Friday, February 07, 2020

EXCITING PROJECT FOR BRIGG SINGERS

 

Under the leadership of their Musical Director Louise Dean, local choir The Brigg Singers have started 2020 working on a hugely exciting project.
They are busy rehearsing a brand new song titled A Song for Brigg which has been commissioned and written by local musician and composer Maurice Davies. It will be dedicated to one of their founder members, Myra Bielby, who sadly passed away suddenly in December 2017.
Funding for the project has been made possible by very generous grants of £500 each from Brigg Town Council (pictured below) and the Rotary Club of Brigg (pictured above) together with an anonymous donation, and the choir felt it appropriate that the song had relevance to Brigg. Some of the words are from the traditional folk song that inspired Percy Grainger to write his famous work Brigg Fair, with additional words written by Brigg Singers which make specific references to the town, and a totally new piece of music has been written by Maurice. Grainger was a friend of the well-known local landowner Gervase Elwes who had started the Music and Drama Festival in Brigg. Whilst staying with the Elwes family in 1905, Grainger attended the Music & Drama Festival and discovered several local folk singers, whom he later recorded and it is thanks to them that Brigg Fair is now so popular and well known.
As this year, the North Lincolnshire Music & Drama Festival celebrates it’s 100th anniversary, it is where A Song for Brigg will be heard for the first time. After that, it will become part of the choir’s repertoire at their concerts during the year.
Brigg Singers practise every Monday (September to July) at Brigg Methodist Church at 7.30pm and new members are always welcome. The ability to read music is an advantage but not essential. The choir perform a very varied repertoire and take part in festivals and concerts during the course of the year together with undertaking private bookings.
You can keep up to date with the choir’s latest news via their website www.briggsingers.org.uk ; their Facebook page or Twitter - @BriggSingers
Brigg Blog's thanks go to David Carrick for this report and pictures.


Brigg Town Mayor Coun Sharon Riggall (centre) presenting The Brigg Singers with their Town Council grant.

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