Join Us

Harrogate Choral Society's Concert to Celebrate Her Majesty The Queen's Diamond Jubilee, The Royal Hall, Harrogate, 2 June 2012.
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Have you ever fancied singing your heart out but weren't sure if you have what it takes - or wondered what it must be like to experience the thrills of singing in a large experience adult choir and performing in magnificent venues such as The Royal Hall (see opposite) and Ripon Cathedral? Then why not come along to one of our rehearsals? It's a great way of experiencing the choir - and if you don't read music there are ways around it.

New members are welcome to come and "try us out" at any time, although if a concert is imminent you may have to wait for the next one to perform!. We suggest that you come, initially, to two or three rehearsals to see if we are what you are looking for. For information about the choir you can either telephone the Society's Secretary, Ruth Pridmore, beforehand, Tel: 01423 530764, send us an email using our contact us form, or just turn up at a rehearsal (please seek Ruth out in this case).

For younger singers we also have the Halcyon Singers, for more information about the Halcyon please contact the administrator Caroline using our contact us form

Testimonials from Recent New Members

Paul Jackson, Bass “When I joined I hadn't sung in a choir since my school days and I was more than a little nervous. I needn't have worried, everyone was very welcoming and kind. It's a privilege to sing with nationally recognised professional orchestras and internationally renowned soloists. I hear names mentioned on the radio and it's still quite a thrill to think that we have performed with them, plus it's a great stress-buster. I often arrive at choir practice, straight from work, worn out, but leave a couple of hours later, feeling incredibly positive about life”

Sally Sharpe, First Soprano “I had no singing experience, so was very nervous, but I found it very friendly and supportive. Rehearsing once a week is great for uplifting your mood and de-stressing you, plus I enjoy the social side of things with the new friends I've met in the choir”

Alex Sanne, Bass “I was immediately made to feel very welcome, particularly by the singers around me. I was also struck by the style of the Music Director, Andrew Padmore, who brings a great deal of infectious energy and enthusiasm to the choir”

Rehearsals

We rehearse from the beginning of September until early June with breaks of about two weeks at Christmas and sometimes a week at Easter. There are normally four main concerts a year, held in either the Royal Hall in Harrogate or Ripon Cathedral, and occasionally in other venues. We also take part in the annual Harrogate Christmas Concert with Harrogate Symphony Orchestra and hundreds of primary school children!

We rehearse on Wednesday evenings from 7.30 to 9.30pm. Our rehearsal venue is Christ Church, Harrogate. The location of Christ Church is indicated on multi-map.

Music

We can lend you music for the evening when you come to try us out - which you just hand back at the end of the evening. Once you have decided you want to join you will be able to hire music for a nominal charge. Once you have given your name and address to the Secretary (by completing the registration form) you can then take the music home with you. If you later decide not to join, the hire fee will be refunded when you return the music.

Voice Assessment

Except for Halcyon singers (who do not have to have a voice assessment) if you decide you would like to join the Society, the Secretary will arrange for you to have a voice assessment with the Music Director and Deputy Music Director. These normally take place at 7pm before rehearsal starts. The voice assessment will be as informal as possible but you should be prepared to sing a short passage of something you know (please bring the music with you!) in your voice part. This should be a suitable piece of music - ideally something from the choral repertoire but could be a song or hymn. The Music Director will also ask you to sing up and down a scale as far as you can go, in order to assess the range of your voice and which voice section you should join. He/she will check your rhythm, ability to pitch a note and ask you to sight read a short passage of music. Although good sight-reading is helpful it is by no means essential. The most important thing is not whether you are capable of singing solos but whether you can sing in tune, can hold your part and will blend in.

Fees

The membership fees for the full 2017-2018 season are as follows:

• for members £155
• for husband and wife (or partner) members £280
• for junior members (aged 18 to 25 ) £30
• for Halcyon Singers (under 18s) £15

Fees for adult singers are payable once you have successfully passed your voice assessment, for Halcyon singers once you have decided you want to join.