29th June, 6th July and 13th July

Alto 1 on 23rd June, 30th June, 7th July and 14th July

Tenor on 24th June, 1st July, 8th July and 15th July

Bass 1 on 25th June, 2nd July, 9th July and 16th July (please note 11:00)

All at 17:00 UK time

Soprano 2 on 22nd June, 29th June, 6th July and 13th July

Alto 2 on 23rd June, 30th June, 7th July and 14th July

Bass 2: 25th June, 2nd July, 9th July and 16th July (please note 12:30pm)

Dress Rehearsal on 19th July

Recordings

After the course, we invite you to record your own voice and send this to us (audio - no video). You can record as many times as you like and as many parts as you wish. So, for example, you could do both 1 and 2 parts. We shall combine all voices in the studio and play back the result to the entire choir in a Concert Performance LIVE on 21st August at 19:00 UK time.

Course Fee

The fee for the course is £30. The fee includes:

LIVE tuition for every rehearsal with Joanna Forbes L’Estrange

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Score

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Helen Charlston as soloist

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Learning tracks with a professional choir and piano

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Studio mixing

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Concert Performance

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Mosaic picture of the whole choir

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MP3 file of the final mixed SIC track for you to keep