In the almost complete darkness of Sage Two, the sound of 30 young voices coming together in Poulenc’s motet O Magnum Mysterium was a truly magical moment. This was the start of our first live performance since the pandemic and for many of our Academy Singers the concert was also their first time back on stage.
The concert followed six days of intensive coaching in all the skills that go into classical singing – vocal technique and musical skills of course, but also stagecraft, communication, movement and languages. Acclaimed soprano Joan Rodgers who led our digital Academy last year was able to join us in person this year along with rising star tenor Samling Artist Nick Pritchard and a team of Samling Artists under the direction of Caroline Dowdle. BBC Look North gave the the Academy headline coverage, with the reporter telling us how uplifting it was to cover such a good news story.
Seeing young people sharing music together again, supporting each other and learning from each other has reminded us all that there is no substitute for live music-making.
Below: photographs from the six days of workshops and masterclasses. All photos on this page (c) Mark Pinder Photography
