Les Mis singing day

This is a singing day with a difference - rather than aiming for a performance at the end, or singing purely for the sake of it with no end goal, we'll be making a recording on the day. This won't be just a simple "turn the microphone on and sing" recording - we'll use all the techniques used by professional recording engineers to bring together multiple takes and combine them into one highly-polished, superb quality recording.

The music

Les Misérables is one of the most successful and well-known musicals of all time. Our medley takes you on a unique journey through the show, including some of the songs not often heard outside the theatre. We have favourites such as "I dreamed a dream" and "Bring him home", but also the bitingly sarcastic "Thénardiers Waltz" and the achingly poignant "Death of Valjean". The whole medley lasts nearly 15 minutes. 

The process

Sheet music and learning tracks are available in advance, right from when you sign up. You have the option of downloading them, or ordering printed copies/CD that will be posted to you. This gives you plenty of time to become familiar with the music before the day. The learning materials are yours to keep - the cost of them is included in the price for the singing day. 

On the day itself, we'll work on each song within the medley. As everyone will have had chance to become familiar with the music in advance, there'll be no need for "note-bashing" - we can get straight into making music, right from the start. We'll work on characterisation, bringing each song to life. We'll then record everything we've learnt.

Because of how we'll approach the music on the day, you will need to have become as familiar as you can with it in advance. You don't need to be note-perfect or have it memorised, but we don't recommend sight-reading it either. The better you know the music in advance, the more you'll get out of the day, especially as we'll be doing lots of work on character, accent, and shaping - this is so much easier if you are familiar with the notes in advance!

The recording

The recording process will take advantage of recording techniques such as drop-ins and overdubs - we'll be able to isolate sections of each song and record them separately, as well as getting an overall recording of the whole medley. This means that we don't have to get one "perfect take" of the whole medley - unlike a live performance, we can go back and re-do bits if they didn't go smoothly first time around! We'll also be able to use studio production techniques to bring a new dimension to the recording, such as making it sound like the choir are floating off to heaven, or approaching from a distance.

After the singing day is over, we'll take the recordings we made on the day and produce a final mixed and mastered recording of each medley, which will be available to everyone who took part as a downloadable MP3. Unfortunately, we aren't able to create physical CDs of the finished recording and post them to participants - the final recording will be a download from our website (we can also email it directly to people if they have difficulty downloading it). 

Practicalities

If you take the option of receiving your learning materials digitally, you can burn one copy of the downloadable MP3 files to a CD if you wish. You will need to print your own music, or use a tablet or other digital device to read the score on the day. If you order them to be delivered physically, we'll post you a printed copy of the sheet music and a CD with your learning tracks on. Make sure you bring your music with you on the day.

This event is intended for people aged 18 or over. People younger than 18 may be able to take part if they are accompanied at all times by an adult who will take responsibility for them. 

There is level access to the venue. However, the seating area for the majority of the choir is down a few steps. If you require level access, please let us know when you book, and we'll ensure you have a place in the portion of the venue with level access.

If you have any additional needs to help you get the full benefit of the singing day, please get in touch with us in advance and we will do everything in our power to enable your full participation. 

We will not be providing refreshments on the day, so we recommend bringing your own - a packed lunch and flask/water bottle would be a great idea. The nearest cafe is a 10 minute walk away, and there is a pub that serves food a 5 minute walk away, although it may be busy. 

The school site has a one-way system in operation. Please make sure you use the entrance nearest Church Avenue (the nearest to the A6120), not the one nearest to Westbrook Lane (the nearest to the A658). There is then a good-sized car park on your left, and disabled parking at the top of the drive, next to the school. If you use What3Words for precise locations, the school entrance is ///dream.bliss.stews. Once you enter the school building, we'll have signs pointing towards the Main Hall, where the singing day will take place. 

Tickets

Ticket sales end a week before the event, to make sure that everyone has at least some chance to become familiar with the music beforehand. Please spread the word to anyone you know who loves singing. Please also bring your ticket with you to the event (either printed or on a phone/tablet), as we'll be scanning everyone in at registration. Thanks!