1. Paul Simon – Under African Skies

2. Nick Lowe – Between Dark and Dawn

A really nice end of year concert

A really nice end of year concert we’ve had, at the West End Hall, for an audience of appreciative kids and attentive parents.

Thank you so much, to Wendy and the whole choir, those who could make it on the day and those who, with great regret, had to miss it. And thanks to our wonderful Steering Group, with whom it’s such a pleasure to work.

It has been a tough and weird year, hard to deny that, with the lockdowns and the stop/start nature of it all, but we’re here still and singing better than ever.

Rehearsals will resume towards the end of January,
pandemic regulations and commonsense permitting
Our 2022 starting date is yet to be set –
we’ll let you know as soon as we have it

Have an Xlnt break. Love to you and yours, take it easy and stay safe.

The choir news archive is Here
& on facebook, there’s the Tearoom

We really look forward to welcoming you back to Choir, and we have some notes here on the way things will happen over the next couple of weeks …

Fees – Pay by EFT, or it’s Cash & The Tin –

To make payments simpler in these confused times the money tin has been exhumed for fees being paid “per session on the night”. The session price $15 (or see Alicia to make arrangements).

• If you wish to ‘Pay by Tin’ please bring cash for payment of $15 per session.
• If you wish to pay by EFT, you will have received an invoice with bank details included in a previous email.
• Please let one of the Steering Group know if you would like a credit from your Block Three fees.

In order for us to be COVID Safe & Sensitive –

• Regulations now make it necessary for us to declare our vaccination status. Individually we need to have at least our first shot or have an exemption certificate.
• Please bring your mask
• We will not have access to the kitchen, so please bring your own snacks & water bottle

Hello Songsters

Who would have thought so little activity could lead to so much happening, even as so much is being called off?

Block 3, cancelled

With our “small groups method” we managed to squeeze in four nice rehearsals during our current Block, but lockdowns have played havoc with us and the Steering Group considers that there are slim prospects of restrictions easing sufficiently to allow any more face-to-face singing in this Block. So, we’ve cancelled the remaining sessions up to and including Wednesday 15th Sept.

Block 4, not scheduled … yet

At this stage we’re leaving Block 4 (from the end of Sept up to Christmas) unscheduled and we’ll wait to see how the lockdowns look leading into October, and we’ll let you know as soon as we know, etc.

The Flexible Choir

With the virus and lockdowns messing with our best laid plans we realise that we have to be flexible in our approach to our group activities, and the real aim of our efforts now are to maintain the continuity of the Choir and work to that point a few weeks or months from now when most of us are fully vaxxed and the dangers of the virus have receded. At that time we want to be able to pop out of our burrows at speed and get properly singing once more.

Zooming the Choir

As something to bridge the gap from now until we resume we’ll be running zoom sessions each Wednesday. These are not as a replacement for real choir, Alicia considers them to be more like what happens during tea break – a way to discuss the repertoire and keep it in mind, some rehearsal singing with mute turned on, swapping news, talking about music generally and simply keeping in touch. There’s no obligation for anyone to attend these zoomings (which are non-billable items, ie. no choir fees attached), but the two zooms we’ve had so far have been good fun and have served to keep our voices and heads going in the right direction. There’ll be weekly emails going out with the zoom session details that will allow you to login at the Wednesday time slot, so if you’ve a mind to drop in for some chat, please do.

Simon, Virginia, Alicia, Sue & Barry
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Dear Mainesong,

The time has come and we are to begin the year. I am really looking forward to it. I hope that you all had a wonderful break and feel renewed.

PLEASE NOTE: The South School is still on holidays
We will begin rehearsal this Monday 14th Jan 7.45pm sharp to 9.30pm
at THE UNITING CHURCH CHAPEL.
I am happy to go to 9.45, if that is the consensus and not too late for everyone.

Normally we will be following Corker Orchestra’s rehearsal. They finish at 7.30, so please try to give them space to pack up and perhaps come at 7.40, (which after all is often the time we normally get going!). And, just one reminder that the concession fee from this year is now $10/$12(full). 

I have found some lovely things for us to sing including an arrangement of Blackbird(Beatles), a Jewish Sephardic lullaby, What a wonderful world, and more…oh yes, of course, the continuation of ‘Erik’!!, the slow movement.

Bohemian Rhapsody will be a Mainesong and Corker combo, so it’s a big arrangement for me, still in progress.

Looking forward to seeing you all!

In anticipation
– Wendy