Rompons le silence (break the silence)… Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir are back in training for their

Covid-19 is turning our lives upside down at the moment – there is not one of us who is untouched by it one way or another. Tuesday night without a YPC rehearsal, without singing, feels oddly empty and silent.

And our wonderful audiences, sponsors and supporters, without a YPC concert to look forward to, must be missing the joy of listening to wonderful music, beautifully sung.

But of course, one day this will all be over – and YPC will need to be at its best, as quickly as possible, in readiness for our next concert.

So, Andrew Padmore, our musical director, and Thomas Moore, our accompanist, have worked very hard with members of the choir to break the silence so that once again, Tuesday night can become YPC rehearsal night – but this time, by means of 'virtual' rehearsals.

Andrew has prepared ‘warm up’ exercises and an initial ‘virtual rehearsal’ for us to use so that we can ensure our voices are the very best they can be. And there will be more to follow! So our audiences can be assured that YPC will be at their very best, ready to perform, as soon as we are able!

Music is good for us all, good for our breathing, our posture, our memory and it lifts our spirits. So, not only are we maintaining our high standards and keeping YPC 'ready to perform' but also addressing some key aspects of the physical and mental wellbeing of our choir members.

And of course, if any of our supporters want cheering up or to have a few moments of musical joy, they can alway go to our website, www.yorkshirephilharmonicchoir.co.uk and find some recordings of our singing, or visit our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/channel/UC97OvL1PywfLRIYjuYwq6uA to listen to even more of our performances.

We look forward to seeing you all as soon as possible and do keep in touch with us through our Facebook page, Twitter or our Website.

Gail Bowen, 24th March 2020