Welcome to the Harleston Choral Society Website
We are a non-auditioning community choir so why not come along once we restart? To any potential tenors and basses, our choir needs you!
Following our concert last December, our first in two years, the choir successfully started a new term in January 2022 with several new members and is working towards the summer concert performance on Saturday 25th June in St John’s Church, Harleston.
Our New Musical Director
In March of this year, we were delighted to welcome Justin Bindley as our new Musical Director. Justin has a wealth of singing and conducting experience and we are looking forward to very exciting times ahead under his direction. You can read more about him on the website here.
Start of Summer Term Monday 25th April from 7.00 pm
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for the start of the summer term on Monday 25th April at London Road Church, Harleston. As so many of you are paying subs online now, for which we are grateful, and Julia has distributed all the music last term, there is no need for a 7.00 p.m. start, we will hope to be all ready for a 7.30 prompt start to singing. We will return to mask-wearing until seated in the church.
Subscriptions are now paid online by most members. Please ask Malcolm, our Treasurer, for details.
For any new members without music, it can be collected that evening from Julia, our Librarian.
Christmas Concert 18th December 2021
We were delighted to be able to put on our first concert in two years on the 18th December 2021 in St John’s Church in Harleston. The programme included excerpts from the Messiah, carols with audience participation, and some of the choral classics which we had started to learn on Zoom during the lockdowns. We were wonderfully supported by our soloist Laura Morgan, the HCS Chamber Ensemble and, of course, our keyboardist/director Karen Smith. It was great to sing to an audience again. Thank you all so much for joining us. There is a full report about the concert here on the website.
Magic Little Grant
We received a Magic Little Grant through the partnership between Localgiving and Postcode Places
Trust. Postcode Places Trust is a grant-giving charity funded by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Localgiving is the UK’s leading membership and support network for local charities and community
groups. Our project received £500 towards our Christmas choir concert.
You can donate to the Harleston Choral Society through our Local Giving page and you can find out more about how to play and support more charities with the People’s Postcode Lottery here
We were not idle during lockdown and were able to sing together online
Despite all the difficulties, there was so much enthusiasm from members to find a way to sing together that we set up zoom sessions online led by our accompanist, Karen Smith. We practised short pieces such as Ave verum Corpus by Mozart, Franck’s Panis angelicus, Locus iste by Bruckner, O Jesus when I come to die by Bach and If ye love me by Tallis and sang together for the first time at our picnic in August.
Choir Picnic at John and Julia’s 1st August 2021
Click here to see a video and pictures from the choir picnic on 1st August 2021
Further details about the choir are in the Location and Contact and About Us sections or from Stella Brownsea at heidihouse@btinternet.com
Read a Guardian article here about how singing in a choir has become the cool thing to do!
View some images from our rehearsals here.