We are pleased to announce that our AUTUMN TERM 2010 REGISTRATION is now open
You can download our booking form here.If you are keen to join us for our new and exciting 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY TERM, please print off the form, fill it in and send it along with your payment to the address printed on the form.
Please Note: Due to this term being our 10th Anniversary we have big plans for a Grand 10 year Celebratory Concert at the Brighton Dome.
There will be the usual 14 w/shops running consecutively on Thursdays, 6.30pm - 8pm and 2 extra staging rehearsals on Wednesdays 17th and 24th November, 6.45pm - 9.45pm. Due to the complexity of the Dome's layout and the professional nature of our performance, it will be essential that everybody committs and attends to all of these rehearsals. Please check your diaries and book all of these dates in early.
Our last and final Double Rehearsal (before the big night, Sat 11th Dec) is currently Scheduled for Thursday 9th December, please can we ask you to also book in your diaries Wednesday 8th December. (We will either use both dates or either dates for our final rehearsal, we will confirm at a later stage but please do book both the 8th and 9th of December in your diaries 6.45pm - 9.45pm).
Due to this term being our 10th Anniversary it is likely to be rather popular. Please do not leave it to the last minute as we are limited in capacity for w/shop attendees. To guarantee you a place, we strongly recommend you book as early as possible.
Together with Karen Gibson (Choir Director) and Jason Thompson (Musical Director) we look forward to welcome you and share this wonderful and exciting chapter in Brighton Goes Gospel's development.
Our Workshops
Workshops are run twice a year, February and September. They are held on Thursday evenings at the Octagon building, Cardinal Newman Catholic School, Upper Drive, Hove, BN3 6ND. The Workshops run for 14 weeks and culminate in a Grand Concert – one during the Brighton Festival Fringe in May and a Christmas concert in December.
If there are spaces available we offer the first session of each term as a ‘taster session’ for those who wish to sample gospel singing. However, we cannot guarantee that all those wanting to join up after the ‘taster session’ will get a place - due to us having to limit numbers for health and safety reasons.
The best way to guarantee your place in the choir is to send in your booking form and full payment for the whole term in advance. Places are secured on a ‘first come first served’ basis. Sadly we do have to turn people away from each workshop once places have filled up.
On Thursday evenings two workshops run consecutively.
6.30pm-8.00pm - Workshop Choir
BGG workshops are open to anyone (sixteen years and over) who wants to try singing in the gospel style, regardless of ability, experience, race, religion, or sexuality. All we ask is that you commit to attend a term's workshops and any staging and extra rehearsals organised for the end-of-term grand concert. The maximum number of members for the workshop choir each term is 100, so please make sure you book early!
- No auditions
- No experience needed
- No need to read sheet music
- We recommend you bring a recording device (optional) as the workshops are taught in traditional gospel style - call and response.
- Both BGG choirs will perform at the Grand BGG Concert.
- Bottled water is available for purchase at the workshops.
8.15pm-9.45pm - Performance Choir
The performance choir consists of more experienced members of BGG who have been singing for some time and who perform to a higher level at the end of term Grand Concert. Entry to the performance choir is open to anyone who has already sung in the Workshop Choir for one term or more and has spoken to the Choir, Musical or Artistic Director and had a mini-audition. You should be willing and committed to perform at the level expected. Entrance to the Performance Choir may also depend on the availability of places - we allow for a maximum of 50 members in the choir per term. Please see requirements below:
- The songs taught and arrangements are more complex and the pace of learning is faster; so it is essential for members to record each session and listen to the recordings and rehearse in between workshops.
- The choreographies (movements/clapping/timing) are more challenging.
- For all the above reasons, regular attendance to workshops/rehearsals is crucial; members need to be committed.
- Members may be singled out to sing on their own during the workshop.
- Members are expected to be prepared/warmed up before the session starts.
- The concept of twang and retraction need to be understood, whether actually mastered or not.