Our Newsletter

A successful choral workshop on Fauré's Requiem was held, on 28th September 2024, in the Old Gym at Wellington College.

The choir continue to rehearse this piece which we  will be singing, on 15th November 2024 at Wellington College, as part of a spectacular concert, We will be accompanying the Wellington College Choir, Wellington Parent Singers and Orchestra in a  wonderful repertoire that also features Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto no2 (1st mvt) and Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto no3 (1st mvt).

Not to be missed and tickets are available https://wellingtoncollege.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873649000

The new singing year starts on 12 September at 7:30. For our autumn concert we will be performing the Messiah Part I and the Hallelujah Chorus by Handel.
New singers are very welcome.

In-person rehearsals resume

On Monday 13 September we aim to begin rehearsals again in the Old Gym. The committee has drawn up plans to make this a COVID safe environment, so expect some things to be a little different than usual.

 

We have now been meeting as a virtual choir for over a year. It is great to see so many still taking part. It looks as if this arrangement will need to continue for a while yet, but with many people now getting vaccinated and lockdown measures being eased, we can hope to return to something more normal. A quick plug for the website. There are some new features including learning tracks for pieces where these are not widely available. Also there are copies of the music we are using, plus all the usual dates, dress code for concerts, etc. If you have forgotten your login details, please let me know at: secretary@crowthornechoral.org.uk.

 
It is wonderful to still have rehearsals every Monday night.  The issues of rehearsing without being able to hear anyone else has been clearly difficult but we are making progress, are meeting each other and there is a sense of purpose.  Seeing everyone on screen singing along to my playing shows that we are determined to keep the Choral Society thriving.  With government announcements, might we be able to get a live rehearsal in towards the end of next term? 
The music covers a wide range of styles and I would like to continue to stretch our knowledge of choral music.  As we plan for next year, it would be good to use these pieces within concerts.  The initial aim would be to have a concert at the end of September.  Fingers crossed.
Best wishes to all
Simon
 

Crowthorne Choral Society Newsletter August 2020
Although our live rehearsing and performing has been brought to a sharp standstill, there has still been plenty going on behind the scenes. 

Virtual rehearsals
With social distancing measures still in force our Musical Director, Simon and the committee have attempted to keep interest going through virtual rehearsals. Of course it is not the same as rehearsing in the same room. One of the joys of singing together in a group is that of blending our voices together and that has not proved possible with the technology available. Zoom is a very good way of getting people together and working on the same pieces, but limitations in internet means that there is a delay of a few seconds between sending and receiving. However I think those who have taken part have enjoyed them.
By individually recording our voices it is possible to put together a virtual performance and many members have contributed to this.
Rehearsals are to continue from September, with a history of choral music from the 15^th century onwards.  

Website
As you may know, the Committee decided to make changes to the website. The previous website was a high quality site, but because of its complexity we needed professional help to update routine things. The new website is simpler and easier for committee members to modify and update ourselves.  There is a members only area. Our aim is for the website to be the first place to go for up-to-date information. We are also planning to use it to generate interest in our group in the wider community.
A sub-committee was set up to look into our options.  We looked at several approaches including a bespoke, professionally produced, website through to a completely DIY version. We chose to make use of a generic platform developed for musical groups by Making Music. There are some new features that we hope you will want to make use of.
Launch is planned for September 2020.

Social
Of course the traditional summer party was not possible this year, and the winter social (following carol singing) was discontinued a while back. We need to have a look at what members would like to do when these things again become possible.
Social Media
There has been a change to our presence on Facebook. With the pandemic came the need to communicate informally with members and friends. The previous Facebook page was mostly a one way communication. Only certain people could post items, although comments, likes, etc. could be used for feedback. We now have a new Facebook closed group: Crowthorne Choral and Friends. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2918746778352115  
Every member should have received an invitation to join, but if that is now a distant memory you can always find it on Facebook and request to join. You can also invite friends. You can post anything of interest to members.

AGM
Don’t forget we have a delayed AGM for the 2019/ 2020 year. This will be on Zoom using the same login as for rehearsals, on Monday 12 October at 8:00 PM.

Getting back together
We have not got together now for 6 months and it has been difficult to keep the group going in some way. As soon as it becomes possible I hope we can start to sing together as a choir again. It may not be exactly like it was before, but your committee is looking into ways to get things going again.
Stay well and I look forward to seeing you in person in the not too distant future.