We are looking for new members!!
Our friendly choir always welcomes new members from all voice parts. Come and try us out before joining – there’s an audition but it’s very short and couldn’t be simpler.
You’ll absolutely love singing with us – there’ll be classical oratorios and other sacred music from across the centuries to the present day – including plenty of Bach! Our June concert is often lighter music, and has included songs from the shows, spirituals or modern classicals – including jazz on occasion.
We present one of Bach’s big three – the B minor Mass, the St John’s Passion or the St Matthew Passion – around Easter, and Handel’s Messiah every Christmas, more recently in the magnificent Cutler’s Hall.
There are usually five or six concerts, which of course restricts the number of rehearsals available for each concert, so it’s important that members try to attend every one of them!
Although many of our choir members can read music, this is NOT a requirement, so don’t worry if you can’t! You’ll manage fine by working on the music at home, so that you know the works well before we perform them. Our members area has links to rehearsal tracks and recordings to help members learn the works thoroughly.
If you are interested in joining the choir, please come and speak to us after a concert, or contact the membership secretary and arrange to come along to a few rehearsals. If you like what you hear, you will be invited to a short, simple audition (see below)
REHEARSALS
- Every Monday from 7.30 – 9.30 p.m. in the Hall of Cemetery Road Baptist Church, 11 Napier Street, S11 8HA (opposite Waitrose car park)
- Tea or coffee and biscuits half way through the rehearsal gives members the chance to chat, and a ‘bring and sell’ stall every month raises money for choir funds.
- Waitrose is just nearby, and the store has kindly agreed that members can use the car park during rehearsals. Be sure to provide your car registration on entry to the rehearsal, as without being included on the official list you will almost certainly be fined!
- Link to Cemetery Road Baptist Church homepage and location map
- There’s always a final rehearsal for Saturday performances, held in the afternoon at the concert venue – except when performing Messiah on a Monday evening, when there isn’t a rehearsal.
- The season usually starts on the first Monday in September and goes through to the end of June, with a couple of weeks off at Christmas and Easter, and no rehearsals on the majority of Bank Holiday Mondays.
- It’s best if members attend all rehearsals, even when not able to sing in the concert, so that everyone keeps their voice in good shape and gets the benefit of the conductor’s training. Sometimes the rehearsal includes works for later concerts, so missing one may affect your preparation for a concert later in the season.
- Anyone can be ill of course, and members may work shifts or have caring responsibilities. We ask that members let us know if they are unable to avoid missing a rehearsal.
- It goes without saying that everyone needs to take a pencil and eraser to all rehearsals!
AUDITIONS
- At the audition, you will be asked to sing a few scales and a piece of your own choosing. There won’t be any sight singing!
- People do worry about audition, but please note that we don’t look for perfection, and a willingness to work on pieces at home can work wonders.
- We provide links to rehearsal tracks and YouTube videos to help with learning works, and some members organise note-bashing sessions in their own homes, so there’s plenty of support!
- Re-auditions are held every five years.
MUSIC
- Members are to provide their own copies of the following works:
- Messiah by Handel (preferably the Watkins Shaw edition – in English)
- Mass in B minor by J S Bach (any edition – in Latin)
- St Matthew Passion by J S Bach (Novello edition) *
- St John Passion by J S Bach (Novello edition) *
- * NB: Please note that the choir now sing the two passions in their original German, so please don’t buy a copy until someone tells you which is best to purchase.
- * NB: Novello editions for the two Passions in English are those by Edward Elgar and Ivor Atkins (St Matthew) and Sir Ivor alone (St John). Though soloists occasionally make use of other versions of certain aria texts, the Chorus verbal texts are NOT those of Neil Jenkins’s versions in the so-called “New Novello Edition”. This is most important when we sing the works in English. In case of any query, please discuss any purchases of vocal scores directly with the Librarian and/or Conductor.
- Other music is owned by the society or hired for particular concerts. Members are required to pay a small fee when collecting hire copies from the librarians. Hired copies that are lost or damaged must be paid for and you may be fined for late returns as this could lead to additional hire costs.
- Pencil markings on music are essential but members are asked where possible to erase markings on hire copies and remove any paperclips, before these are returned.
- For concerts, you’ll usually need a plain black folder for your music, or to cover the score in black paper. Black folders are available to purchase from the Secretary.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
- The annual subscription fee is competitive for choirs in our region. Though payable annually or monthly, the fee equates to about £5 per week, a great deal less than many weekly activities such as sports or hobby sessions, and is the same as is charged for most weekly-paid choirs.
- The fee pays for the services of our Music Director and accompanist, as well as hire of the rehearsal venue, membership of Making Music and Classical Sheffield, insurance and website costs.
- Members can arrange to pay in instalments, by bank transfer, standing order or cheque, and anyone in financial difficulties can speak in confidence to our Treasurer about making an appropriate special arrangement.
- Subscriptions are reviewed annually and agreed by members at the AGM.
- The subscription fees are revised at the AGM each year but as a guide, for the 2025-26 season they were
- £200 for full membership – around £5 per week (40 weeks).
- Reduced rate for students.
- Reduced rate for couples with children who both wish to join and attend singly while their partner looks after the children.
- Proportionate fee for members joining mid-season.
- Reduced rates for members who would struggle to pay the full fee, by arrangement with the Treasurer.
- Please pay the subscription promptly at the start of each season.
- You can pay in instalments or by monthly standing order by arrangement with the Treasurer.
EXPECTATIONS OF ALL CHOIR MEMBERS September 2023
Sheffield Bach Society 