All posts by AshSG

New Term

New Term!

Choir is back and you’re very welcome to join us! Whether you’re a regular / occasional member or just interested to see what we’re all about, here’s what you need to know.

Our first Rehearsal is in St Giles’ Church on Tuesday 7th September with Aga. It starts at 7.30pm. There’ll then be rehearsals every Tuesday up until half term (see the calendar page for more details).

If you’re new and wanting to try us out, your first rehearsal is free. Our regular fees are £5 or £3 concessions (students / seniors) and you can pay in person (cash only) or online. These are suggested fees though and if you continue to suffer financial hardship from the pandemic, please join us for free or pay as much as you can afford.

The use of masks for singing inside isn’t mandatory, but do feel free to wear a mask as you enter / exit – or even if you want to sing with one on. We’ll make full use of the space in St Giles’ when singing together. Please wrap up warm though, as the church is a bit chilly compared to our cosy and toasty hall!

We need to restart our half time hot drink helpers list – please do consider volunteer for this vital task!

See you all very soon!

New Term

Outlook for Autumn

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We’re really looking forward to returning to a ‘nearly normal service’ come the autumn term!

We’ve updated our COVID-19 risk assessment and this takes into account the latest government advice. The main change is that we’ll be holding rehearsals in St Giles’ Church, rather than outside or in the St Giles’ Centre for the time being. We’ll have a lot more room in the church to be comfortable and to spread out, although do wrap up warm as St GIles’ is a big space!

Please note that the use of masks for singing inside isn’t mandatory, but do feel free to wear a mask as you enter / exit or even if you want to sing with one on.

We’re also going to restart refreshment breaks, but drinks will be served in single use cups for as short a time as possible (unless you bring a reusable cup) and you might want to consider bringing a flask or other refreshment instead.

Finally, we’ll now be rehearsing from 7.30pm (instead of 7.45pm) and rehearsal fees are £5 and £3 for concessions. These will remain ‘suggested’ fees for another term as we know that some people continue to suffer financial hardship due to the pandemic.

We hope that you’re excited to come back – we even have a first gig in the diary – see the calendar page for details. We wish you a lovely end to the summer and look forward to seeing you in September!

End of Term

Summer Holiday

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Choir is out for summer!

Whilst al fresco rehearsals proved an interesting challenge in terms of keeping dry – it was so good to see so many of you throughout the summer term. There was no end-of-term gig in the end, sadly, due to covid restrictions. But after so many zoom rehearsals, it’s still been a fun term and it was great to see some new faces join us too!

A bit damp for choir rehearsals!

We’re currently working on details for the autumn term. But our current thinking will be to meet inside St Giles’ Church so that we have lots of room, rather than the Sct Giles’ Centre where we would ‘normally’ rehearse. If things go according to plan – we’ll be preparing for our first gig as soon as we start back!

We’ll keep you posted on the latest news, but in the meantime – enjoy the summer holiday.

Rehearsals

Rehearsal Al Fresco

We did it! For the first time since February 2020, we were able to rehearse together again on a Tuesday night!

Granted – it was a bit chilly for May and deciding whether or not to go ahead in the midst of unpredictable thunderstorms is a bit stressful, to say the least! But it was great to see people in person after the events of the last year or so.

Our rehearsal was actually a hybrid zoom / in-person event and we’ll aim to continue until we’re able to meet indoors again. We’ll have to make a judgement call about the weather – but we’ll aim to Email you on the day before 6pm if we have to cancel.

In the meantime – happy listening and practising our new songs!

New Term

Nearly there!

It was widely expected that amateur choirs would be allowed to meet indoors again from Stage 3 of the Lockdown Exit Roadmap.

If you check on Twitter at the moment, however, you’ll see choirs throughout the country are still awaiting guidance on numbers at rehearsals and on mask-wearing / social distancing. There’s also lots of seemingly contradictory guidance as well – it’s all a bit of a minefield. Have a read here if you’re interested in finding out more.

Whatever happens – one thing we are allowed to do is rehearse outside. So we’re going to kick off our summer term al fresco! Have a look at the calendar page for more details and wrap up warm if you join us.

Alternatively, you can still join us on Zoom at home – either in the UK or in Europe! We’re very excited to have become an international choir these days!

See you soon!

New Term

Make My May

Zoom sessions have been a great way to ‘see’ everyone, catchup on news and learn new repertoire. But the missing ingredient, of course, is actually being able to SING TOGETHER!

At the time of writing this – we’re planning to do just that. We’re aiming to sing together again on Tuesday 18th of May. Obviously – we have to keep an eye on the latest news / guidelines and there’ll be quite a few changes to how we rehearse – not least, a change of venue! (See the calendar page for more details)

But this is something really nice to look forward to. We’ve even tentatively put our first gig of the year in the diary! And please don’t worry if Zoom is the only way that you can join in at the moment – we aim to zoom our in-person rehearsals as well.

We’ll keep you posted as things develop – but we’ll hopefully see you very soon!

New Term

Keep Singing On!

As 2021 begins, it seems hard at the moment to imagine being able to come together and sing in-person again anytime soon!

But against all the odds, some of us were able to sing carols on Camberwell Green in early December. With precautions and strict adherence to the rules – we made our fellow Camberwellians so very happy. There was sheer delight on the faces of people who passed by; there may well be a few tears of joy when we can perform again as normal!

But until then, we’re still meeting virtually most Tuesdays on Zoom. It’s not ideal; but it’s still a great way to catch up with each other and learn some new music together. You’re always very welcome!

Click here for January – March 2021 rehearsal information.

New Term

September Sessions

Normally in September, we would be welcoming you back to the St Giles’ Centre to hear about your summer and to start work on the music for our autumn and winter gigs.

This year of course, things are a bit different. Whilst we’ve explored alternative venues, we’re not 100% sure that we would be able to make rehearsals work in a fun, economic and safe way just at present.

So, until we can see each other again in person – please join us online for Tuesday night Zoom sessions at 7.15pm. We know it’s not the same – but it’s still fun and in his sessions, Matt is going to be focussing on the very basics of singing and how to use your voice well. He is a vocal expert and in some respects, his sessions will be like having a 1-2-1 singing lesson, all for the price of your normal rehearsal fee!

Check out the calendar page for the latest information and do get in touch if you want to join us but not sure how. You’re very welcome!

Stay safe and best wishes. Ashley, Matt & Aga.

News

The New Normal Service

We’re now up and running with virtual choir rehearsals!

Of course, it’s not the same as meeting up in person. And even the most enthusiastic choir leaders would agree that the slick IT / video editing that you see musicians on news reports use is not exactly easy to set up.

But we’re having fun and our Tuesday night rehearsals continue every fortnight! And in between, we’re running music theory nights. We’re keeping busy and we look forward to seeing you soon. See the calendar page for more details!

P.S. If lockdown is just too boring and you need even more singing in your life, check out Aga’s work with Garsington Opera, here.

P.P.S. We’re not the only choir running online rehearsals nearby – a new choir, the Walworth Warblers, are meeting online on Monday nights. More information here.

Stay safe.

News

Virtual Choir!

So, after absorbing numerous YouTube videos, the Camberwell Community Choir leaders are officially joining the virtual choir
rehearsal generation!

As it’s all a bit experimental for us and to start with, we’ll be holding rehearsals every two weeks on a Tuesday. You’ll receive instructions on how to join by Email and we’re hoping it’ll be fun.

(If you’re not a choir member but would like to be involved – please do get in touch via the contact us page.)

‘See’ you soon!