This week on WHITEBALLOON INSIGHTS we loved hearing from Stephen Lynas from the Cirencester Male Voice Choir. Stephen tells us about the camaraderie that exists between the wonderful, eclectic mix of members of the choir and about the therapeutic power of live music.
Q: Can you please start by telling us a bit about the Cirencester Male Voice Choir and when and why it was created.
It began because a dyed-in-the-wool Welsh chorist had moved to the area and missed the enjoyment of community singing. He badgered 11 other hardy souls and now we are almost 40 strong. From (to be honest) a frankly pretty rough beginning the choir has transformed under the direction of a very patient internationally acclaimed concert pianist and now holds its own with the Welsh choirs we have sung with recently.
Q: You are based in the beautiful market town of Cirencester. Do you mainly perform locally, or do you cover other areas of the UK?
‘Home’ concerts are in the Cirencester Parish Church, but we go wherever we are kindly invited. Recent concerts have been in South Wales and every two years we take part in multiple concerts during the Cornwall International Male Choral Festival, which is the largest of its kind in the world. We perform in cathedrals, churches and on clifftops. We sing to raise money for charities. Christmas means free performances in Care Homes, public carol singing, events in Cirencester Park. Hopefully we will be in a recording studio later this year.
Q: It must feel a real honour to perform at a funeral or celebration of life. In what ways do you feel live music helps families on the most difficult of days?
In the main our requests to sing at funerals come from those who have been to our public concerts, which normally hold 300 to 400 people. There is such a lot of emotion, memory and personal history in songs so it is very moving to be able to contribute to celebrations of life.
Q: Are there any particular songs, or types or styles of music, that you find are most frequently requested at funerals and celebrations of life?
Those we have performed most (thankfully the events are not frequent) are Poor Wayfaring Stranger, Softly and Myfanwy. Essentially songs that can appropriately stir emotions.
Q: As a choir, you must spend a lot of time practising and performing together. Can you tell us a bit about the camaraderie and the support that you provide each other.
Part of the joy is the mix of people who sing with us. Doctor, window cleaner, fireman, carpenter, pilot, journalist, town crier, accountant, surgeon, military policeman, logistics manager, vicar, headhunter, physicist, naturalist, journalist, engineer and more. We chat, encourage, mingle. We are planning a ‘speed dating’ night (of sorts) where we find out more about each other’s lives. 2 minutes each to share a life story beyond the usual male joshing.
But there are a wide range of benefits, not only for mental and emotional well-being but also for physical health. It can help with myriad issues:
Stress reduction, emotional expression, sense of belonging, respiratory health, cardiovascular health, and it’s a boost to the immune system. As choir singing involves learning and memorizing music, it can improve memory, while singing in front of an audience can help build self-confidence. And when we perform as well as we are able, there is a genuine sense of accomplishment.
Q: And finally, has there been a particular person, song or book that has inspired you over the years?
Not so much ‘inspired’ me, but certainly all three have moved me.
Song: My three favourite lyricists are Bob Dylan, and Randy Newman, both of whom can make me sad or very happy. But Lacrimosa from Mozart’s Requiem is hard to beat.
Book: A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.
Person: Author Kurt Vonnegut. His extraordinary book about surviving the destruction of Dresden also gave him experiences that made him seem very wise.
“And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, ‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”
“Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies – “God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”
“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.”
To get in touch with Stephen and to find out more about the choir, please go to The Cirencester Male Voice Choir.