News
Summer Social Events
Our newly appointed Social Secretary Pete Webb has organised the following events for the summer:
- Tuesday 18th May, 8pm: Quiz Evening at The Sportsman
Teams of 3 or 4 depending on how many turn up. There will be two sessions with a half-time break. Questions will be the usual mixed bag — general knowledge, geography, music, early Etruscan social structure... Please let Pete know a few days beforehand if you are going to attend. - Tuesday 22nd June, 7.30 pm: An Evening Walk
Pete will be leading, and we'll start at the Royal Hotel, Hayfield. It'll be about 90 minutes, nothing strenuous, a few gentle ups and downs, finishing up at the Royal for that essential rehydration. If you've any doubts about the weather on the day, please feel free to contact Pete. - Friday 16th July, 7.30 pm: Party at Walk Mill House (Pete and Ann Webb's House), Hayfield
In the garden if it's fine, inside if it's wet. We'll provide a bit of drinks and nibbles, but Bring & Share would be most welcome.
Pete can be contacted via .
Spring concert 2010: Dido and Aeneas
Tricia writes:
What a concert! Thank you all so much.
You sang with confidence – mostly! – and the sound was very full and very good and well in tune on the whole. Once again, not using music was good: it gives more freedom and confidence – thank you to everyone who was able to memorise Dido and to all who tried to. Having said that, the Finzi was wonderful – full of brightness and joy.
It was all excellent and a great credit to you all. I've had loads of complimentary remarks. Several people commented on the sound. One person said it was the best concert ever!
The Lament was heartbreaking – and after it the applause felt so enthusiastic. Our wonderful soloists loved performing with us and I know they would all come again.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
I'd like to thank those of you who helped with all the arrangements – furniture shifting, food, loos, refreshments, programme collating/setting/printing, ticket selling, poster distributing, tea making, bouquet buying, etc., etc. – the list is endless and I hope I've not missed anything.
and of our "reprise" in St James the Lesser, New Mills:
I have been waiting for 'the dust to settle' in my mind before writing this in order to be able to stand back and assess last Sunday's concert. The feeling I have is a very happy one: we really made music that night and it was hugely enjoyable. It has left a warm glow! The unison Britten arrangements were especially beautiful.
Congratulations to you all! Thank you for all your hard work.
Barn Dance
Around 30 members and friends enjoyed an evening of dancing (and tasty hotpot) on Friday 26th March. Thanks to everyone who turned up, to Alison the caller and the Barnstormers, and to the Royal for their excellent hospitality.
 Our caller Alison with The Barnstormers | |
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Christmas concert 2009
Tricia writes:
Lots of 'thank yous'!
Thank you all so much for a splendid concert. You rose to the occasion and sang as well as you've ever sung. The sound was rich and well-blended. I think the first Bach movement was the best you've ever sung it — it sounded like 'a multitude of the heavenly host' — at last! There were some magic moments too.
I enjoyed the concert enormously and it looked and sounded as if you did too. All that hard work was worth it in the end — I hope you all feel that too.
The audience was large — thank you for getting 'bums on seats'. Thank you to everyone who put an advert in the programme or who asked other people to put one in.
Thanks too to the stage management team for setting up so efficiently.
Thank you very much for your generous gift: I greatly appreciate it and will spend it on singing lessons.
Dave writes:
Thanks to everyone involved for making our last-minute transfer to St John's go so amazingly smoothly. In my first concert as Chairman I quickly learnt how much goes on behind the scenes to make our concerts happen: thanks to everyone who worked so hard in preparation for the evening and "backstage" on the night. And thanks for indulging me by singing my carol arrangement...it was lovely to hear it sung so well (and I'm looking forward to hearing it on the recording that was taken). And I had shivers running down my spine during "He, watching over Israel" too.
Spring concert 2009: Haydn's Creation
For those of you unable to attend, our Spring Concert was somewhat eventful, with our soprano soloist Jennifer France being taken ill at literally the last minute, having sung beautifully in rehearsal. Tenor soloist Graham Wili sight-read one of the soprano arias brilliantly (to a spontaneous round of applause) and Tricia took the soprano part in various duets and trios (while continuing to conduct). Jennifer was able to return to sing towards the end of the piece, again to generous applause.
Tricia writes:
Thank you very much for your generous gift—it will almost pay for 3 singing lessons and is much appreciated. What a good idea of someone's! I'm still in a daze and last night is a bizarre blur which I find difficult to evaluate. What I do know is that the choir’s performance was excellent: you knew the music, you sang with confidence, your rhythm never let you down—and you rose to the occasion and dealt with the strange situation brilliantly. Thank you and congratulations! And isn't the music wonderful! Thank you to Jonathan and Andrew for all their help—and Dave Hoult (from the back row!)
Linda Whitaker writes:
I just want to say how much I enjoyed singing The Creation on Sunday night and to congratulate Tricia on coping so well with such a difficult situation. Not only singing some of the soprano parts but conducting at the same time—brilliant! Then all the rearranging for the second half, well done everyone who helped. I thought all the singers and musicians did well in the circumstances and hope Jennifer is OK now.