The pain *ahem* training has started! Sponsor Sound It Out…

Well I’m officially following my marathon training schedule now. I’ve brushed off my running shoes, stopped buying wine and started pounding the streets.

Yes – I’m hoping to run the London Marathon on 22nd April 2012. I have a place and I have an organisation to support. I am, of course, running to raise sponsorship for the wonderful Sound It Out Community Music who are in my opinion one of the best arts organisations in the West Midlands. Shame the Arts Council didn’t see it like that when they did their review of National Portfolio Organisations – but I have followed the work of the team since they were told they would lose their regular funding – and I have to say I’m impressed.

Matt and the team have pulled out all the fundraising stops and brought in new money from place like The Big Lottery Reaching Communities Programme.

I have a particular soft spot for the personal crusade of Nicola Briggs who took it upon herself to set up the Tamperine project. She is getting famous people to support Sound It Out by signing and ‘tampering’ with a tambourine which will be auctioned off to support the work of Sound It Out. She’s had quite some success so far with names like Ricky Gervais, Judy Dench, Kylie Minogue and Bill Bailey (where are all the famous Brummies I ask myself?).

If you know someone famous – or fancy paying lots of money for a Tamperine – look here to see how you can get involved!

So, in my small way running the London Marathon is my way to not just raise some money – but also make some noise about this wonderful organisation that changes people’s lives with its projects.

I’m not doing very well on the sponsorship front – I need to see those pounds go up so I can be motivated to shed a few pounds of another kind and keep the training going…. So *anything* you can spare however small would be great.

Singing in Birmingham – we have it all going on!

Something that has been running around in my head for the past week or so is how proud I am of Birmingham’s singing community.

I went to watch my daughter sing with Ex Cathedra’s Junior Academy at Town Hall last week. I sing with Ex Cathedra – I know how good they are. But a rare chance to sit in the audience reminded me how amazing it is to hear them sing. This concert in particular knocked me sideways as the repertoire was so special. It was a concert dedicated to the music of Alec Roth. I love singing his music – but I love listening to it more. He’s written a number of pieces for Ex Cathedra and it’s so great to sing the work of a living composer and for it to be interesting and exciting to perform and yet so  immediate and enthralling to enjoy in the audience.

There’s been a glowing review or two – here – is one from the Birmingham Post and I will add to this by saying it’s probably the best choral gig I’ve seen in years. And I’ve seen some pretty amazing choir gigs in recent times!

In 2012 Birmingham Opera Company are going to premiere their new Opera by Jonathan Dove who is another British composer I am very excited about. If you couple that with how spine tingling and challenging BOC events always are – I can’t wait to see it and I’m feeling that Birmingham is a brilliant place to be right now for new (and excellent) choral music…

Also – what makes this stuff so special for me personally is that Ex Cathedra’s education work is internationally renowned for bringing the joy of singing to thousands of children (which is how my daughter got to sing in an Alec Roth world premiere) and Birmingham Opera Company put community performers at the heart of every production.

…in fact I’m in the mood to commission something again… watch this space!

Notorious does the Mozart Requiem

I don’t post about Notorious on here much. In fact I don’t post much at all as my 5 readers will tell you! But I’m moved to share with you my excitement about the next Notorious gig and the work of our in-house photographer Adrian Burrows (aren’t we lucky).

Those of you who have followed his work for Notorious over the years will have fond memories of many of our flyers that often feature choir members or their family of (my mum starred in one and my daughter Ella).

But with this concert Adrian has surpassed himself. My interpretation of the Mozart Requiem for this concert makes the most of the passion, despair, fear, love and reverence of the piece (well I would like to think so anyway).

So with this brief in mind, Adrian set to work on a flyer idea and we came up with the idea of asking ex Soprano from Notorious Abi Seabrook to model for us as we knew she had a fine collection of 18th Century dresses. And this was the result:

Well – I was pretty pleased with that – and so was Abi – she has rejoined the choir for this concert!

