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It began as so many things do – with a conversation around a kitchen table!
In this case the conversation was between John Hughes, the former British Ambassador
to Argentina, Gwyn L. Williams, the former CEO of the Llangollen International Eisteddfod
and later with Huw Jones, the Director of the British Council in Argentina and me.
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The British Council and the British Embassy in Argentina were developing ideas to
commemorate the 200th anniversary of Argentina in 2010. They were looking for
inclusive projects that would celebrate the peoples of Argentina and of Britain and
recognize the importance of sport in both cultures while honouring the native languages
of English, Spanish and Welsh.
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| I had made a reputation as a performer and
conductor, and for a groundbreaking Internet choir that included international
participants. The question was how I could use these skills to help mark the
longstanding relationship between Britain and Argentina, during Argentina's Bicentenary Year?
Over time, the British Council and I ultimately decided the best way to celebrate
was to highlight the countries' shared passion for sport and culture through music with
a series of local community choirs, linked by technology. |
Mari Morgan |
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The Sporting Nations Community
Choirs would be based in three of Argentina's provinces with four very different
communities. We would bring people together in song - experienced singers and
novices alike - and those that wanted to sing in a choir but had not, as yet, had the
confidence or the opportunity to do this.
On a very limited budget, our on-line resources would be key.
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| In March 2010, news of the Sporting
Nations Community Choirs was released on the British Council Argentina's webpage
and via its email newsletters and database contacts in schools and various communities around
the country; by April, using a methodology I had instituted with my North American Welsh
Choir, we had opened our "On-line rehearsal room"!
This "performance space" offered all interested participants an opportunity to become
comfortable with the songs that would form the repertoire for all our choirs. The
songs had been carefully selected and arranged to show different sporting traditions and
music in the countries of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and
Wales) and of course, Argentina.
With the songs arranged in a way that kept the language and music challenges in mind,
I sang and recorded an MP3 file for each voice part in every song. These tracks,
along with an easy-to-read, colour-coded song score for each voice part, would help with
learning both the notes and the word pronunciations for non-native speakers.
These innovations combined with a new technology, developed specifically for this
project - "See it / Hear it" - allows a chorister to hear the audio while viewing and
scrolling through the music score.
All of these files were and are openly available in MP3 and PDF formats for easy
download or for use on-line.
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Buenos Aires |
Live Regional Rehearsals
From July to November 2010, each of the four regional centres had a total of two
months rehearsal time (one hour a week) with the Sporting Nations Community Choirs'
local conductors.
These centres were:
- Buenos Aires - the capital city
- Cordoba, the provincial capital
- Esquel, Chubut (a rural community located in the foothills of the Andes)
- Trelew, Chubut
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Cordoba |
Esquel, Chubut |
Each regional conductor was carefully selected
according to his or her experience, talent and community involvement. During the
rehearsal period, I either interacted with these conductors in person, by email, chat, or
by telephone.
I would arrive for a period of 2-3 days of intensive rehearsal prior to each region's
concert series to draw the whole group together. The language was fine tuned, as was
the song presentation style. Then we went out to live audiences! |
Trelew, Chubut |
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By the end of December 2010, our choirs had
given a total of 9 concerts, to an array of audiences in very different venues; we have
audio recordings of all seven of our songs; and a video presentation of the song
"World in Union" featuring all four choirs of the Sporting Nations Community Choirs.
The Sporting Nations Community Choirs is about teamwork. After
all, choral singing is a team sport! It has met the British Council and the British
Embassy's objective of including people young and old, in cities and small villages, in an
environment of cooperation, mutual respect and understanding between nations.
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