At recent concerts, we’ve distributed feedback cards to find out a bit about our audience members – to help us develop ways to reach beyond our existing core of loyal supporters.
At our Barkway concert on 29 June, 38 respondents travelled 672 miles to hear us. Two people travelled more than 50 miles (probably not just for the concert!) 60% travelled less than 10 miles.
As tenor David Witty approaches his first anniversary with Royston Choral Society (RCS), we asked him about his experience so far.
Caroline has sung with the RCS sopranos since 1987 and, importantly, she ensures the choir’s finances are kept in good order. We asked her about her love of singing; this is what she told us.
Royston Choral Society ‘Songs of Love’ at Barkway Parish Church 29th June 2019
On the hottest day of the year so far, a large and appreciative audience gathered in the coolness of Barkway Church for Royston Choral Society’s summer concert.
Fay Skinner, a soprano with RCS, chooses her discs to take to a desert island.
My Man – Funny Girl (Barbra Streisand) - This was the song I chose for my one and only solo back in 6th form.
Epilogue – Les Misérables (10th Anniversary edition) My all-time favourite musical!
Sue Pegram, our alto part rep, answers questions about her love of music.
What is your earliest memory of music in your life?
My first music memory is my father singing nursery rhymes to us as children (and later on, music hall songs and Gilbert & Sullivan!) He was always singing, and he was still singing at his nursing home until just before he died aged 89.
What was your first 'public performance'?
Richard Prince, pictured here as an 8 year old choir boy was for many years Musical Director of Royston Choral Society and is now a stalwart member of the basses, writes about his life in music.
Early influences
I’d love to be able to say that my Mum and Dad met through singing in a choir together. The latter is true - they both sang with the Liverpool Welsh Choral Union (where my Mum would apparently swoon over principal conductor Sir Malcolm Sargent) but they knew each other before that.
A lasting memory is of my Mum’s enthusiasm for Wednesday nights when us kids were put to bed by my Dad and she went off to choir rehearsal. ‘Me time’ was how she described it and she always said that having one night a week to sing in the choir saved her sanity as a mother with four children!
We are trying to find out as much as we can about our audiences – to target our publicity and attract more concert-goers! Before our concert in Ashwell on 6th April, we distributed survey cards with very four simple questions. Despite someone saying “oh no, not another feedback request – I’m overwhelmed by them!” we had a fantastic 48 responses (of an estimated audience of 140). This is what we learned…
Andrew O'Brien joined Royston Choral Society as Musical Director in September 2015 making no concessions in his choice of concert content, to this being an unauditioned community choir. In his first year with the RCS the choir successfully tackled Brahms’ A German Requiem and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. In 2016 Andrew became Director of Music at Haileybury School.