But Adrian has taken it one step forward and created this amazing trailer for us.

Now my question to you is – how many amateur choirs do you know produce this sort of marketing material? So maybe the concert is going to stand out just as much? Well – that’s the plan…

Sound It Out and Being Helpful updates…

I have moved all the Sound It Out blogging and campaign blogs over onto the petition site – which will now be your one stop shop for all things Sound It Out campaign based - http://supportsio.org/ (if you like the site it was built for me by my friend Gaurav Vaz – who I would recommend highly if you need a wordpress based site put together quickly and cheerfully!)

The next campaign update will be on Tuesday 26th April – so watch out for that!

Also as many of you know I do monthly surgeries for people who want to ‘pick my brains’ for free. They are now based at the mac in Cannon Hill Park Birmingham and then afterwards I go to the Birmingham Music Network and people are welcome to come with me. The next couple are as follows:

April 28th 10 am – 3pm + TMN

May 26th 1pm – 3pm + TMN

You can just turn up or let me know so I can reserve you a slot as that helps I have found! As ever if you want a bit of free advice or to grab me ‘cos I’ve been too busy – come along and buy me a coffee! Then if people want my time outside of this for advice and project support I’ll charge an hourly rate.

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who came to Sing for Sound It Out today – you were brilliant and everyone’s enthusiasm for the cause was completely solid despite the rain! I’m still recovering somewhat – but I have a lot to blog which I will do later. For now here are some pictures and a copy of the letter we delivered to the Arts Council:

The letter to Laura Dyer at the Arts Council (feel free to write your own!)

SIO campaign letter

More soon folks…. and there will be more!

Campaign Update

Here are the details for Monday’s Sing for Sound It Out:

Time and date: Monday 11th April 2011 1pm – 1.30pmish

Place: Outside the Arts Council Offices on 82 Granville Street Birmingham B1 2LH. I will be waiting over the road on the pavement from 12.30pm – don’t turn up before this time. You will spot me holding some banners!!

The Plan: To sing 3 or 4 simple songs. Email me (if you haven’t already clareedwards@mac.com) and I’ll send you the words and the music to swat up on. They are  simple and can be learned on the day – but in case you want to come prepared. Anyone can sing the stuff and join in there will be plenty of us and it’ll be fun!

The Point: to hand in the petition names so far to the Arts Council with a letter asking them to reconsider their decision to cut Sound It Out’s ACE funding by 100%. We want to make our point peacefully and respectfully and let the Arts Council know how much Sound It Out is loved and needed.

Wear: Anything you like but if you have clothes that incorporate any of our logo colours (light blue, green and and yellow) then wear them!

Bring: yourself! and if you are so inclined video cameras and stills cameras and put the piccies up on your facebook and twitter pages if you have them!

In advance: Tell everyone you know to sign the petition -we need as many names as possible by Monday. www.supportsio.org

Youtube: I’m hoping to film the event and pop it on YouTube with some interviews of people involved. Please let me know if you would rather not be filmed. We can then all share that video on all our facebook pages and get the word out after Monday as well…

THANK YOU EVERYONE – you’ve all been amazingly supportive so far!

SIGN for Sound It Out

See what I did there?

So now – even if you are not one of our merry band of people Singing for Sound It Out on Monday 11th April 2011 at 1pm outside the Arts Council Offices – you can still have your voice heard…

SIGN for Sound It Out here - www.supportsio.org

We are asking you to sign up to this -

We the undersigned wish to ask the Arts Council to reconsider their decision to cut Sound It Out’s regular funding by 100%. We believe that amongst the difficult decisions ACE have had to make this one is a mistake that will effect the lives of many. We want a reassessment because Sound it Out is important and integral to local communities and the                                                                               music sector nationally.

And spread the word too – wouldn’t it be ace if we had 1000 signatures before we even sing a note next week?