David Hand to tour USA with Fourum
Our Honorary Treasurer David Hand is to tour the USA with male-voice quartet Fourum of which he is a member. I will let David tell you about this in his own words, we wish him luck on the tour:
Last September I was invited to join a close part harmony group from Scunthorpe called Fourum. I had to go a 2 hour audition (having previously been given 3 pieces of music to learn from scratch in one week). Immediately on returning home late that evening I received a call to say I had passed & they offered me the position. I was to take the place of the baritone who could not make a particular tour which the quartet had made twice before but not to the extent of this tour. In February this year the original baritone resigned due to other committments & I was invited to become a permanent member, which I accepted.
The tour involves 13 concerts in Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland & Virginia. We will be hosted in some areas, staying in booked accomodation in other areas. There will be 3 internal flights & we have hired a large mini type bus for the road movements. There will be various concerts at churches and retirement homes (for which the group have previously performed).
The highlight of this tour is the group being invited to perform at the Jamestown 400 celebrations which are commemorating the 400th anniversary of the first English settlers. Although celebrations are going on throughout the year, the weekend of 11-13th May sees much varied entertainment from about 70 orchestras, choirs and groups (even one magician) from the U.S.A including only 2 groups from England, our quarter being one of them. The organisers expect 30,000 visitors a day & we will be performing to agreed schedules on each of the 3 sound stages during the weekend. The weekend finishes on the Sunday night after a 1600 strong choir / orchestra have performed and a firework display, as the audince leaves the arena we have been asked to close the show. We will have somewhat of a captive audience to sell our CD (which was being recorded at the time of my original invitation so unfortunatley I am not on this one, but plans for another one including me are already being made). Buses will be used to transport the audience to their vehicles similar to Disney so those who missed us on the other concerts will certainly see us here. The Queen is making a state tour & visitng the Jamestown site but unfortunatley we belive she is going a few days before we are perfoming so she will miss us!
We perform all types of music & I have had to learn about 35 pieces of music - baritone line, as they do not use any music in perfomances. Some of the music is un-accompanied, although we do have our own pianist for some numbers & she will be with us on the tour. She is also a very accomplished violinst & both her & our Musical Director who arranges some of the musical numbers are ex London Royal College of Music, the other 2 members of the quartet are fine singers so I am very honoured to be a member of such a distinguished & talented group.
We are also officially busking during part of the weekend so I hope to incorporate some close up magic into some of those performances. We are finisihing our tour at a former 900 acre planation in which we are performing 2 x 2 hour concerts, one a private dinner party for the owners of the 6.2million dollar mansion that stands on the site. At that event I have been asked to entertain the guests with close up magic. We also have a tour manager & our wives will be with us on the tour.
We are appearing on Radio Humberside 2.00pm on Mon 30th April on Lara Kings show.
I have now performed 4 concerts with the group and at three of them we recived further bookings. I have a further 2 concerts with them tommorrow in Grimsby & Fri 27th April. Needless to say I have spent a lot of time rehearsing & so my other practice of new magic effects has suffered due to this.At least I have an interesting & tested close up repertoire for the trip.
For those who are interested www.fourum.co.uk will find our web site & all our biographies and concerts during the tour.
Last September I was invited to join a close part harmony group from Scunthorpe called Fourum. I had to go a 2 hour audition (having previously been given 3 pieces of music to learn from scratch in one week). Immediately on returning home late that evening I received a call to say I had passed & they offered me the position. I was to take the place of the baritone who could not make a particular tour which the quartet had made twice before but not to the extent of this tour. In February this year the original baritone resigned due to other committments & I was invited to become a permanent member, which I accepted.
The tour involves 13 concerts in Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland & Virginia. We will be hosted in some areas, staying in booked accomodation in other areas. There will be 3 internal flights & we have hired a large mini type bus for the road movements. There will be various concerts at churches and retirement homes (for which the group have previously performed).
The highlight of this tour is the group being invited to perform at the Jamestown 400 celebrations which are commemorating the 400th anniversary of the first English settlers. Although celebrations are going on throughout the year, the weekend of 11-13th May sees much varied entertainment from about 70 orchestras, choirs and groups (even one magician) from the U.S.A including only 2 groups from England, our quarter being one of them. The organisers expect 30,000 visitors a day & we will be performing to agreed schedules on each of the 3 sound stages during the weekend. The weekend finishes on the Sunday night after a 1600 strong choir / orchestra have performed and a firework display, as the audince leaves the arena we have been asked to close the show. We will have somewhat of a captive audience to sell our CD (which was being recorded at the time of my original invitation so unfortunatley I am not on this one, but plans for another one including me are already being made). Buses will be used to transport the audience to their vehicles similar to Disney so those who missed us on the other concerts will certainly see us here. The Queen is making a state tour & visitng the Jamestown site but unfortunatley we belive she is going a few days before we are perfoming so she will miss us!
We perform all types of music & I have had to learn about 35 pieces of music - baritone line, as they do not use any music in perfomances. Some of the music is un-accompanied, although we do have our own pianist for some numbers & she will be with us on the tour. She is also a very accomplished violinst & both her & our Musical Director who arranges some of the musical numbers are ex London Royal College of Music, the other 2 members of the quartet are fine singers so I am very honoured to be a member of such a distinguished & talented group.
We are also officially busking during part of the weekend so I hope to incorporate some close up magic into some of those performances. We are finisihing our tour at a former 900 acre planation in which we are performing 2 x 2 hour concerts, one a private dinner party for the owners of the 6.2million dollar mansion that stands on the site. At that event I have been asked to entertain the guests with close up magic. We also have a tour manager & our wives will be with us on the tour.
We are appearing on Radio Humberside 2.00pm on Mon 30th April on Lara Kings show.
I have now performed 4 concerts with the group and at three of them we recived further bookings. I have a further 2 concerts with them tommorrow in Grimsby & Fri 27th April. Needless to say I have spent a lot of time rehearsing & so my other practice of new magic effects has suffered due to this.At least I have an interesting & tested close up repertoire for the trip.
For those who are interested www.fourum.co.uk will find our web site & all our biographies and concerts during the tour.
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