Progress on the new Choral Society

We are delighted to report that the meeting held on 15^th January attracted 43 people all eager to be a part of a new Choral Society. Peter Esswood gave details of his career to date and said how delighted he was with such a good turnout. He also said that he felt confident there would be others that will wish to become members. He even got those present to sing a short Chorale from Bach’s St Matthew Passion – unaccompanied and from scratch. It worked, sounded good, and even stayed in pitch. Good vibes for the future.

With such enthusiasm and capability, it was agreed to start rehearsals immediately. They will be held on Wednesdays either in the New Schoolrooms or Christ Church itself, starting at 7.30pm next Wednesday, 22^nd January. They will probably go on to 9.00pm.

Whilst members will be expected to be reasonably proficient in choral singing, it was decided not to ask people to go through an audition. Instead, people interested in joining should just come along and see how they get on. There will need to be a subscription but the level of that has yet to be set – things are happening very rapidly. So members will asked to pay just £10 to start and a further £2 per rehearsal attended thereafter. Once the subscription has been worked out the amount paid up-front will be deducted from the agreed fee. People will be free to leave at any time in this starting phase, but money will not be refunded.

Peter also managed to get a few volunteers to start the task of sorting out all the administration side – tedious but ever so necessary. Anyone who thinks they can assist in any way should contact him. He has great ambitions for the Society, even suggesting that one of his favourite works was The Dream of Gerontius, but that might be running ahead rather too quickly. He hoped the Society would put on three or four concerts a year, perhaps in different locations. The first ‘outing’ will be during this year’s R&M May Festival.

If you would like any further information, please contact Peter by email here or mobile, 07831 300617.