We are thrilled to be running our FREE Summer Singing School for young people this August. The school will take place at The Bluecoat arts centre in Liverpool city centre and will run from Monday 16th August until  27th August.

Through a cappella and accompanied group singing, this exciting and challenging school  will provide an exploration of musical styles from African to contemporary pop, soul and R’n’B. It will also provide an introduction to a variety of vocal techniques.

Using contemporary songs we will teach how to sing with confidence in a safe, fun and focused environment. Our tutors are highly skilled and extremely experienced.

Sense of Sound encourages, inspires and develops the creativity of all those taking part.

• Breathing and breath control
• Improvisation
• Harmony singing
• Introduction to African songs
• Contemporary pop, soul and R’n’B songs
• Group singing
• Performance skills
• Confidence building

The Summer Singing Schoool will be available to 3 different age groups:

• 8-11 yr olds
• 12-15 yr olds
• 16-19 yr. olds

No previous experience is necessary but we do require commitment from those who attend as there will be performances at the end of the 2 weeks.

If you wish to apply for the Summer Singing School you can do so by emailing us at info@senseofsound.net or by phoning (0151) 702 7799 during office hours.

12 of Sense of Sound Singers have just returned to the UK after 2 hugely successful performances in Lyon and Paris respectively.

The show, Let It Be which paid homage to the classic Beatles album also included performances for Yael Naim, Mathias Malzieu of the French band, Dionysos, Camille O’Sullivan and the Richard Hawley band. Under the musical supervision of Sense of Sound’s patron, David Coulter our singers opened the show with their unique rendition of the title track, Let It Be arranged by Artistic Directors, Jennifer John and Juliet Russell.

The first show took place as part of Les Nuits de Fourviere festival in Lyon where the singers opened the show and played to 4,000 spectators. The show was a resounding success and all of the perofmrers were buzzing and psyched for the next performance at the prestigious La Salle Pleyel in Paris which again was an electric performance.

The show’s producer, Marc Cardonnel is hoping to bring the show to Liverpool which would be amazing and make perfect sense being the home of The Beatles. Here’s hoping so watch this space.

We are delighted that, in partnership with  the Barbican, singers and composers from Sense of Sound (Simone Niles and Curtis Watt) will be creating new musical pieces to complement the former’s current Surrealist Exhibition.

With two week long residencies in the City of London Academy and Oaklands School in Tower Hamlets, the artists will work with pupils to create a vocal soundscape; a sonic “surreal house”. Incorporating beat boxing, a cappella singing and spoken word, each week will culminate in a performance of the  new compostions. Please check the Barbican website for details.

http://www.barbican.org.uk/

As part of this year’s Camberwell Arts Festival,  Sugavision present an evening of slow twisted song, dance and sound called Off the Beaten Track. The show, inspired by local folklore, promises to lure you to unsafe places, away from dreams, and towards gothic nightmares

The sensational Juliet Russell will be performing as part of the night and will sing 6 songs  about death from original songs to Iggy Pop, Kykke Li and Sarah Siskind.  She will be accompanied by James “Wig” Simmins on guitar and William Lester on piano, who will also be compering the event.

Other artists include dancers Benny Maslov and Katherine Kingston, led by acclaimed choreographer Hubert Essakow.

The show will be curated by Tony Charalambous/Art Directed by Marko Waschke.

Soundscape by Richard Preston

Costumes by Jessica Bugg/Nicholas Immaculate

Wednesday June 23rd.

The Crypt, St Giles Church

88 Camberwell Church Street, SE5 8TR

8.00 – 9.00pm FREE

During 2009 his two compositions ‘Ghost Stories – A Night Opera’ and ‘Neil Campbell’s Frankenstein (with The Neil Campbell Collective and Sense of Sound Choir)’ were presented on Merseyside in high profile performance events at St Lukes (Bombed Out) Church, St George’s Hall Concert Room and at Birkenhead Priory (as part of the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain). In 2010 Neil’s focus returned significantly to his solo playing, earlier this year selling out two evenings at Liverpool’s Unity Theatre.

Neil says: ‘The concert on 2^nd July will be an intimate experience in a brand new state of the art theatre space at Liverpool Hope University’s Creative Campus. Aside from playing a set of my music for solo guitar (which is always great fun) what is personally so very special to me is that, in collaboration with composer and vocalist Perri Alleyne-Hughes, we will be presenting some of the new music we have written together. These new songs are emotional, impressionistic, jazz tinged compositions with expressive vocals and instrumental excursions for guitar. The new music has also given me the opportunity to explore technology such as loops and digital effects to allow one guitarist (i.e. me) to create the impression of an entire ensemble.’

