Choral singing for Bra-vissima has always been about producing a beautiful sound; but by marking International Women’s Day with a concert performance made up of a repertoire of female composers, a female conductor and accompanist, we delved further into what it means to be a woman – and like an onion our concert revealed many layers.
For centuries, women’s voices have been sidelined in music composition and leadership; but by performing works by female composers past and present, we helped reclaim that space for them .. for us.. for all.
Choral singing in its simplest form blends the symbolic finding of one’s voice with the literal harmony of an ensemble. Unlike a solo performance, choral singing requires every voice to be heard equally to achieve balance, a perfect metaphor for equality. Our concert performance also reinforced the dedication, friendship and humility needed from all of us to persue musical excellence. This effort was matched only by our extraordinary musical director Julia Wilson-James who continues to inspire us to be the best that we can be.
Marked by a well attended audience, an excellent raffle, auction and colour coordinated cup cakes, we started our year off with a bang and a hint of female swagger.
Jo Clarke
