Join UsBecoming a Member If you would like to find out more about us or are thinking about joining us, simply contact us by emailing contact@boltonchoral.org.uk When and where are our concerts? What happens at a first rehearsal? What do we wear for our concerts? Are there any non-singing activities? When and where are our concerts?We usually do four concerts each year – Autumn, December, Spring and Summer. These are usually held in Bolton Parish Church or at our rehearsal venue, the United Reformed Church of St Andrew & St Georoge. What do we sing?Over the past few years we have performed a wide range of SATB pieces ranging from excerpts from The Lion King and Les Miserables to Handel's Messiah, Karl Jenkins The Armed Man – A Mass For Peace (we were one of the first societies in the north west to perform this work) Carmina Burana – in fact the full range of the choral repertoire. A list of our past concerts since 2000 can be found here. What experience do I need?It is an advantage if you have sung in a choir before – in a church or at school – and have some experience of choral singing. We are not all good sight readers or singers – we are a combination of both and this seems to work well. We usually take around 10 to 12 weeks to learn the music for a concert – so that gives you some idea of how fast we work – and expect members to try to come along to at least 70% of the rehearsals. What happens at a first rehearsal?You will meet our conductor – Michael Greenhalgh – who has been with the choir for many years. He will advise you which section of the choir to sing with after a short, private informal audition. Music copies are available to hire for the current works at a small charge (around £4 per concert). Who do we sing with?Every two or three years we tend to do a joint concert with another local choral society. In recent years we have sung with Blackburn Music Society in the King George's Hall, Blackburn and with the Bolton Catholic Music and Choral Society and local musicians of the Bolton Symphony Orchestra in the Victoria Hall, Bolton. At some of our concerts we have been accompanied by orchestras such as Manchester Camerata or the Northern Chamber Orchestra. We have also worked with the award-winning Blackburn and Darwen Brass Band. Our soloists are usually professional – either post-graduate students from the RNCM or other established professional singers who are pursuing successful singing careers. In the past few years we have also performed works involving the choirs of local schools giving the young singers the opportunity to work alongside professional musicians in a larger scale choral production. How many of us are there?Our current singing membership is around 40 people with a good spread between the various sections. How much does it all cost?There is an annual subscription which is currently £82, i.e. about £2 per singing week for the 40 rehearsals and four concerts – excellent value! This subscription is payable in the autumn session after our AGM, usually in early October and before the autumn concert. What do we wear for our concerts?For our concerts ladies wear all black – black tops with black skirts or dress trousers. The men wear dinner suits with either white or black shirts depending on the concert programme. Are there any non-singing activities?The successful running of a large society such as the Bolton Choral Union involves a great deal of work and members are encouraged to help with activities such as fund-raining, publicity, marketing etc. We hold an annual choir dinner for members. |
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