TAKING THEIR MUSIC FROM ST AGNES TO SALZBURG...WITH A LITTLE HELP (?) FROM SOME FRIENDS!

That is, of course, Esk's 'T16 Choir' which will be taking off in October to places very far away in Europe.  And so it was, by way of a keepsake, a reminder of a glorious repertoire almost two years in the making, that a recording session took place at St Agnes Anglican Hall on Saturday September 10th.

"Good Gracious Brian, This choir sounds amazing".

 Mr Bernie Snep, still spirited at 89 and who has been broaching his retirement for ages, is a long time treasured friend of the Choir and recording exponent extraordinaire who has over many years enabled the sound of the Choir to be shared with everyone through his CD recordings.  Bernie jumped at the opportunity to once more favour the Choir with his skills behind his recording equipment.

For many who are unfamiliar with the protocols required at a recording session, or more precisely, a recording session with Bernie Snep, a picture must first be painted.  The microphone must be positioned precisely, ideally by himself, for the optimum balance of sound from both Choir and piano;
The sound recordist must:-
 * have a chair with arm rests by which he is able to hoist himself upright should this be     
    necessary
*  be situated behind a table
*  have a list of order of songs and Song Titles,
*  have the recording device situated exactly at his discretion   
*  sustenance -  sandwiches and tea cup. 

At his explicit instruction of, "Stand By!"  followed by a 5 second pause both before and following the singing, there must be unmitigated silence...not the squeak of a chair nor an explosion from any bodily orifice whatsoever,  for to do so would provoke the wrath and irritation of a perfectionist at his craft. 

On this occasion, however, 'Louie' the blow fly was not to be intimidated and from the outset, the sound of silence was filled with his irritating buzz. 'Well it is a somewhat Aussie touch' was the comment by Roger from the Basses to dispel the tension.

No sooner had 'Louie' been dispensed with when it was from the ceiling that a watery fluid of questionable origin began spilling onto the Soprano 2 section.  However, it didn't take the skill of David Attenborough to recognize that the distastefully smelling drips originated from an errant possum, possibly disturbed by the singing and decided to take a trip to her bathroom. Then, giving new meaning to the Lionel Ritchie song 'Dancing on the Ceiling',  possum number 2 let it be known that a disturbed sleep does not go down well in
Possum-land and both began their own discordant dance within the roof cavity.  It took an unscheduled tea break and a few swift blows to the ceiling with the elaborately carved and decorated largerphone to dispel and dispatch the disorderly duo.

Between droning flies, pesky possums, sporadic groups of weekend warriors on motor bikes igniting Ipswich Street, some re-takes of bloopers...but not too many...  and the exertions of a large portion of the Choir still suffering the effects of coughs and colds, the recording session completed.  It was to the utter satisfaction of the T16 Choir's patiently unflagging Choir Director, Alexis, their consummate accompanist, Margaret, ably assisted at times by Suzanne on flute, a Choir now getting jiggy with excitement at the prospect of their upcoming tour and above all, Mr Bernie Snep who couldn't help but join in the euphoria and anticipation of a successful outcome.

For those who miss the opportunity to purchase this sublime CD of your own Choir's Choral singing at their 'Farewell Concert' , copies will be available for purchase at the Choir's Christmas Variety Concert at the Somerset Civic Centre, 2.30pm on December 4th details of which can be found on the Choir's wonderful website  http://eskchoir.webs.com/

Farewell Concert  - Sunday 18th September at 2.30pm - Somerset Civic Centre Esk .