Our spring / summer term has started and we already have some gigs in the diary! Check out the calendar page for more details.
Category Archives: New Term
Welcome New Folk!
After such a busy end to 2023, we’ve had a relaxed start to 2023. But just in time to counteract the effects of ‘Blue Monday’, rehearsals begin on Tuesday 17th of January at 7.30pm.
At this time of year – lots of people like to come and ‘try us out’. If this applies to you – you’re really welcome to come to any rehearsal – just say hello to whoever is leading on the night – Aga, Matt or Ashley (our choir leaders) – and you’ll be taken care of. It doesn’t matter if you only come to one rehearsal or end up being a regular member – singing is so beneficial to us all.
Speaking of new folk… It’s going to be a folk-music themed term! There’ll be some well-known catchy melodies with a few surprises mixed in. See you soon!
Autumn Term 2022
Choir returns on Tuesday, 6th of September!
We’ll be back in the St Giles’ Centre at 7.30pm, just across the road from St Giles’ Church. All the dates you need are on the calendar page here.
New singers are always welcome! We’re a friendly bunch and you can turn up at a rehearsal whenever you like to try us out. Just tell one of our choir leaders (Aga, Matthew or Ashley) that you’re new when you arrive. It can be quite daunting coming to have a sing with a new group of people, but we aim to make it as comfortable and as fun as possible!
This term, we’ll be preparing for a concert in Novermber and our usual Christmas gigs. See you soon!
Late January Kick-off
Happy New Year!
Whilst the end of 2021 didn’t end quite the way we hoped – with several cancelled events due to the virus – we’re hoping that 2022 will be a good year to sing!
We’re not putting any concerts or gigs in the diary just yet – but we’ll begin rehearsing again each Tuesday from the 25th of January.
We hope to see you soon!
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!
Outlook for Autumn
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!
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!
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!
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.
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.
Camberwell Community Choir 