What are the selling points of the original

St Ives Community Choir?


No auditions

Minimal cost

Volunteer musical director and accompanist

£1000s raised for charity

Our aim is to sing for enjoyment


If you are interested in joining the choir you may have some questions. Here are a few that will hopefully give you the answers you need.  If not, please contact us via email.


 Q.  I don't think that I have a very good voice, I have never sung to an audience before and I am worried that I might not be good enough.

A.  Everyone can sing and learning some basic techniques will improve your voice dramatically. The benefit of singing in a choir is that you will not be singing solo or made to feel vulnerable or uncomfortable.

      

Q.  I have never sung in a choir before. Do I need to audition?

 A.  There are no auditions to become a member. You just need to be willing to 'have a go'.

 

Q.  Apart from the session fees, will I have to pay anything else?

 A.  No, but quite often choir members choose to support the charity benefiting from our concert by putting something in the offering / collection. The weekly fee is just £2.00 which is very reasonable. However, if you are on holiday or have friends visiting or other reasons for non attendance at practice, subscriptions are still to be paid. Illness is accepted. All forms of payment are accepted, with many members paying in advance for all or part of a year.

 

Q.  What sort of music will we be performing?

 A.  We sing a variety of styles, but nothing especially difficult. We use four part harmonies regularly, but not exclusively. There is a blend of secular and Christian pieces within our portfolio. Take a look at that page of the website.

 

Q.  I don't know what part I should sing.

 A.  This is nothing for you to worry about. Together we will be able to decide where your voice is best suited.

 

Q.  I cannot read music. Will this be a problem?

 A.  We anticipate that many of our members will not be able to read music. No problem. Throughout the sessions we will teach you the basics as well as the harmonies and you will find that, by repetition, you will remember your part of the songs, just like you have perhaps learnt songs in the past.

 

Q. What sort of venues do you sing at?

 A. Where ever we are invited, basically. Usually this means churches and halls, but we also sing at hotels and outdoors.

 

Q.  If I join, will I have to take part in competitions?

 A.  No. We sing for fun and charity, although we were joint winners in our only competition.

 

Q. Do you travel far to sing?

A. No. Most concerts are within  a few miles of St Ives. We try to fit in an annual tour. These are generally for a couple of days and nights in the South West area somewhere.

 

Q. What if I miss some practices before a concert or have recently joined?

A.  Generally, if you miss the practices in the four weeks prior to a concert you would not be expected to sing in a performance. Equally, if you do not know the songs suufficiently well enough, you should wait for further concerts. The MD alone will choose when exceptions may be made.