Talks and Lectures
Paul Spicer is a popular speaker and he gives frequent talks, lectures and occasional sermons and after dinner speeches. He also broadcasts often for BBC Radio 4 on musical matters. Talks and lectures are usually on subjects relating to British Music, and especially his specialist subjects of Herbert Howells, Gerald Finzi and George Dyson. Wider subject matter is always considered. Lectures or talks in recent years have included:
The 2005 RCM Crees Lecture on 'Performing British Music'
Elgar's Influences for the Elgar Birthplace Museum
Lecture for Yale University organ students on the challenges of three different British choral works
Music and the Passion for Gloucester Cathedral's Lent Series
Talk for the National Precentors' Conference
Two major workshop talks for the Diocese of Salisbury
Talk for English Music Festival on Dyson's Agincourt
Many lectures in different venues about Howells, Dyson and Finzi
Many lectures on choirtraining and work with choirs
Talk on Thomas Traherne and music given to the Traherne Society
2005 Truro Cathedral Music Appeal launch
Talk for Walsall church on Christianity and Music
Worksop College Speeches
Talk for the Leicester Recorded Music Society on neglected British repertoire
Workshops and Masterclasses
Choral Workshops
Paul Spicer enjoys giving choral workshops almost more than anything! He loves being with a disparate group of singers and making them sing like an experienced choir by the end of a day. He also enjoys working with existing choirs, helping them to move on a stage, realise their potential, workshop a particular work, or simply give them a day's break from their regular conductor!
He moves through some extensive physical and vocal warm-up exercises – all of which will be relevant to the music sung during the day – and moves to music making which will hopefully inspire the singers to give of their best 100% of the time. The sessions are also intended to be continuous singing lessons as Paul works extensively on vocal technique, and all the music is prepared and rehearsed with good vocal production in mind. It is exhausting, rewarding and fun!
A day will often end with a culminatory workshop 'performance' of the music rehearsed.
Paul has given hundreds of workshops all over the UK, New Zealand, Canada, America, and on the continent of Europe. He has also given many workshops for Making Music (NFMS), for the Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD) and the Royal College of Organists (RCO).
Report from the Helensburgh (Scotland) Oratorio Choir on choral workshop on Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius
Masterclasses
Paul also gives masterclasses to conductors, choirs and chamber ensembles. These have included classes for the Royal College of Organists (for whom he also examines) and the Royal Academy of Music. He has wide experience of giving classes and has been involved as a coach and presenter in numerous BBC Radio Masterclass programmes. His role as well-known teacher of choral conducting has given him considerable further opportunities to instruct young conductors.
Summer School
English Choral Experience
Paul runs a week long summer school at Abbey Dore in the beautiful Golden Valley of Herefordshire. 2011 will be the fifth course. It takes place in the last week of July each year and is partly a singing week and partly a mini Arts Festival. The course takes place in the ancient Cistercian abbey building which is a perfect setting for music making. Full details can be found at www.englishchoralexperience.co.uk.
The course is available for up to 60 singers and a small, auditioned, Consort is taken out of the bigger group to sing Compline each night, take part in the final concert and sing a mass setting for the Abbey service on the final Sunday. The music is English (hence the title of the course) reflecting Paul's specialist interest and has at its heart a big-scale work which we do with piano accompaniment (Mark Opstad is the pianist) and the programme also has shorter choral works from a variety of periods.
The festival element is provided by a nightly concert, a talk on a related subject to the music we are singing, and a wonderfully varied series of art exhibitions where everything is for sale.
The catering for the course is overseen by the wonderful Jo Whitlock, a cordon bleu cook, who provides outstanding meals for the course in the evenings. All wine and soft drinks are included in the course fee, as is the Pimms party which opens the course (which is also a Private View of the exhibitions) and the Fizz and Canopes party which closes the course after the final Saturday concert.
The course encourages experienced singers to come and enjoy a wonderful week in fabulous surroundings. We also take two student conductors on subsidised fees who conduct both the main choir and the Consort throughout week and have short daily lessons with Paul.
