All posts by Chris K

This week’s rehearsal

Lins Emails
Good afternoon,

Here is a message from Lillian regarding what we are going to rehearse on Thursday.

This week, I’d like to learn White Winter Hymnal so we can audition the small group the following week.

Here’s the running rehearsal order:

This Christmas
White Winter Hymnal – see lyrics sheet
Have Yourself a Merry
Let It Go
Brazilian Christmas
Gabriel’s Message
Mary Did You Know
Grown-Up Christmas
Believe
Wexford
Last Christmas

Thank you all,
Lillian


I enclose a copy of the lyrics for White Winter Hymnal, and the music is available on the website for you to have a listen to.
Don’t forget to put your name down for the skittles on the 4th November.  The cost is £7.50 each, and could you pay this into the bank account with the reference – “Skittles”.
As Lillian has already said, we will be auditioning for the parts for White Winter Hymnal. There are 13 parts available, with at least one from each section.
On the 2nd November, we will also be holding auditions for the solo spots in the concert, and we would like three people from the members to act as adjudicators for this, together with Lillian and Chris, so I will be looking for three volunteers on the night.
Well, that’s all for now, so I will see you on Thursday.
Bye for now.
Eric

pdf icon White-Winter-Hymnal-Lyrics.pdf

Fw: Rehearsal 12 Oct

Lins Emails
Good afternoon,

Message from Lillian regarding next Thursday’s rehearsal:-
Hi all,
This coming week we are rehearsing all together. I’d also like to make sure we are standing in the right places for visibility and parts. Please have the following songs in order:
Wonderful Christmastime
Wexford Carol
Gabriel’s Message
Last Christmas
Let it Go
Merry Christmas Everyone
Brazilian Christmas
The First Noel
Tidings of Comfort
This Christmas
Have Yourself a Merry
Have a beautiful week,
Lillian
As you will see, Lillian has made a slight change to the seating layout, mainly to get everyone in their right place regarding parts and also for visibility as well, as we were having some taller people at the front which then block the view of those at the back.  I enclose a copy of the new seating layout so that you know where you will be seating in future.
We have Local Vocals on Tuesday at Snowdrop Place – normal time – 1.45pm.
The Skittle Evening on the 4th November is going to cost £7.50 per person, and you will need to bring your own food and drink.  There will be a form at the front for the next few weeks, if you could put your name down so that we have an idea of how many are coming.
We are still waiting for confirmation of the Carol Concert at RVCP, but I will let you know when we have confirmation and what we will be singing.
Over the next three weeks, at the end of the rehearsals, Chris will be taking the solos, duets etc for their own rehearsal, and I will let you know under a separate email which week you will need to stay late, and then the auditions will take place on Thursday, 2nd November, so that we have more time to get the programme together for the Christmas concerts, instead of leaving it to the last minute.  As agreed at the AGM, three members of the choir will be asked to go and judge the entries together with Chris and Lillian. At the moment we have Liz Kemp, Jerry Gamble, Keith Henry, Roy Hogben and Jane Nunez, Beryl and Eric Gerrey, and the ladies group.  Please let me know asap if I have missed any one off the list.
Well, that’s all for now, so I will see you next week.
Have a good weekend.
Regards
Eric

pdf icon Seating-Plan-1.pdf

Rehearsal this Thursday

Lins Emails
Good morning,

Here is a message from Lillian regarding this coming week’s rehearsal.

Hello all,
I’d like to start this week’s rehearsal together for warm-ups and This Christmas, then we will split for sectionals to cover:
Women:
Let it Go
Gabriel’s message
Wexford Carol
Christmas Shopping Blues
Believe
Have Yourself
Merry Christmas everyone
Tidings of Comfort
Last Christmas
Wonderful Christmastime
Men:
Let it Go
Gabriel’s message
Wexford Carol
Believe
Have Yourself
Merry Christmas everyone
Tidings of Comfort
Last Christmas
Wonderful Christmastime
Grown Up Christmas List
This will be our last sectional! Looking forward to seeing everyone then.
Have a lovely weekend,
Lillian
Eunice is sending out a request for more members for the Local Vocals at Snowdrop Place, Botley on the 10th October. If you are able to help, please let her know.
Once the sectionals are out of the way, we will start rehearsing the solos and duets etc for the Christmas concert once we have finished rehearsals at 9.30, for half an hour. The small group have already booked their place for this coming week.  If you want to do a solo etc, please let me know asap so that we can include you in the rehearsals.
Don’t forget the 4th November is our Skittles Night, and I will let you know what the costs will be once we have checked with the Henry’s, the Fish & Chip shop.
Well, that’s all for now, so I hope you have a nice weekend and will see you next Thursday.
Bye for now.
Eric

