Reviews

When I first found out about Country Choral’s plans to hold a singing weekend in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, my interest was piqued. I’d never been on a singing week before, mostly because I couldn’t justify the time or the expense, but the prospect of a weekend seemed much more doable, particularly when it was just up the road from me in Manchester.

Rory Wainwright Johnston was the tutor for this weekend, a talented young composer and conductor who I had first come across in a workshop on Portuguese polyphony for NWEMF several years ago (and he’s leading a workshop for us again on 18 April 2026). For this weekend, he had chosen an interesting selection of 16th century part-songs and madrigals for us to cover.

Driving up to the venue, High Trenhouse, on Friday afternoon was like journeying to a different country, and felt much further than the 60 miles it was in reality. Situated about 5 miles north of Settle, High Trenhouse is a wonderful collection of converted farm buildings nestled in a copse of trees on Malham Moor, beautifully restored and maintained, with a small pond, meandering paths and a great sense of tranquillity. As I parked up, I instantly began to feel myself relax and enjoy the birdsong.

I was met by the organiser, Anne Lowe, who showed me to my ensuite room, and then I joined my singing companions for the weekend in the main building for a glass of prosecco. There were 12 of us in total, and most of us hadn’t met each other before, but it wasn’t long before we were chatting away like old friends. After an evening stroll and a delicious home-cooked dinner (all meals were freshly prepared by High Trenhouse’s chef), we had our first singing session with Rory at 8.30pm.

These sessions took place in the large conference room with a lovely peaked roof and open beams. The acoustic was good, although we were sometimes accompanied by sheep from the neighbouring field! On the Saturday we split into two smaller groups for a short session, but we were together for the rest of the time. In total, we had eight sessions over the course of the weekend, although the one on Saturday afternoon was optional. There were regular breaks and the sessions were nicely paced so that we still had some time to relax.

At the start of each session, Rory took us through a number of exercises to warm up our voices, bodies and brains (these were particularly welcome in the post-meal sessions!) And then we got stuck into the music. Rory had come up with some real gems from the 16th century, some well-known (Morley’s Fyre, Fyre, Dowland’s Lachrimae Pavan and Go Crystal Tears, Wilbye’s Draw on Sweet Night) to some that were less familiar (Long live fair Oriana purportedly by Ellis Gibbons (Orlando’s older brother), Francis Pilkington’s Rest, sweet nymphs, Robert Jones’ If in this flesh, Thomas Campion’s Author of Light). I found Dowland’s In this trembling shadow the most evocative and challenging piece, particularly with its unexpected harmonies and striking dissonances, but that made it all the more rewarding – I would love to sing it with lute accompaniment. And on Saturday evening, we gave a nod to the 400th anniversary of the death of Orlando Gibbons with a very satisfying rendition of The Silver Swan.

As we turned to each new piece, Rory gave us the background to the composer and the piece to give some context, which helped inform how we approached it. Rory encouraged us all to sing together as a consort, rather than rely on him conducting, giving us tips on how to give an indication of the timing in the preparatory breath, and how to listen better to each other rather than having our noses stuck in the music. This was new territory for some, particularly those who had only sung in conducted choirs, but over the course of the weekend, our collective confidence grew, and I felt that we were much more cohesive as a group by the time of the last session on Sunday morning. I learned a lot from this weekend which I will take with me to the groups I usually sing with.

By the time we said our farewells after another lovely lunch on Sunday, I felt that I had been away for a week, not just a few days, and I know I will keep in touch with many of the singers I met. This wasn’t ‘just’ a weekend workshop – this was a chance to relax and recharge the batteries for a few days in an idyllic setting, singing some sublime music with expert guidance from Rory. It was made all the more special by having the exclusive use of High Trenhouse, and the owners made us feel very welcome and well looked after during our stay. Anne’s excellent organisation was evident throughout, from emails in the run up to the weekend, to the schedule devised for the weekend. A keen singer with a local Ilkley choir herself, Anne will be organising more of these weekends, and the next one is 5-7 September, again with Rory leading it and covering much of the same music. If you are looking for a restorative short break with a chance to sing some beautiful secular early music, this really is a rather special weekend.

Kirsten Flores, Chair NWEMF