Perri Alleyne-Hughes is a vocalist, composer, choral music director and arranger.   Her role as arranger and choir director with Sense of Sound Choir has helped to lead them to prestigious performances in collaboration with an ever impressive series of artists including Seal, Paco Pena, Damon Albarn, David Coulter and Brian Eno. In 2006 the choir were runners up in BBC Radio 3’s Choir of the Year competition. They were also significantly involved in performance projects related to Liverpool’s 2008 Capital of Culture and in the same year came in the top six of the BBC’s choral competition ‘Last Choir Standing’.  Perri herself is an incredibly gifted vocalist and song writer in her own right.Supporting the concert will be a short performance from the ensemble of the newly formed Liverpool Guitar Society, which promotes classical guitar music to enthusiasts on Merseyside.

8pm, Friday 2^nd July 2010 Hope Theatre (Capstone Building) Liverpool Hope University Creative Campus, 17 Shaw Street, Liverpool L3 8QB (opposite the Collegiate)

On 28 June Liverpool’s Echo Arena will be alive with the sound of 3,000 children singing their hearts out as part of Schools’ Supersing Liverpool . This celebration of children’s singing, brings together a massed choir from schools across North Liverpool, Kirkby and St Helens, backed by a live band. The rousing event will also feature our own acclaimed Sense of Sound Choir as well Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir. Teachers will get their share of the limelight when they take to the stage as part of a special teachers’ choir.  Artistic Director, Saphena Aziz has been working extensively with teachers from Liverpool, Knowsley and St. Helens’ to create a 40 strong primary school teachers’ choir. Tickets are on sale now from the Liverpool Echo Arena box office and website – but the demand is expected to be high, so you’ll need to be quick!

The event is the culmination of a major singing programme in 70 schools delivered through Find Your Talent in partnership with Liverpool, Knowsley and St Helens Music Services. Presented by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, supported by Sing Up, Find Your Talent and Liverpool City Council.

In 2009, Juliet Russell decided that she wished to make a video to promote the track from her soon to be realeased first album. Hiring the creative skills of Israeli  film maker, Ayala Sharot she collaborated to produce the stunning video which has now been selected for inclusion in the international short film festival, Balchik in Bulgaria.

Lazy is a fantasy antidote to a busy life. A woman decides that her life can do without her for one day. Her bed transports her to a magical river, surrounded by singing flowers, birds, butterflies and jumping fish. An old style cut out animation turning into a psychedelic fantasy.

The company renowned for its distinctive vocal arrangements invites you to a performance of stunning interpretations of songs from Burt Bacharach to contemporary urban soul.

Featuring new collaborations with Blues powerhouse Connie Lush, virtuoso classical guitarist Neil Campbell and rising UK hip hop star Kof, Sense of Sound Singers will remind you just how breathtaking choral music can be.

The event takes place on May 19th at the Bluecoat Arts Centre, School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BX

Doors open at 7.30pm

Performance at 8.00pm

Tickets are £10 and £8 concessions.

Tickets can be purchased from the Bluecoat box office on (0151) 709 5297 or www.thebluecoat.org.uk

This is the Year of Health and Wellbeing in Liverpool.

We are really excited about singing being on this year’s Health and Wellbeing agenda with the Primary Care Trust.

We are busy developing this year’s activity which will be about increasing singing across the city. It’s extremely positive that the medical sector are open to the idea of using creativity as a way of improving health and  wellbeing. This has always been something that we at Sense of Sound have firmly and passionately believed in and we are relishing the opportunity to spread this message, do further research and elevate singing within communities as a tool of empowerment and social cohesion.

When you find your voice, you find your confidence.

Artistic Director, Jennifer John has been invited to be an ambassador for this year of Health and Wellbeing and along with our director of  training, Saphena Aziz, has been in round the table discussions with representatives from the medical sector and Liverpool city council about the benefits of singing. The programme of activity is currently being developed by us and we will keep you updated. Please keep watching this space.

This is a real shame but obviously we cannot afford to run them at a loss. I think the recession has hit everyone but hopefully the next time it will be better. We plan to run the course again in September.

Sorry to disappoint folks.