Category Archives: Articles

I’ve just arrived back home from an absolutely brilliant weekend of singing on tour with Vivamus at St Albans Cathedral, and I’ve managed to end up in a bit of a Wikipedia hole. (Check out my links in this article – I’m not joking.) I think Vivamus’ readers may find what I’ve learned quite interestingContinue reading “St Albans Cathedral away weekend: A retrospective”

We’re having a bit of a strange time in the UK right now. Patches of dazzling sunshine punctuate torrential rain and bracing breezes. On your Teams call to your colleague who lives just the other side of town, they can barely see you as you’re bleached out by sunlight, while you can barely hear themContinue reading “How music can rescue this weird summer”

I’ve been a member of Vivamus since 2018, and for the last nine years I’ve been a professional actor. Such is the breadth and variety of what you’d call ‘the acting industry’ that sometimes it’s hard to explain exactly how rehearsing an Ibsen play, making an audition tape for a beef jerky commercial, and brandishingContinue reading “Choral music as storytelling”

You may be familiar with Evensong already. Perhaps you’ve sung it yourself, or you’ve heard some of your friends and acquaintances in choirs talking about it. Maybe you’ve seen posters for Evensong at a local church. In Vivamus, we’re getting ready to sing Evensong at St Albans Cathedral in August. To prepare ourselves, we decidedContinue reading “Evensong: What it is, and why you should go”

Richard Hills is Vivamus’ accompanist and associate director of music. A Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and widely praised for his mastery across genres, Richard has been acclaimed for his performances and recordings both in the UK and overseas. Vivamus is delighted and proud to work with Richard, and we couldn’t pass upContinue reading ““Take any opportunity to learn”: Q&A with Richard Hills”

What is this feeling? This feeling of numbness, of vague and vacant loss? Mere days ago, on the evening of Saturday 13th May 2023, we were riding a dizzying high. In the surroundings of the magnificent St James’s Piccadilly, Vivamus and The Hanover Band performed a blistering rendition of Handel’s Zadok the Priest. It feltContinue reading “The post-concert comedown”

At Vivamus, we’re incredibly excited to be collaborating with The Hanover Band to bring you our spring baroque concert. Founded by Caroline Brown in 1980, The Hanover Band is widely regarded as one of Britain’s leading period instrument orchestras. We’re delighted their masterful sounds will be part of our spring concert. To find out moreContinue reading “The Hanover Band Q&A with Julia Black (baroque violin)”

Sometimes in life, we’re faced with a choice. A or B, left or right, stay or go. The choice might be an incredibly difficult one – it might need hours, days, weeks of contemplation before you can make your final decision. So many factors to mull over, so many pros and cons to weigh up.Continue reading “May 13th 2023: What will you do?”

One of the great things about being in a choir is the community aspect. In Vivamus, Thursday evenings are dedicated to singing together. Our harmonies and collective voice are more than music: they’re an expression of unity. Especially after the isolation of the pandemic lockdowns, going to choir – being part of a wider groupContinue reading “Can choirs do remote rehearsals online?”

We’re delighted to be performing Purcell’s Hail! Bright Cecilia at our Baroque concert in May. The piece explores the versatility and power of many different voices and instruments, and veers from the playful to the dramatic. Composing such an effective piece surely required incredible inspiration. So who was bright Cecilia? St Cecilia was a RomanContinue reading “An ode to St Cecilia”