Name
‘Desola Haastrup
Job
Semi-retired. Main career banking currently working towards a new one in psychotherapy
Hometown
Ileșa, Oșun State in Nigeria
What made you want to sing in The Bach Choir?
Serendipity. My previous choir, a non-audition choral society, were rehearsing the St Matthew Passion. On the train back home with some of my choir members a Bach Choir soprano sitting near us held up her copy and said snap! We had a great conversation and she suggested I audition. I pshawed and laughed – I felt it was way beyond my league. A few months later I thought perhaps I need to up my ante, there’s no harm in giving it a go. I was over the moon when I somehow passed the audition.
What’s your favourite thing about singing in The Bach Choir?
Everybody loves being a part of this huge family with our shared passion of singing a varied repertoire excellently. My experience has been that as a result, people are really warm and welcoming. There is a great will to extend our reach to get the best people from all demographics to have access to this wonderfulness; I love that we do that by doing something about it. Vocalise! (our community engagement program for school children) is a great example of this.
What were your childhood experiences of singing?
I guess I sang the usual in nursery and primary school but don’t really recall. My mother told me I sang before I spoke I’d warble Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust. My first memory of singing was joining my school choir with a music mistress who had ‘standards’. Miss Newing was formidable and introduced us to the usual classical repertoire adapted to SSAA.
What’s your favourite piece of choral or classical music?
So many…….my current choral favourite is Victoria’s Missa pro Defunctis and instrumental Vitali’s (attributed) Chaconne in G Minor.
What advice would you give to potential new members of The Bach Choir?
Give it a go like I did: get to know the engaging reality not whatever perception there is out there – it is the best thing I’ve ever done.