Concerts

Before the concert

Check the details

Make sure you know the venue, arrival or call time, concert start time and where singers should meet. Know where you're going to park and how you will pay for it if necessary. Check any final emails and messages from the choir too — arrangements can change as the concert approaches.

What to wear

Most choirs have a specified concert dress, which might be all black, black and white, or something more individual to the choir.

• Check exactly what is expected, including footwear.

• Choose clothes and shoes that will be comfortable for standing for a long time.

• Avoid noisy jewellery or accessories that might be distracting (unless you've been asked to bring them e.g. at Christmas!)

• If you're unsure, ask a fellow choir member, the chair or one of the organisers. It's much better than discovering on the day that you've misunderstood the dress code.

• Make sure you have everything ready a few days before e.g. so you know you can still fit into those trousers, your shoes have been shined, and that a family member hasn't borrowed and not yet returned a key item of clothing (speaking from experience!)

• Bow ties are becoming increasingly rare, but if you will be wearing one, either get very good at tying it, or tie it the day before and unhook it to avoid a last minute panic (again speaking from experience!)
  

What to bring

Again, prepare all this a day or two before, in case you've mislaid anything. Your choir may have its own requirements, but useful things to check include:

• Your music and concert folder, if required

• A pencil and eraser (may be used in the rehearsal or warmup, unlikely in the concert)

• Water

• Reading glasses, if you use them

Final practices

Try to have a full run through of everything on the day before, or even the day of the concert if time. It doesn't have to be at full volume (see 'look after your voice') but will ensure everything feels familiar in the concert. At this stage you should hopefully be feeling more confident with the music, in which case singing along to a performance of the pieces is a great way to finish off your practicing, and ensuring you know how they are supposed to sound. If you get lost, or are still struggling with some of the more difficult bits, you can go back to your practice aids if there is time. However be pragmatic: it's not worth tiring yourself out over those few places that you never seem to get quite right, but which no-one is likely to notice except for yourself! Declare them 'good enough' and focus on enjoying the performance.

Look after your voice

You don't need to spend the day protecting your voice in complete silence, but it makes sense to arrive with it feeling fresh.

• Drink normally and keep well hydrated.

• Avoid excessive shouting or prolonged loud talking beforehand.

• Don't overdo your own warm-up — there will usually be a choir warm-up before the performance.

• Eat in enough time to feel comfortable while singing.

  
  

Arrive in good time

Allow extra time for parking, finding the entrance, changing and locating where the choir is assembling. Sign in if required to do so (the organisers need to know that everyone expected to perform has arrived, and it may be a fire safety requirement too).

Rehearsal and sound check

There will often be a rehearsal or sound check at the venue before the performance. Even if you know the music well, this is important. It gives everyone a chance to get used to the acoustic, establish where the choir will stand and practise entrances, exits and any movement. It may also be the first opportunity to rehearse with soloists, an orchestra or other musicians.

Listen carefully to any last-minute instructions — these are worth marking in your score if necessary.

During the concert

Getting into position

Follow the arrangements you've been given for entering the performance area and where to stand. Once you're in position, settle as quietly as possible and have your music ready.

Watch the conductor

Watching the conductor becomes even more important in performance. However thoroughly something has been rehearsed, the conductor is still in control of what happens on the night. If you're not looking up, they lose that control, and you risk an impromptu solo as they instruct everyone else to slow down or to wait a few moments before coming back in!

Look up particularly for:

• Entrances and cut-offs

• Changes of tempo

• Pauses and fermatas

• Changes in dynamics

• The ends of movements or pieces

And remember that the conductor may respond to what is happening in the performance, so don't assume that everything will happen exactly as it did in rehearsal. They may take a piece much faster, for example!

Hold your score up

This is really important but easy to forget. By holding your score so you can just see the conductor's face and arms above it means that you can simultaneously:

• Watch the conductor as above

• Read your score, and in particular all your additional reminders about breathing, pitch, dynamics, words, not coming in early, and so on

• Let the audience see your face, rather than just the top of your head!