Plan for Thursday rehearsal 28 Sept

Lins Emails
Good morning to you all,
Here is the plan for the rehearsal this week:-
We continue with sectionals this week.
Women:
Brazilian Christmas
From a Distance
Last Christmas
Wexford Carol
Christmas Shopping Blues
Mary Did You Know
Grown Up Christmas List
The First Noel
Believe
Let It Go
This Christmas
Men:
Last Christmas
Wexford Carol
Mary Did You Know
Grown Up Christmas List
The First Noel
Believe
Let It Go
This Christmas
Gabriel’s Message
Looking forward to rehearsal as always,
Lillian
As most of you know, we have received a request for a Carol Concert at Applemore College, Dibden Purlieu, from a charity entitled “Ambitious for All Foundation”, who aim to raise money for disadvantage children.  It has been agreed that we will do this on Thursday, 14th December as most of us will be at rehearsal that evening.  The format for the concert will be the same that we will do at RVCP on Saturday, 16th December. We are waiting to hear back from them as we will be making a charge, and we are arranging to go and have a look at the venue to make sure that it is suitable.  I will let you know when everything is confirmed.
At the moment, everything is relatively quiet, so I will see some of you Avon Park tomorrow, and the rest of you on Thursday.
Bye for now.
Eric

Rehearsals

Lins Emails
Good afternoon,
Firstly, just a reminder that as Covid raises its ugly head again, can I remind all of our members that if you are felling under the weather, please stay at home so as to not risk spreading anything to the rest of the members.
Secondly, the Music Committee are holding a meeting on the 7th November to put together a programme for the summer next year.  If you have any suggestions, can you let either your rep or myself know.  For your information, the reps are:-
Sops – Hilary Green
Alto – Maggie Jacobs
Tenors – Percy Knight
Bass – Eric Gerrey
See you on Thursday.
Regards
Eric

Fw: Rehearsal 21 Sept

Lins Emails
Good afternoon to you all,
Here is a message from Lillian regarding this week’s rehearsal:-

Hello all,
This coming Thursday, we will rehearse in sectionals. There’s a lot to cover so I’d like to start separately with a quick warm-up with either Lillian (Women) or Chris (Men).
Women’s sectional:
Christmas Shopping Blues
Wexford Carol
Gabriel’s Message
Let it Go
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
This Christmas
Brazilian Christmas
From a Distance – Gloria section only
Last Christmas page 8-end
Men’s sectional:
Wexford Carol
Gabriel’s Message
Let it Go
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
This Christmas
Brazilian Christmas
From a Distance – Gloria section only
Last Christmas page 8-end
We only have three sectionals scheduled so I would like to focus on learning the pitches and rhythms within the next three rehearsals, and then we’re be back together again to sharpen up our timing, vowels, and expression!
Looking forward to it,
Lillian
As you will see, we are having 3 sectionals over the next three weeks, and we have managed to get a second pianist, who is a member of Chris’s church to come and play for us.  She will also be playing for us when Chris is away next month for one of our rehearsals. The person concerned originates from Hong Kong and she has been accompanying a choir of more than two thousand people, and she has already been to one of our rehearsals to see what we are about.
Just to remind those of you who would like to do a solo, duet, or a group number at our Christmas concerts that we need to know as soon as possible what you would like to do so that we can arrange an audition and subsequently get the programme together early.
Well, that’s all for now.
Regards
Eric

Rehearsal 14 Sept

Lins Emails
Good afternoon,
Here is a message from Lillian concerning our rehearsal on the 14th September:-

This week, I’d like to rehearse the following:
From a Distance
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
The First Noel
Merry Christmas Everyone
Mary Did You Know
Let it Go
This Christmas
Brazilian Christmas
Grown-Up Christmas List
Looking forward to Thursday,
Lillian
Just to remind those of you who would like to do a solo, duet etc for our Christmas concert that we want to know as soon as possible what you would like to sing and start practicing it so that we can get the auditions finished as early as possible.
Well, that’s all for now, so enjoy the rest of this nice weather we are having, and I will see you at either the Local Vocals on Tuesday at Snowdrop Place, Botley, or at the rehearsal on Thursday.
Bye for now.
Eric

