Choir Open Evening
2 October: The choir is staging an Open Evening on Thursday 15 October, inviting potential new members to come and see us and give us a try.
The event, at choir headquarters at Addiscombe Sandilands club, is intended for anyone who may be interested in joining a choir for the first time, or for those who may already have sung elsewhere and are looking for a new choir.
As our poster for the evening states, “no experience needed – just a love of singing”.
CMVC banner in Purley (Photo Banners)
The evening will start with a welcome from choir chair Peter Gillman and an explanation of the choir’s four voice parts: top tenor, second tenor, baritone, bass. Then will come a warm-up sing together. Next, guests will be able to join the choir as it rehearses a new song, Ed Sheeran’s Perfect, which will give a feel forw it learns new pieces.
The choir will then sing a selection from its current broad repertoire, which includes folk songs, show-biz classics, opera and oratorio classics as well as popular songs, old and new. Afterwards the assembled company will retire to the well-stocked Sandilands bar for a chat and some informal singing.
The Open Evening flyer
Gillman says: “The evening should give guests a good idea of who we are and how we go about singing.” Anyone deciding to join should be able to take part in the choir’s Christmas concert on 12 December.
A report this week in Inside Croydon, the online news website, notes: “The 60-strong choir, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, has built a strong reputation for the quality of its singing. It performs around ten concerts a year, mostly in and around Croydon. Its appearance at Fairfield Halls on September 19, part of the Open House Festival, won accolades, the organiser praising its ‘amazing performance’ which ‘blew the roof off’.
CMVC at Southwark, conducted by MD Andrew Moore
“The choir recently sang at Southwark Cathedral, when it received a standing ovation, and undertakes an annual weekend tour. It stages “Beer and Ditties” sessions in local pubs on Friday, and has a devoted walking group which undertakes outings in the Surrey and Kent countryside every three weeks or so.”
Gillman, elected the new choir chair last month, told Inside Croydon: “We enjoy our singing and work hard at it too. We have a great spirit of friendship and a shared social life outside the formal singing and rehearsals. It’s a brilliant choir and I am proud to part of it.”
The choir has already conducted a publicity blitz in Croydon, with banners and posters on prominent display throughout the borough.
Anyone interested can just turn up and will be guaranteed a warm welcome. We recommend you arrive around 7.30pm, in time for the formal start at 8pm. Here at the full details:
CMVC Open Evening, Sandilands Sports Club, Sandilands CR0 5DB, Thursday 15 October. Start 7.30 for 8pm. Ends 10pm.