Hi Everyone!
Happy New Year to you and best wishes to you and all your loved ones for 2025!
I hope you are getting over your January blues, the horrendous storm and looking forward to the slight stretch in the evening as Spring draws ever closer?
Like you, I hope that I will meet my needs and fulfil my desires in 2025 so with this in mind I will be sharing some of the joy of song leading with my friend and colleague in song, Mandi Frankham. We have worked together frequently during the last few years and we both came back in early January from the Natural Voice Gathering in the UK full of inspiration, energy and most importantly lots of fantastic new songs to share with you. I hope that you will enjoy getting to know her and enjoying the new dynamic of us working as a team.
I hope that this will free up some space for my own song writing and arranging to blossom through my new vocal performance project Echoes of Two with Victoria Stakelum. If you are curious, you can watch a promotional video here
I am in the process of changing my payment process and I ask you to bear with me as I transition to online payment. In the meantime, you can book individual events through the Eventbrite platform, the first of which is the Saturday Sing Together for Spring Drop In Ballinamore this Saturday, 1st February, St Brigit’s day. You can book this online here
If that is a problem, do contact me in advance of the sessions.
I have also created an instagram page to help spread the word to friends family colleagues who may be interested in joining us in releasing their creative voice and stepping into the joy of Singing Together so if you are on instagram, please follow me at sarahgardensings.
The opportunities to sing with me this year (so far!) are, in summary:
1) Fortnightly Saturday Sing Together Drop Ins in Manorhamilton and Ballinamore
2) Weekly Sing Together preparing a programme of songs for sharing performances in Omagh in May and in Boyle in July on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings
3) Singing Holiday and Festivals
1) Saturday Morning Sing Together Drop Ins
Starting with Saturday the 1st February, St Brigid’s day and the first day of Spring here in Ireland, our Saturday drop-ins will be a wonderfully friendly, relaxed and joyful gathering of people who love to sing or who would like a safe space to begin to love singing again. They take place in the Island Theatre, Ballinamore and Sexton’s House, Manorhamilton 11-12.30pm and we usually have a social lunch nearby afterwards. There will soon be an online facility to book. I will let you know when links are up and running.
Saturday 1st February 11-12.30pm – Special St Brigit’s Day Saturday Sing Together – Island Theatre Ballinamore with Mandi and Sarah. Followed by committee meeting 12.30-1pm. If you enjoy singing with us then do consider joining. There are jobs like putting up posters, recording footage, booking venues, dreaming up ideas for funding. Do stay around a little if you are curious. No pressure! You can pre-book for this event here
Saturday 22nd February 11-12.30pm – Island Theatre, Ballinamore with Mandi
Saturday 8th March 11-12.30pm – Sexton’s House, Manorhamilton with Sarah
Saturday 22nd March 11-12.30pm – Special Spring Equinox Sing Together Island Theatre, Ballinamore with Sarah & Mandi
Saturday 5th April 11-12.30pm – Sexton’s House, Manorhamilton. This is part of a singing weekend with Sarah and David Burbidge, fellow Natural Voice Leader from the Lake District. It can be booked as a drop in here OR part of a weekend see below.
Saturday 12th April – 11-12.30pm – Island Theatre, Ballinamore with Mandi
Saturday 17th May- 11-12.30pm -Sexton’s House, Manorhamilton with Sarah
Saturday 31st May – Island Theatre, Ballinamore with Mandi
Saturday 14th June – Sexton’s House, Manorhamilton with Mandi
Saturday 21st June – Special Summer Solstice Sing Together, Island Theatre, Ballinamore with Mandi
Saturday 12th July – Sexton’s House, Manorhamilton with Sarah
Saturday 26th July – Island Theatre, Ballinamore with Mandi
Saturday 9th August – Sexton’s House, Manorhamilton with Sarah
Saturday 6th September – Sexton’s House, Manorhamilton with Sarah
Saturday 20th September – Island Theatre, Ballinamore with Mandi & Sarah
Saturday 4th October – Sexton’s House, Manorhamilton with Sarah
Saturday 18th October – Island Theatre, Ballinamore with Mandi & Sarah
Saturday 1st November – Sexton’s House, Manorhamilton with Sarah
Saturday 15th November – Island Theatre, Ballinamore with Mandi & Sarah
Saturday 29th November – Sexton’s House, Manorhamilton with Sarah
Saturday 13th December – Special Christmas Drop In – Island Theatre, Ballinamore with Mandi & Sarah
2) Weekly Sing Together preparing a programme of songs for sharing performances in Omagh in May and in Boyle in July on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings
I will lead 2 distinct groups of singers on a weekly basis to be booked in a blocks of 6 or 7 classes together to prepare a programme of songs for performances. If you are gaining confidence in singing and want to experience the joy and adrenaline of sharing what we have built together with others, and are prepared to commit a little more then this is for you! You can join the Boyle One Voice Singing Group rehearsing weekly on THURSDAYS 7-8.30pm preparing for a performance at the Boyle Arts Festival on Thursday 17th July. Or you can join the Bluegrass Festival Choir rehearsing weekly on TUESDAYS 8-9.30pm at the Bawnacre Centre in Irvinestown, Co Fermanagh for a performance at the Bluegrass Festival in Omagh on Saturday and Sunday 24th and 25th May.
The Bluegrass Festival Choir will start on TUESDAY 25th FEBRUARY. The first block of 7 costing £70 can be booked here.
The Boyle One Voice Singing Group will start on THURSDAY 27TH FEBRUARY. This is being run by Boyle Family Resource Centre and payment will be cash donations. For more information, contact Flo at the Family Resource Centre on 071 9663000
Sing Together Regular Weekly Sessions in Carrick on Shannon will take a break for the moment as the committee is putting together a new exciting funding proposal to launch after Easter. They would really like further help to make this happen sooner so if you would like to get involved do contact Sarah Wood via the committee email singtogetherireland@gmail.com or by phone 0860885524.
3) Singing Holidays and Festivals
Singing Weekend April 5th and 6th
This is an opportunity to extend the existing Manorhamilton Drop in on Saturday April 5th overnight until after lunch on Sunday 6th. The drop in will take place as usual for the usual price of €10. However, for an extra €20 there will be an additional afternoon singing workshop and an evening Song and Music session at the local pub. A range of accommodation will be offered in the town and we will finish with a morning Singing Walk and lunch in a local pub before departing home. The weekend will be co-led by me and David Burbidge, a fellow Natural Voice Leader from the Lake District. Information and pricing on accommodation will be available soon.
Singing on the Wild Side Singing Holiday in Donegal Friday 30th May – Friday 6th June
I am honoured to be asked to lead Singing on the Wild Side again in Donegal. This is magical week
and far more than just a singing holiday. We sing every morning in the gorgeous large sunny singing room, with its beautiful acoustic, that looks out onto Muckish mountain. By the end of the week you will find yourself rested, rejuvenated and restored to your centred & grounded self, with a repertoire of up to 12 harmony songs – and that’s just the beginning…
You can book this holiday here
Look out for the Sing Together Workshop at the annual Ballinamore Family Festival, a fun packed week running from Sunday August 10th – Sunday August 17th. You can find out more about the festival here