From a very early age I loved to sing, I sang at home, in the bathroom or in front of the mirror, I sang at school - Gilbert and Sullivan, I loved musicals and spent my early teens with a Panasonic Panapet chained round my wrist, life events were punctuated by the pop songs I loved. For a very brief moment I belonged to an a-cappella girl group called the Overtones. Then I started working in schools and colleges, became prone to every cold going and seemed to have perpetual ear infections or sinusitis, I lost my voice and I stopped singing. Occasionally I'd try and make some noise, but noise was all it was, the loss of voice became a secret sadness.
The cloud catching Cube, home of the Core photograph by Andrew Rushton
Earlier this year I was persuaded to attend a voice workshop lead by Michael Harper at the Water Tower in Brigstock and to my astonishment, something like a voice put in an appearance. My voice and I had a rather emotional reunion. Later Ros Stoddart persuaded me to join her at the rehearsals for a choir that would sing for the Queen during her Jubilee visit to Corby. I wasn't able to take part in the performance but loved the experience. 'What to do next?' I wondered. It wasn't long before Ros had inspired a new project at the Core - Deep Roots, Tall Trees.
Gareth Fuller
To celebrate The Core at Corby Cube’s second birthday singer and international recording artist Barb Jungr has been working with local musicians, meeting people, collecting stories and making music to create the original Deep Roots, Tall Trees: A Corby Song Cycle. This premiere performance features Barb Jungr and her
regular accompanist Jenny Carr together with high
quality local musicians and a community choir, celebrating the town in
song.
Photograph from last night's rehearsal by Lorraine Maria Dziarkowska
I am one of the many local people taking part as a
member of the Community Choir. We have been meeting regularly for the past weeks, learning our parts in the new songs, joining with the musicians and have had the great joy to sing under the the guidance of Choir Master Gareth Fuller. We have also had the privilege to watch and hear Barb Jungr bring out the best in everyone. We are all enjoying the process and feeling slightly nervous as the performance is just over a week away but we are inspired, fired up and ready to give it our all! The songs are uplifting, we are planning to raise the roof - this will be a night to remember so please join us!
The lovely people at The Core are making a special offer to enocourage the community to buy more tickets and are offering them at £8 each, rather than £14.
To take advantage of this offer, you must contact the Ticket Office in person or by phone 01536 470470 (not the internet) and quote the magic words
"Birthday Offer"
To find out more about the Community Choir
email info@corbycommunityarts.org.
There are regular updates and photographs on the
For more about this exciting collaboration
please visit
Rosalind Stoddart, Independent
Cultural Engineer
PS - To all involved a huge thank you for helping me find my voice!