Smile!

Where it suits the music, remember to smile — or at least let your face reflect what you're singing. An engaged expression helps you connect with the audience and makes the whole choir look more confident and involved in the performance.

Concert etiquette

Concert etiquette is similar to rehearsal etiquette but becomes even more important in a concert setting. In particular

• Make sure your phone or smart watch is switched off (these devices can occasionally make sounds even if set to silent)

• Avoid wearing perfume, cologne or after shave

• Once you're on stage, remember that the audience can see you even when you're not singing. Avoid unnecessary talking, fidgeting or looking around (and waving to!) the audience.

• Turn pages as quietly as possible.

When you're not singing

There may be long passages where your section isn't singing, particularly in works with soloists or orchestral sections. If possible, just find the page where you come back in (or the page before) and enjoy listening to the performance. If you need to follow every page to know when to come back in, try not to make it too obvious, particularly when turning pages.

Applause and acknowledging the audience

At the end of a piece, keep watching the conductor. Don't immediately drop your music or relax as soon as the final note has finished — the silence at the end can be part of the performance too. Follow the conductor's lead over when to lower or close your music, sit down or acknowledge the audience. If the choir is asked to stand for applause, move together with the singers around you.

After the concert

Leaving the stage

Stay in performance mode until you're actually off stage. Follow the agreed exit rather than heading off independently, and keep conversation until you're away from the audience.

Music and equipment

Return borrowed scores, folders or other equipment if required. If your choir normally helps with clearing chairs, music stands or other equipment, lend a hand where you can — a concert often involves a considerable amount of work behind the scenes.

Enjoy it!

Concerts are social occasions as well as performances. There may be drinks afterwards, a choir gathering or simply the chance to congratulate fellow singers and talk about how it went.

And don't spend the evening dwelling on the note you missed in the second movement. Chances are that nobody else noticed it.

Common concert concerns

I'm nervous

It's completely normal to feel nervous, particularly before your first performance. Much of what happens will become obvious once you're there, and there will be plenty of experienced singers around you to follow. Concentrate on the things you can control: practice as much as time allows, arrive in plenty of time, bring everything you need, listen to instructions and watch the conductor.

I made a mistake

Keep going. Individual mistakes are usually far less noticeable to the audience than they feel to the singer who made them. Avoid grimacing, laughing, apologising or looking at the person next to you. If you've lost your place, stop singing for a moment, listen, find where the choir has reached and rejoin when you're confident.

I've lost my place

It happens to experienced singers too. Stop singing, listen to what's happening around you and use clues in the music — words, rehearsal marks, bar numbers or distinctive passages — to work out where the choir has reached. Once you've found your place, wait for an entry you're confident about rather than rushing back in immediately.

I sang the wrong note or came in at the wrong time

Carry on if you can. In a choir, a single wrong note is unlikely to derail the performance.

If you've come in when nobody else has, stop and rejoin at the next suitable point. Most importantly, don't advertise the mistake through your expression or reaction - most of the audience will not be familiar with the work, and likely will not have realised what happened.

I don't know the music well enough

Ideally you'll feel secure before concert day, but few singers feel equally confident about every passage. If you reach somewhere you're really unsure of, singing more quietly, miming, or briefly not singing at all can be better than confidently guessing. Listen to the singers around you, watch the conductor and come back in when you're secure.

Everyone else seems more confident than me

They may only look more confident. Even experienced choral singers can feel nervous before a performance or have passages they're worried about. You don't need to be the strongest singer in your section. You're one part of a much larger sound, and the skills of listening, watching and staying with the ensemble matter just as much as singing every note perfectly.

What if something unexpected happens?

Something usually does. A soloist may enter differently, somebody may drop something, an audience member may cough at exactly the wrong moment, or the conductor may take a passage at a slightly different speed.

Keep watching, listening and following the conductor. One of the pleasures of live performance is that it isn't completely predictable.