Royston Choral SocietyRoyston Choral SocietyA grant of £4,450 helped the society realise a musical ambition – to recruit and rehearse 120 singers over a four month period for the biggest concert in the choir’s 35 year history – a performance of Verdi’s Requiem on May 15th in Thaxted Parish Church.
For the May concert, Royston Choral Society performed with the Bishops Stortford Choral Society and Hertford Symphony Orchestra – another ‘first’ for the choir.
Report and pictures
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The grant came from the Hertfordshire Community Foundation under the government’s Grassroots Grants initiative. Verdi’s Requiem is a great work, but it’s rarely sung by amateur choirs because of the costs involved. This grant gave singers who may not have sung for a while an exciting opportunity to ‘have a go’. We welcome new singers to join us and, as with most amateur choirs, we’re always on the look out for men!
Royston Choral Society was formed in 1974 and is now in its thirty-sixth season.
We rehearse on Tuesday evenings 8.00-10.00 in Royston Parish Church. Despite the venue and much of the music, we are not a religious organisation.
The Choir in Royston Parish Church, November 2009 Concert
With our Director of Music, David Boarder, appointed in 1998, we have formed successful partnerships with other groups, including the Royston Town Band, Royston Youth Choir, the 414 Choir, the A10 Orchestra and East Herts Youth Orchestra.
The choir's repertoire covers a wide range of styles and moods, from large scale oratorios with orchestras almost as big as the choir, to small scale 17th century Latin and English church music, 19th century French and Russian pieces and some up-to-date pieces by John Rutter, John Tavener and Arvo Pärt. We have also explored the lighter side with songs from the stage and screen by Gershwin, Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin.
Our current membership is around 60 and we are keen to recruit new singers. There is no audition.
If you think might like to join the choir you are very welcome to come to a rehearsal to see how you get on .... or to come and sit in on a rehearsal if you would just like to see what we do.
For more information please contact Elisabeth Spain or David Boarder (conductor) or tel 07876 444701