We welcome new members and hope the information below will help you decide to come along and join us....
Reasons to join our CHOIR...
Well-being
Singing feeds the soul, enriches the mind and adds immensely to the enjoyment of life - great thing to do for health, happiness and well-being.
Quality
We perform with professional orchestras and soloists of the highest calibre. We love singing and constantly strive to raise our performance.
Inspirational
We regularly perform in All Saints which has an amazing acoustic and we take part in concerts in stunning venues elsewhere - most recently some of our singers sang with Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) at David Geffen Hall Lincoln Centre, New York.
Our Outstanding MD
Our fantastic conductor, Huw Morgan, brings inspirational leadership and a wealth of experience, not to mention a lot of fun to our singing!
Varied Repertoire
We sing a wide variety of music, with emphasis on newer works by living composers. We also hold singing days where we meet other singers and invite distinguished conductors.
Social
We have fun! We make friends, and some of us go to the pub after rehearsals each week. We organise social events, singing days, quiz nights and anything else that members might like to arrange...
About Weston Choral
We are a four-part (SATB) choir open to all ages from 14 years upwards. Currently we are around 65 voices. Membership is open to all. There is no audition, no test of musical ability, only enthusiasm and ability to sing in tune are required...
Rehearsals
We rehearse every Tuesday evening from 7.30 - 9.30pm at the following address:
All Saints' Church
All Saints Road
Weston-super-Mare
BS23 2NL.
You are asked to be in place by 7.25pm ready for a prompt start.
Rehearsal Terms and Concerts
We sing in 2 terms:-
Spring term usually runs from early January to mid May culminating in our Spring Concert (usually held in late May).
Autumn / Winter term runs from early September to late November culminating in our winter concert (usually at the end of November or first half of December).
Attendance
Even if the concert piece is something you have sung before, you need to be aware of our Musical Director’s interpretation and specific advice on diction and dynamics. For this reason we do expect the following from our singers:-
Weekly attendance at all rehearsals and at concerts.
Attendance at the afternoon rehearsal on the day of the concert.
If a number of rehearsals are missed in a term, the Musical Director will decide on an individual basis whether a singer is able to make a valuable contribution to the concert.
We will provide, where possible, useful You Tube® links, links to web sites which provide MP3 learning files, as well as plans for each rehearsal, or other important information pertaining to choir matters. This information can be viewed on the members’ only page of our website and is also be sent to members via email.
Concert Day
On the day of a performance there will be a full rehearsal accompanied (where appropriate) by orchestra and soloists and other contributing choirs.
The day of the concert is an exciting and busy one. A few important pieces of information are set out below as a guide.
Times
Afternoon concerts usually start at 15:00 (3pm) and may last up to 90 minutes. Members may be asked to be in position to start rehearsing as early as 12:45.
Evening concerts normally start at 19:30 (7.30pm), and the choir is asked to assemble by 19:15 (7.15pm). The afternoon rehearsal for an evening concert is likely to begin at 14:00 (2pm) or a little earlier.
Dress code (for performances only)
Black long-sleeved shirt, black trousers, black socks and black shoes.
Black long sleeved top and black long skirt/smart trousers or alternatively a long black dress, black shoes and black tights/socks.
Weston Choral will issue ties or scarves (red or blue depending on what has been decided for a particular concert), before the performance and these should be returned immediately after the concert.
Membership Subscriptions
There is an annual subscription which can be paid in two parts. This is used to cover the costs of rehearsals and putting on concerts as well as contributing to the cost of music scores which are hired by the society for members use. Our membership subs are great value and full details of ways to pay are provided at the start of each term.
Potential new members are welcome to attend 3 rehearsals free while they decide whether to join, before paying for the term. We do ask that subscriptions are paid by the end of the third rehearsal of each term.
We hope that this has provided enough information to encourage you to come along and give us a try - we are a friendly group and would love to welcome you to our choir...
If you have any queries at all about joining or for any further info, please contact our membership secretary via email:
wcs-memsec@westonchoralsociety.org.uk
