Monday, December 06, 2010

Madrigirls

I was in the University Chapel photographing the Madrigirls' 10th Anniversary concert and rehearsal on Sunday. I was a Madrigirl for a couple of years, back when Katy and Catriona started the group (we couldn't persuade any of the Chapel Choir men to sing madrigals at the time, although there are now several Madriguys who take part in the concerts).

My favourite concert was a summer one in the cloisters under the Bute Hall (they have a fantastic acoustic, but for about 90% of the year this is overshadowed by the howling gales and horizontal rain coming through) where, among other things we sang Sumer is Icumen In.



Anyway, the Madrigirls concerts are now established as some of the most popular events in the West End music scene and the Chapel was completely packed. So I wound up sitting in one of the fancy stalls right at the front, which I think were intended for the Chancellor or the Bishop of Glasgow or something, and was on tenterhooks before the start in case one of them turned up and demanded his seat back. There was a bad moment when the Principal appeared, but luckily he didn't seem interested in wrestling my seat from me and sat somewhere else.



Earlier that afternoon I'd been wandering around the rehearsal trying to get some unusual angles...

view from the pulpit


Black and white


Katy conducting (she's also in charge of Cathures)

this one had a kind of Pre-Raphaelite feeling for some reason...maybe the purple banner...

One of the string players

It wasn't warm...
through a carving


(Recordings of the concert are now up here - make sure your browser doesn't attempt, as mine does, to play them all simultaneously though...)

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