History
Our choir was formed in 1974 by its
first conductor, Dr Alwyn Surplice and rehearsed for many years at
Twyford Methodist Chapel in The Drove. It has grown from around 30
members to its current size of about 80 and still has three of the
founding members within its ranks. Other past conductors have been John
Lunt, Alan Mottram and Peter Parfitt. Our present conductor,
Derek Beck, took over the baton in
1995.
Membership
We are a friendly SATB choir and are
proud to be non-auditioned; nevertheless previous choral experience and
an ability to read music are both invaluable. We are currently up to
our maximum strength of 80 and so our membership secretary keeps a
waiting list of singers who would like to join us when a vacancy
arises. Members live not only in Twyford but also in surrounding areas,
including Winchester, Colden Common and Alresford.
To find out how you can join us, please click
here.
Concerts and Performances
We give two main concerts per year:
The first, usually held in February or March, alternates
on an annual basis between Twyford Parish Hall and an ecclesiastical
venue, such as
St Mary’s Twyford or
St
Cross Chapel. We are normally able to make a significant donation to
one or more local charities from the proceeds of this concert.
Our second concert is given with other local choirs as
part of the Winchester
and County Music Festival, the venue being
either Winchester Cathedral or Romsey Abbey.
In addition, we normally supplement the ad hoc choir of
St Mary’s Twyford for its annual carol
service and sing carols at
The Phoenix Inn Twyford, to raise funds for a chosen local charity.
To see our recent repertoire, please click
here.
Rehearsals
With breaks for public holidays
(including some half-terms), rehearsals are held in Shawford Parish
Hall, Pearson Lane, Shawford between 7.30 and 9.30pm every Tuesday, from
early September to mid May. Parking is available at the hall and nearby.
There are also important joint rehearsals with other
local choirs for our annual performance in the Winchester and County Music
Festival, for which our conductor,
Derek Beck, is the Director of Music.
These rehearsals are held on three Saturday afternoons between 2.00 and
4.30pm in March and April and also with the concert orchestra at 2pm on
the Saturday afternoon of the performance. Derek issues a detailed
schedule of all rehearsals and performances at the start of the Autumn
and Spring terms.
Our present piano accompanist is Peter Tombling.
Social
Events
Our main social event of the year is a
“bring and share supper”, following the AGM in June. We also, from time
to time, hold “skittles evenings” at
The
Phoenix Inn, Twyford, which include supper. Such events help
members to get to know one another better. We also hold social events
to celebrate notable occasions, such as our 20th and 30th
anniversaries.
We continue to consult our
membership about arranging further social activities.
Enjoyment
One of our main aims is that all
members enjoy themselves in the process of making music. Derek, through
good humour and patience makes this possible by establishing a relaxed
and happy atmosphere. Nevertheless, since we perform to paying
audiences, it is vital that all members are as well prepared as
possible. To this end, it is important that we find time to rehearse
individually, helpful aids being CDs of professional performances and
practice tapes/CDs, such as those sold by
Choraline, which are tailored to each SATB part. Individual
practice also helps to enhance enjoyment of rehearsals and performances.
Last update:
15 October 2008 |
