OUR TIME WITH
THE KING'S SINGERS
Thanks to a generous donor, Floriani spent a week last month at Princeton University, attending a Summer School for vocal ensembles under the mentorship of renowned British choral group, The King's Singers.
Here is Graham's take on how it went.
"The week spent with this world-class choral ensemble was profound. Since our founding in 2021, rare have been the occasions where we are the students, rather than the teachers. Due to the educative nature of our group, we work primarily within churches and schools with amateur singers—adults who sing on Sundays, students who sing in their school choir, and people who have no choral experience at all. In addition to this, we haven't done much work in the choral world at large, rather spending most of our time within the Catholosphere.
The Summer School was our first contact with the choral community, outside the context of our faith and the liturgy.
"We met dozens of enthusiastic singers; some who simply enjoy singing as a hobby, others who are students of music in university, and even another pre-formed ensemble similar to ourselves. It was a veritable conglomeration of choral nerds.
"Floriani was assigned a mentor, Patrick Dunachie, one of the two countertenors in the King's Singers, who met with us twice daily throughout the week. Each day consisted of a group warmup, followed by ensemble breakout sessions, with lectures/presentations from notable guest musicians sprinkled in. We came prepared with a repertoire of our music that we wanted to workshop, and each session involved specialized tutelage from one of the King's Singers.
In a session with our mentor, Pat
"Midweek, there was a 'mock' Compline service (informal, non-liturgical, though all the parts were there) in the Princeton Chapel, which everyone participated in. Due to our experience with chant and the liturgy, Floriani helped lead the service. It was an unexpected and wonderful opportunity to show people what we do. We concluded the service by singing our rendition of the Salve Regina, which you can view below.
"By far the highlight of the week was the pedagogy. Each of the King's Singers brought unique perspectives and paradigm shifting insights to our singing, on both an individual and group level. One particular focus we found impactful was their emphasis on communicating the text effectively, and the vocal techniques that can help convey our interpretations successfully.
"The week was truly revelatory in many ways—the techniques and habits we learned have already improved our musicianship, and the feedback from such illustrious singers was a source of great encouragement. The added benefit of mingling with other musicians (professional and otherwise) was both educative and invigorating.
"It all culminated in a performance in the beautiful Richardson auditorium where we delivered three of our polished pieces, incorporating all that we had learned, followed by an informal 'cabaret', or variety show, where we performed one of our favorite barbershop pieces.
Performing "You've Got a Friend in Me" at the cabaret.
"We would like to give a special thanks to our mentor, Pat, who was a wonderful teacher and just a class A chap all around. And to the anonymous Floriani supporter who funded the entire trip, we cannot thank you enough—this was an incredibly impactful week for us, and an important moment in the group's development, the fruits of which will benefit our mission and all who enjoy our music!"
"The King's Singers Summer School was a mind-blowing opportunity for growth, both as individuals and as an ensemble. The expert guidance from these pros has measurably improved our blend and given us an array of useful tools to employ in the future. The experience was humbling, invigorating, and delightful." - Joe
Floriani and the King's Singers
UPCOMING
FALL 2024 EVENTS
THANK YOU
As people begin to receive their copies of Chants of Deliverance, we want to again thank you all who ordered for your patience, and apologize for the delay. We have certainly learned from this experience, and going forward intend for things to go much more smoothly!
Nota bene: If you missed this first release of the physical CD, don't worry. You'll have another chance in September to get your copy, as well as some other Floriani music!
NEXT MONTH
You'll see footage and get the rundown of
our incredible experience at the
Until then, here's a sneak peak...
Questions? Feel free to email us anytime at florianisacredmusic@gmail.com.
We are so grateful for your support! Please keep us in your prayers!
- Giorgio, Graham, Joe, Thomas, Chris, and Sarah
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