A choir weekend in Potsdam instead of our usual location at Lake Seddin – that required some creative rethinking. Above all, where in Potsdam could we accommodate nearly 50 singers for two days, with pianos and sound equipment and good acoustics thrown in? The solution, facilitated through ProPotsdam, turned out to be a run-away winner – the community centre “oskar” in Drewitz. With access to a kitchen, we were able to heat up homemade treats, and there was a great buffet and plenty of good tea and coffee (with cake!). How many calories do you burn on average when singing, some of us could not help wondering…
The rehearsals were even more intense than usual, as we had less time than in Seddin because there were no rehearsals on Friday evening. And we wanted to embrace our many ‘newcomers’ and their wonderful voices into our repertoire and our soundscape. The tried-and-tested circle singing is great for that –ge the entire choir improvised a melody in a circle, led by our choir director Eugen. On the second day, there were moments of revelation when we deliberately sang individual songs in completely contrasting moods, such as happy, angry or fearful. This led to much laughter, but also to many musical insights.
Not only did we enjoy fantastic piano accompaniment and cajón rhythms courtesy of some of our choir members, but there was also a premiere for our choir: a saxophone solo! Look forward to a bit of glittery jazz and swing at our New Year’s concert on 10 January at the Inselkirche in Hermannswerder!
