Last Saturday 90 people came together at Ilkley Grammar School for a fun singing workshop with local chamber choir Cantores Olicanae funded by Ilkley Town Council.

The free workshop was led by the choir’s Musical Director, James Savage-Hanford, and accompanied by jazz pianist Robert Sudall. It was aimed at people who don’t sing a great deal, if at all, to show them how enjoyable it can be.

Anne Lowe, Chair Cantores Olicanae said:

“James started the morning by explaining the importance of breathing correctly when singing and introduced some funky clapping games. He then split the group into three sections, giving each one a note of a chord. By instructing the sections in turn to sing up or down one note, different chords were created – a lovely experience for people who had not sung in harmony before.

“There followed some rounds, one being in six parts, at the end of which the singers broke into spontaneous applause. The next challenge was, in three groups, to sing – at the same time – ‘Oh When The Saints Go Marching In’, ‘She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain When She Comes’ and ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’. Surprisingly they all fit very well together!

“The morning culminated in the learning and performance of Leonard Cohen’s beautiful ‘Hallelujah’, sung in three parts.

“90 very happy singers left the workshop having had a most enjoyable morning. We hope to be able to repeat this next year – until then, keep singing!”