Rehearsal 7 September 2023

Lins Emails
Good afternoon to you all,
I hope you have had a good rest from all the singing that we were doing towards the end of last term, and managed to get away somewhere nice during the summer break.
Well, its back to the grindstone ready to rehearse for our Christmas Concerts on the 9th December at the Hedge End Village Hall.
We will also be leading the Carol Service at Royal Victoria country Park, in the chapel, on the 16th December.
Another date for your diary is the 4th November, where we will be holding a Skittles Evening at the Hedge End Village Hall. More details for this will follow later nearer the time, but put the date in your diary.
Here is a message from Lillian concerning this coming week’s rehearsal:-

I’m looking forward to being back this Thursday for our first rehearsal for the Christmas concert 2023!
This week, I’d like to rehearse the following:
Believe
Brazilian Christmas
Tidings of Comfort
Let It Go
White Winter Hymnal
Merry Christmas Everyone
Wonderful Christmastime
First Noel/Pachelbel
From A Distance
I’d also like to rehearse in the same seating order we just did for our last concert in Hedge End Village Hall.
Thank you,
Lillian
The Local Vocals are performing again on Tuesday, at Netley Court, at 1.45pm, and we are short of ladies, so if you are available please let Eunice know.
We are still considering a venue for next year’s Summer Concert, but we have agreed that we will doing only one concert next year, not two like we have done in the past two years.
Once the minutes of our Committee Meeting have been agreed, they will be put onto the website under the member section, so that you can see what we are doing on your behalf.
Well, that’s about all for now.
See you sometime next week.
Bye for now.
Eric

Newsletter

Lins Emails
Good afternoon to you all,
I thought I had better touch base with you all to let you know what happened at the AGM if you were not able to make it to the meeting.
The main topic of conversation was the proposal from the Committee that we increase our subscriptions from £16 per month to £20.  You would have noticed from the accounts that had been circulated before the AGM, that we made a loss of £1857.24 this past year, and although we have a bank balance of £3650.88, it was felt that we cannot continue to make a loss on the general running of the choir with the shortfall being made up from the profit we have from our concerts, otherwise we will not have anything left to spend on music and costumes in the future.  It was agreed unanimously that we would increase the subs to £20 per month as from the 1st September, so can you all make sure that you reset your standing orders.
The existing Officers and Committee were re-elected, with the exception of Ellie Best, who is leaving the choir to move to Australia.  We accepted a late nomination on the night and Gen Marsh was elected to take Ellie’s place.  The make up of the Committee is as follows:
Chair  – Eric Gerrey
Vice Chair  – Sarah Turl
Secretary – Maureen Pay
Treasurer – Sharon Thomas
Committee Members:
Margaret Ballard – Minute Secretary
Eunice Deuchar – Local Vocal Rep
Louise Staniforth – Archivist
Jerry Gamble
Gen Marsh
Music Committee:
Music Librarian – Tony Jardine
Sop Rep – Hilary Green
Alto Rep – Maggie Jacobs
Tenor Rep – Percy Knight
Bass Rep  – Eric Gerrey
Musical Director – Lillian Sediles
Assist MD – Chris Allison
There was a discussion about our uniform and what we should wear in the future, and the Committee will look into this and report back to the choir.
One thing that was also discussed was the use of Zoom, as it is costing us £144 per year to use it, and it was felt that although it had been very useful during the pandemic, no one was using it now unless they were not able to come to the rehearsals.  It was suggested that we could use WhatsApp in future, and if we see a spike in infections over the winter period, we would then look at re-instating the zoom.
We are also looking at using a different venue than KCC for next year’s Summer Concert, as we only made approximately £150 profit from this year’s.  Again the Committee will look at what options there are and will report back.
Future Dates:
7th September – Return to rehearsals
9th December – Christmas Concerts
16th December – Carol Concert RVCP
25th April – Private Concert – Bitterne URC
1st June  – Summer Concert
20th July – Summer Spectacular
As some of you may be aware, Hedge End Methodist Church is celebrating their centenary next year, and we have agree to perform a concert for them as part of their celebrations, as we are the longest running group that uses their hall. We are in the process of agreeing a date and once we have it I will let you know.
Well, that’s all for now, so I will sign off, and hope you enjoy the rest of your summer break.
Regards
Eric