Hello! I hope you are as well as possible today.
I want to share with you some of the exciting and meaningful projects I’ve been involved with recently, which have been and are being a joy.
I hope life is being kind to you, and thank you for taking the time to read this.
I want to add that I am feeling very human, and quite tired out after a long run of many exciting projects one after another, without quite enough downtime.
If you’re feeling tired out too, I hope you’ll take this as a reminder to take a break, even if it’s just a short one, and do whatever nourishes and replenishes you.
Thank you for taking the time to catch up on my wee bulletin below.
Some of the things I’ve been up to recently have been:
* Directing the singing for After The Rain, a puppet show about all the creatures that come out after the rain.
I loved working with Sabotage Theatre Company, helping people shine with their singing and collaborating to bring the composer’s ideas to fruition. It was awesome! https://www.sabotagetheatre.com/saboteurs
Image from sabotagetheatre.com
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* Working with the New Note Strummers, a guitar group for people in recovery from addiction, on singing confidence and vocal harmonies.
https://www.newnote.co.uk/get-involved/new-note-strummers/
It’s been an honour to work with this friendly and welcoming music group that supports people in recovery to connect with others through music. I look forward very much to continuing to support the singing life of this group.
https://www.newnote.co.uk/get-involved/new-note-orchestra/
Image from newnote.co.uk
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* Co-creating and co-delivering a training on ‘Welcoming trans and non binary people to your choirs,’ to the Natural Voice Network and other choir leaders.
This is something that myself and my co-trainer Chris have been passionate about and learning about for a long time, and the build up to this event has been occuring over a period of years.
This training event was created with the support of the Natural Voice Network, to help launch the NVN Statement on Gender Inclusion and Awareness, and to help bring education and practical inclusion training and awareness to NVN membership.
It is now a training product available to other choirs and organisations, to find out more see:
And/or contact hannahrose@getbrightonsinging.com
Trans pride flag
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* Giving singing lessons at Under The Bridge music studios to a range of people wanting a range of different things out of their sessions with me, every week!
I am committed to a world where more people feel confident to enjoy the benefits of singing, and to continued learning, and to creating spaces where people feel safe to explore and develop and enjoy their singing voices.
Find out more about my singing lessons here: https://getbrightonsinging.com/
Find out more about Under The Bridge where I do the majority of my teaching, here: https://www.underthebridgemusic.org/
Photo from underthebridgemusic.org
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* Keeping GLOW Choir alive and thriving!
GLOW is Brighton’s Natural Voice, non-audition community choir for LGBTQIA+ people and Allies. I co-founded it in January 2015, and these days am running it solo. I pour a lot of love into GLOW and care about it very much.
I am a firm believer in the importance of queer community, and in the joy, the benefits and the sense of belonging and wellbeing that can be found in singing together in supportive company.
We’ve been singing some beautiful songs, new and old, and also enjoying our new-ish logos by Kate Benjamin, below. All voices are welcome at GLOW, to find out more see: https://getbrightonsinging.com/glow-choir/
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* Co-holding Brighton’s Companion Voices group, practising for bringing the comfort of singing to people nearing the end of life, and also putting this into practice when we are called to sing at the bedside.
We have had the honour of singing at a bedside in recent times which has been beyond words to describe. My appreciation for being part of this group as well as a co-leader of it, grows and grows over time. It is teaching me spiritual lessons I hadn’t expected to fall into my lap in such a beautiful way, and I am so grateful for it.
Companion Voices is not a drop in choir but rather a group of people who have made a commitment to an act of service, to attending practices and to upholding a standard of singing and of energetic presence that will be nourishing to people when we attend their bedside to sing.
The practice sessions also serve to nourish and uplift the Companions, and we meet once a month for these.
Find out more about Companion Voices here: https://companionvoices.org/
Huge thanks to the incredible and inspiring Judith Silver who set up and is holding this amazing network of groups.
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* Making sacred feeling “sonic forests” with Resonance Choir: Sing For Trees!
Bringing spiritually nourishing songs to life by candlelight and ‘starlight,’ and supporting the health of our planet by raising funds for Forests Without Frontiers.
This is a new-ish group I started with support and vision from artist, Moyra Scott.
We’ve been meeting once a month in the evenings in a beautiful space in Cornerstone Community Centre, and bringing beautiful harmonies to life, making sonic soundbaths together and meeting our voices in Resonance.
Find out more here, all voices are welcome: https://getbrightonsinging.com/resonance-choir-sing-for-trees/
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* Working towards a flute diploma, to better serve any flute students who might come my way, and for the joy of improving my skills and rekindling / rediscovering my passion for this instrument.
I already have grade 8 and lots of experience and passion with the flute, but doing this is helping me get focused and reacquainted in a way I might not otherwise find time for.
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* Managing chronic health issues as best I can! Solidarity with all spoonies out there and people managing limitations of all kinds. The gif below is me in the mornings when I’m frazzled.
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* and….on a personal news note… Proposing to my partner! She said yes š eeeeeee!
She said yes!
I’m so grateful to this incredible human, Chris Brown, for all her support, inspiration and love. She helps me be more of who I am. I wrote a song for her proposal and was so happy to give it to her after waiting a long time for the right moment! I love you Chris!
Thank you for reading my bulletin! There has been a lot going on and I’m looking forward to a quieter week at some point to process all these exciting things afoot.
I hope this blog post will be a happy memento of an exciting time and also let people know about some awesome things going on – who knows, maybe you will go and see Sabotage Theatre, or join one of the music groups mentioned, or come to me for singing or music lessons as a result…
Or maybe just take the reminder from the beginning, to take a break. Either way – all good!
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The After The Rain show made me think a lot about how much I love the smell of the Petrichor.
I love the rain almost as as I love Chris, and in one of my earlier love songs for Chris, I made up a new word about this, which is where the word in the title of this blog post comes from, ‘Petrichorus.’
“Your sacred breath again, again, the petrichor of the chorus of your cells.
Your sacred breath again, petrichorus of your cells!”
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May the music be with you. Thanks for reading!
Hannah-Rose
we have fallen into the place where everything is music - rumi 