Chew Valley Choral Society 

News

Future Plans


Autumn 2025

*Saturday 29 November - please save the date*

In the autumn term we will be singing a selection of shorter sacred and secular pieces. These will include Purcell, Boyce and Rheinberger, and some madrigals, part-songs and opera choruses. The concert will also include a couple of solo piano pieces played by Rowan Vince, our accompanist, and, hopefully, an item performed by a  young musician from Chew Valley School.


2026 50th anniversary year

We will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of our choir next year, so we are planning two special concerts.


Spring 2026

Date tbc

We would like to celebrate our own history alongside that of the Chew Valley and surrounding areas, so we hope to work with some local history groups, and others working with our heritage, to explore our shared history through music and stories. More information will follow, but if you have ideas you would like to contribute please get in touch.


Autumn 2026

Date tbc

Chew Valley Choral Society came into being through a group of singers learning the Messiah together at an evening class, so we think it is appropriate to sing this again for our anniversary. To ensure we have the numbers to give a good performance, we hope to encourage others to join us, perhaps through a Come and Sing event. We are at an early stage of planning for this and more information will follow.


Spring 2027

*Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, Bristol Beacon - Sunday 4 April 2027 - please save the date*

This is part of a much larger project, and the organisers are hoping to have 300 amateur musicians sing together to raise money for music charities. There will be two day-long rehearsals with all the singers together, but we will be learning the work as a choir during the spring term.

Elgar Dream of Gerontius

Months of rehearsal, first by ourselves in Bishop Sutton, and then with Nailsea Choral Society in Nailsea, resulted in a fabulous performance of Elgar's Dream of Gerontius in Clifton Cathedral on 17th May 2025. 

Nailsea Choral Society have worked for three years to raise funds to put together this event which celibrated their centenary. We were delighted to be asked to join them to perform a piece beyond the normal repertoire for a choir of the size of CVCS.

For a review click here and for more photographs click here   Photos Tracey Thomas 

Our new Piano has Arrived!

Our decision to move to Bishop Sutton Village Hall in September (see below) meant that we needed to find a piano, as the hall didn't have one of its own. 

After exploring various options, we finally bought one from All Instruments Ltd, of Westbury, who helped us to choose the right instrument and set it up so that it could be moved safely.  Here it is, safely out of the van and ready to be wheeled into the building. 

CHEW VALLEY BIG SING 2024!

It’s Back!

After the success of last year, this exciting day-long event for singers of all abilities is returning.

The day celebrates the fun of choral singing in a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere.

It is organized by Chew Valley Choral Society and Caroline Lowe (Vox in Frox, Singaholics and Better Than Chocolate).

The day will be led by Stuart Overington, an accomplished conductor, composer and educator.

Together we will be learning from scratch a selection of pieces to suit all tastes, including excerpts from Vivaldi’s Gloria, a Spiritual and Gospel.

 No experience of singing as a group is needed, nor ability to read music. Just come and enjoy!

Existing Valley choirs will also showcase some of their repertoire so you know what’s on your doorstep.


When and where:

Date: 28th September 2024, 10am-5pm

Venue: Chew Valley School

Tickets: £15 available through Eventbrite           

We are moving! From September 2024 our new rehearsal venue will be Bishop Sutton Village Hall.  


We meet on Tuesdays from 7.30 to 9.30, and rehearsals will be starting on 10th September in preparation for our autumn concert on 30th November, at which works to be sung include Saint-Saens’ Requiem.

 

We have a taster session on 17th September.  We are looking for new members for all parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. The taster session is a chance for you to sing alongside regular members to see how you get on. Some music-reading ability is an advantage but support will be given to those with less confidence. The session is free of charge. You are welcome to turn up on the night - no need to register in advance, but to give us some idea of numbers it will be helpful if you let us know if you plan to attend. 


All singers will be very welcome to take part in the second Chew Valley Big Sing  to be held on Saturday 28 September, to which CVCS is contributing. 


Next Concert and taster session 


Our spring concert will be on Saturday 18th May 2024  - programme to be announced. Rehearsals will start on 23rd January 2024. 


You are welcome to come to the first rehearsal but, if you aren't sure whether this is for you, we would love to see you at our next taster session on Tuesday 30 January from 7.30 – 9.30pm, at Church Hall, Church Lane, Chew Stoke, BS40 8TX. 


We are looking for new members for all parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. The taster session is a chance for you to sing alongside regular members to see how you get on. Some music-reading ability is an advantage but support will be given to those with less confidence.


The session is free of charge. You are welcome to turn up on the night - no need to register in advance, but to give us some idea of numbers it will be helpful if you let us know if you plan to attend by emailing info@chewvalleychoral.org.uk 


Singers at Chew Valley Big Sing

Chew Valley Big Sing


The rafters of Chew Valley School hall were lifted on 30 September 2023 as around 230 singers from across the valley sang happily and harmoniously under the expert direction of Bristol choir master David Ogden. 


The Chew Valley Big Sing was born when the leaders of four local choirs decided to promote choral singing more widely across the valley to all singers of all abilities. Caroline Lowe (Better than Chocolate, Singaholics and Vox in Frox), Catherine Hunt and Mia Thursby-Pelham (Chew Valley Choral Society) invited all choirs in the valley to participate, as well as any individual singers who fancied a day out to experience the fun of singing together in harmony.


Everyone learned seven pieces from scratch, guided with humour and skill by David. He coaxed and cajoled each part, from low energy and insecure beginnings to highly engaged and highly joyful renditions of such diverse pieces as Handel’s Hallelujah chorus to jazz and South African freedom songs in a teatime concert.


The participating choirs (Better Than Chocolate, Chew Valley Choral Society, Harptree Parish Choir, Priddy Singers, Singaholics, Vox in Frox) each sang a short selection of their repertoire in the concert, so all present could hear the wide variety of choral styles available to them on their doorstep. Literature in the hall gave details of those choirs, plus the many others available.


The event could not have happened without a donation from another local choir (Cats Whiskers) and financial support from Paragon Music Trust and Valley Arts, enabling the ticket prices to be kept as low as possible while covering costs. Other key players in the day were David Bednall for his tireless and skilled accompaniment, Chew Valley School for hosting the event and their wonderful PTA who fuelled the singers with tea and cake.


Plans are already underway to make this an annual event, thanks to the enthusiastic response of those who attended.