The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Choir casts the net wide for top talent
WORKING for the NHS in the middle of a global pandemic has been a huge challenge for consultant haematologist Kenny Douglas. His escape, he says, has been singing. Kenny is a member of Bearsden Choir, which has kept going throughout 2020 against the odds with an online programme of weekly rehearsals and regular ‘inspire’ sessions featuring former members and guest speakers.
The choir is preparing for its first ever virtual performance later this month, of two famous choruses from Mendelssohn’s Elijah.
“It’s not been an easy year, to state the obvious,” says Kenny, who is based at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. “The psychological fallout has been substantial and really, I’m one of the lucky ones. It has been much more like ‘business as usual’ for my team than it has for many - but it certainly hasn’t felt remotely normal.”
Kenny, who joined the choir 18 years ago, adds: “I honestly don’t know how I’d have managed without the Wednesday virtual rehearsals. It has allowed me to step through a door into a really fun world that has nothing to do with work, and that demands my full concentration.”
Judith Bain, from Bearsden, has also been working on the frontline of healthcare throughout the pandemic.
“I’m a pharmacist, and was due to retire in March - and then lockdown happened,” she says. “I kept on working because I couldn’t see my grandchildren or go travelling as I’d hoped. And I have been very busy – pharmacists have been right on the frontline with GP surgeries closed and access for patients more difficult.
“I have been so grateful Andrew and the committee have kept our Wednesday night rehearsals going.”
Judith joined Bearsden Choir in 1985, shortly after the birth of her second child. “I had sung in choirs all through school and university and was keen to continue,” she says. “It was also a good way to meet new people in the area. The choir has given me so many opportunities to learn new music, take part in different types of concerts and perform in amazing venues. Our conductor Andrew is always helping us so much vocally too and encouraging us to achieve these special performances.”
Glasgow University music student Beth Taylor joined the choir in September – so she has never had a face-to-face rehearsal. “Everyone has been so welcoming,” she smiles. “It’s allowed me to keep singing and rehearsals are always fun and uplifting. That’s down to Andrew’s enthusiasm and the ‘inspire’ sessions that happen each week – it’s a fun environment to be part of.”
Beth, from Bishopbriggs, adds:
“The most challenging thing about the virtual performance is the actual recording. We had to sing as a choir in isolation and do our parts on our own.”
Zach Claudino, a town planner in Glasgow who is originally from California, joined Bearsden Choir in 2016 but left two years ago. He is delighted virtual rehearsals have allowed him to return.
“It has been nice to reconnect,” he says. “I joined when I came here from America – it definitely helped ease me into my new life in Glasgow.
“There is something special about singing in a group. The shared experience of working on a piece of music together is fun.”
Around 90 members of the choir took part in the performance and are looking forward to seeing the end result.
Kenny sums it up. “We’ve already had a sneak preview of a smaller group of us giving it a first shot, which was great,” he says.
“Seeing the whole choir in a virtual performance should be overwhelming, in a good way. I expect there will be tears – but happy ones.”
NICOLE WHITTON
ONE MORE FOR CHRISTMAS Sarah Morgan
HQ, £7.99 (ebook £2.99)
For pure, unadulterated Christmas schmaltz, look no further than One More For Christmas. Sarah Morgan has written more than 80 romance novels, with a handful Christmas-themed. One More For Christmas has a classic setup: an estranged family is thrown back together and spend the holidays in a remote Scottish castle. The setting couldn’t be more picturesque, and the drama feels relatively low stakes as the two adult daughters feel their way back into a relationship with their strict mother, who they haven’t spoken to in five years. This is interspersed with the prospect of romance with the owner of the Scottish castle, and a lot of chat about how Christmas is the most magical time of year. Many will find the book too fluffy for words, but if romcoms are your bag, you’re in luck.
PRUDENCE WADE