Music at Univ continues, even during the lockdown, and even when there will be no students in residence next term. The choir has been temporarily renamed as the University College Virtual Choir (UCVC) and is currently experimenting with remote rehearsals and spliced-together singing.

There will be a music list posted on the website in the next week, with music for each week of term. There will also be a webcast by me, talking everyone who wants to listen through the pieces in question. I will recommend a recording of each piece to listen to, and then at 5.15pm every Wednesday evening, we will convene to “rehearse” remotely. Whether we can manage this in real time, or whether it be something simply for us to think about remains to be seen. All will be welcome, be they current students or alumni, and I hope it will serve to bring us together, at least for an hour a week. There are also plans afoot to provide a weekly evensong, at the usual time of 5.45pm on Sundays during term. More on this to follow.

Martlet Voices and The Martlet Ensemble are hoping to offer some music recorded especially for the College website – more to come on this.

The Choir has been issued a challenge during the lockdown to compose music for us to sing at some point in the future, when we are all back in the flesh. If anyone reading this would like to compose a piece in any format, choral, ensemble, song, then I will do my very best to find room for it in the College programme when all is back to normal, whenever that may be.

Lastly, in preparation for our return, I would like to ask for suggestions for music to be performed in a celebratory concert, date to be announced. This can be of any form, but please bear in mind our space and personnel limitations!

Giles Underwood, Director of Music

Published: 16 April 2020

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