A slew of music festivals and concerts have been cancelled due to the pandemic and the accompanying quarantine. Fortunately, artists and organisations from all over the world have come together to upload performances on the internet so that audiences can enjoy music from the comfort of their own homes. To help you narrow the list down, we’ve chosen five online musical events, both by huge event halls and individual choir groups, that you need to watch. Read on below to see our picks and why you should check them out!
Royal Albert Home
The Royal Albert Hall is one of the most prestigious music venues in the country. The hall has housed some of biggest choral events in the world with world’s biggest singers filling the venue’s 5,272 seating capacity. The hall has also been a venue for ballet performances and classical music. Unfortunately, it too has had to temporarily close due to the pandemic.
However, this doesn’t mean that the hall has stopped providing the world with great music. The Scotsman’s article on The Royal Albert Hall Home concerts highlights how the venue has been organising and hosting online performances from today’s premier artists. One of its most recent performers was the Albert’s Band baritone, Maciek O’Shea, who delivered a stunning 30-minute opera set. There is a wide range of music from The Royal Albert Hall Home, so do check out their website for the next concert.
Rock Choir
Here’s a group that takes the old with the new. The Rock Choir has been around since 2005 and features upbeat vocal-only renditions of popular songs. These songs have ranged from Adele to modern musicals such as The Greatest Showman. Recently, the Rock Choir started doing a series of broadcasts called #KeepBritainSinging where they reach out to households all over the UK in the hopes of raising everyone’s overall morale during these trying times.
One particularly interesting performance from the Rock Choir was the recent online concert by Choir Leader Laura Bennett (see above). To show how impressive her voice is, she managed to capture Bruno Mars’ Just the Way You Are without the need for instruments or the wah pedals that make his sound so distinct. Various members have done this with other songs as well, showing off their range and creativity as they perform for online audiences. A very inspiring online event that has helped lift the nation.
Opera Philadelphia Digital Festival: Breaking the Waves
Classical music fans will be glad to know that the Opera Philadelphia will be continuing their Festival O through five major online streams. Pioneers in contemporary opera, the Opera Philadelphia had to cancel their much-awaited Festival O due to health concerns.
While two of the shows have already finished, you can still catch Breaking Waves on May 29. For those of you who haven’t seen the show in action or have never heard of Opera Philadelphia, we urge you to keep an open mind as these performances border on the experimental as the group has moved away from what’s considered to be the traditional opera mode.
If you’re looking forward to watching a concert once this is all over, you should check out our list of upcoming shows here on Hertfordshire Chorus, which includes a performance at the St Albans Cathedral in late October!
