Rehearsals run from 7.30pm till 9.15pm. Doors open at 7.15pm

 

Our website: www.marlboroughchoralsociety.org.uk will be the most up to date link between members and I ask you to check it each week for any changes

 

Rehearsal information

Opera Choruses - these are the choruses we will be singing
3. Bizet                Habanera                                          42
6. Donnizetti       chorus of wedding guests             107
10. Mascagni      easter hymn                                     145
15. Purcell           dido’s lament                                   189
22 Verdi               brindisi                                               245
23 Verdi               chorus of the Hebrew slaves        253  Gill said please look at this for 31st Jan


Here is what we covered in the first 2 weeks
Week 1 (17th January) Sprig of Thyme
The bold grenadier.
The keel row.
The willow tree.
The cuckoo

Week 2 (24th January) Encore for Choirs
Tequila Samba (p 146)
Londonderry Air (p 75)
The Mermaid (p 90)
 

Subscriptions

Please pay your subs by cheque, cash or bank transfer as soon as possible. It is £30 for the term.
Bank details: 
Account name:            Marlborough Choral Society
Bank:                           HSBC
Account number:        91396595
Sort code:                    40-32-07
 

A message from our Chair, Sally Banham, following our Christmas Concert

Dear Choir Members,
 
I am so pleased that after the substantial break from March 2020 we were able to have a relatively normal term of singing from September and were able to perform the concert last week.
 
Thanks to Gill for guiding us through all the music, including the Vierne which was, eventually, fun to sing even if it proved trickier than we originally thought it would. Why would any composer think that 7 sharps are acceptable in any piece of music!
 
As ever, thank you also to our accompanists, Jean, Emma and Jane, who all stepped up at various stages. Also to Emma and David who took rehearsals or parts of them as required. I would also like to thank the committee for ensuring everything runs smoothly.
 
We had a good attendance at the concert on the 11^th . Even if there were not as many people there as we have had in the past it was well attended for these troubled times when people are more inclined to stay at home and not venture out. Looking at recent despatches from other choirs I think we were lucky to get to perform at all and to have an audience of reasonable numbers.
 
I particularly want to thank all of you who made the decision to come back to choir in September. We were a reduced number but I think we made a good sound. Thank you for all your hard work. For those of you who are contemplating coming back I would urge you to do so. We managed to get through the whole term without losing a single rehearsal because of a Covid outbreak. We have put in place measures to ensure that we are as safe as possible, including masks except when we are singing, lots of sanitisers available, social distancing (even it has meant we have not been able to socially interact) and ventilation.
 
We are due to restart on 17^th January, although as I write this I recognise that circumstances might well change as regards the ability to meet. We will, of course, keep you all updated on what the position is. At present we are planning a concert on 2^nd April similar to that we did a few years ago including opera choruses and Rutter’s “A Sprig of Thyme”.
 
Next year will be Gill’s 20^th as our Music Director so come along and celebrate that with us all and hopefully I shall see you in January. In the meantime, I hope you all have a Happy New Year. Stay safe and, fingers crossed, see you in January.
 
Sally Banham (Chair)
 

 

Covid requirements: 

 
Inevitably we have had to change some of our practises to ensure we are keeping all our members as safe as possible. These are unusual times and we are uncertain how the Autumn Covid infections will impact our singing.
 
From September:

• You must NOT attend rehearsals if you feel unwell
• You MUST sign in each week. We will require you to provide contact details the first time you sign in so we have an effective process for contacting people if anyone tests positive for Covid. Please ensure that if these change at any time they are updated.
• We would prefer you to wear a mask as you enter and exit the building (as soon as you reach your seat you may remove your mask if you would like to)
• We will not be wearing masks for singing
• Although we will want to be sociable, please be aware of keeping a safe distance between yourself and others at all times
• Please enter, using the Church door (to the right of our usual side door entrance)
• We will ask you to sanitise your hands on arrival
• Doors (both ends of the room) and windows will be open to allow plenty of ventilation; please make sure you have extra layers in case the temperature drops
• We will space out in the Church to allow a sensible distance between singers and will keep every other chair free
• We will have a one-way system in place to toilets etc.

If you test positive for Covid and have attended a rehearsal during the last 10 days, you MUST inform our Secretary - Kathy Leach, or our Chair - Sally Banham, by email or telephone.  Contact details below:
 
Kathy Leach: kathy@leaches.co.uk  01793 812175 / 07813 615318
 
Sally Banham: sally.banham4@gmail.com 07778 038963
 
We will then inform all choir members who attended the rehearsal that one of our group has tested positive for Covid, and we may decide to cancel the next choir rehearsal to minimise the risk of spreading infection.  All decisions will be posted on our website.
 
As of 16^th August, Government guidance does not require fully vaccinated adults to self-isolate if they have been a close contact of a positive Covid-19 case, unless they develop Covid symptoms. Getting a PCR test is recommended but not legally required.  Of course, choir members should get a PCR test if they develop Covid symptoms, limit close contact with others for 10 days, and let Kathy or Sally know if the test result is positive.
 
Whilst I recognise all these recommendations may seem overwhelming the Committee have assessed all available best practise in developing our plans. We know that many people are apprehensive about mixing in groups and hope that these plans will minimise the risks of infection for all.
 
We look forward to seeing you all soon – with my very best wishes
 
 
Gill Mortimer
Musical Director
 
Sept 2021



 

 

Concert details

1. There will be boxes at the back of the church in which to place all your borrowed music after the concert. Please do not take any home with you. If for any reason you do not return your music on or before the night of the concert, it is important that you get in touch with Beverley at beverley.lyle@gmail.com  to arrange its return. Late return of hired music incurs large fines for MCS.
2. Dress code: Men: Dinner suits, bow tie, white shirt, black shoes. Ladies: Long black skirt or trousers, black shirt/blouse (no jumpers) and MCS scarf. You can buy or borrow a scarf from Jane Scott.
3. HELP. We usually meet around 1.00pm in the church to set up.
4. There will be refreshments (red and white wine, soft drinks )in the interval.
5. There will be a retiring collection for a local charity.
6. You will be told where to sit for the concert and your name will be on the allotted seat.

 

Useful resources

Cyberbass 

www.cyberbass.com provides a really useful resource. For a large number of works you can listen (for free) to the choral parts played with your part emphasised.

Concert Music on the Naxos Music Library

If you a member of Wiltshire libraries then you have free access to the Naxos Music Library - an online resource of many, many thousand CDs! There are almost certainly recordings available of pieces in our next concert to listen to online.
 
Access is simple:  
Go to http://wiltshire.naxosmusiclibrary.com/page.library_cardno.asp
Enter your library card number without the spaces - 9 999999 001 becomes 9999999001
Once logged on you can search for whatever takes your fancy

Concert Music on Spotify

If you aren't a member of Wiltshire Library then you could try http://www.spotify.com/ which provides free streaming of all sorts of music - you have the odd short advert but probably less than on commercial radio.

Once you've signed up and installed the client you can access all sorts of content.

If you do install the client I'd suggest you look at your Windows firewall settings. Access these via 'Control Panel', 'Windows Firewall', then open the exceptions tab and unclick the selection next to Spotify. That will stop Spotify accepting incoming network connections.