MIXED VOICE DEVELOPMENT CHOIR
......A choir with a difference
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An important message to all ECS Members
Hello ECS Members,
I hope you are still enjoying rehearsals and intend to keep
up your membership of the choir, although the holiday period
is about to unleash itself, and many of you will no doubt be
away from time to time over the coming weeks.
The reason for this message is to explain why we are all
asked to pay for the music scores we are rehearsing, and can
no longer rely on free photocopies. We have noted enquiries
from a few members who have queried the reason for the cost.
Photocopying music contravenes copyright. Where a song or
arrangement is out of copyright we are free to photocopy,
but most of the songs we want to sing are still covered by
copyright conditions. I am sure that everyone would agree
that our choir evenings are a lovely not to mention
extremely inexpensive way of getting together with like
minded people, to sing, meet friends and make new friends.
It is rare for an evening out to cost as little as £2.50
(£2.75 if you count the coffee/tea!)
If we were to go to, say an evening class, for example
to learn photography or painting, or perhaps to take up a
musical instrument, not only would the sessions cost much
more, but we would expect to have to provide the tools to do
the job, for instance the camera and processing element, the
paint and the medium used for the pictures, the instrument,
music books and maybe exam fees if we took music lessons.
The music scores we sing from
are the tools which we use for our finished product, and
therefore we must expect to have to buy them. The choir is
relatively young, has overheads (pianist, musical director,
cost of hiring a hall) which on average eat up the
subscriptions we pay. We do not have surplus funds that
could be used to build a library of original scores, that
can be lent out for us to sing from, which admittedly does
happen in more established choirs, that are also likely to
be more costly to belong to. (Has anyone heard about the
Rock Choirs that are springing up around the country? -
Fees are £90.00 for a ten week term - see their website
rockchoir.com).
Therefore, we should expect to have to pay for scores for
new songs. For example, on Wednesday this week (14th July),
we will be starting to rehearse September Song. We do
already have a version of this, written in unison, which is
out of copyright and has been photocopied, however we will
be incorporating this with another version, which contains a
lovely arrangement for the chorus in SATB format, but does
not have the verse. The cost of the new version, which is
subject to copyright conditions will be £2.00. Please would
you be aware that you will be asked to pay for this on
Wednesday when you come?
I hope this helps to explain and prepares you for requests
for payment for future songs, but if you have any questions
please don't hesitate to ask.
Apologies to everyone who hates long emails! Hope to see
you on Wednesday night, when I will be at the desk, asking
for yet MORE money.....
Best wishes to all.
Mo Evans
Committee member.
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Current membership is40 and increasing.
Do you sing? – Then we need you:
Music to suit all tastes and styles
Opportunities to learn and progress
Singing for Pleasure and Performance
Wednesday 7.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.
at
International House
Pastoral Centre
Emsworth
No
audition required
No experience needed
No need to read music
Emsworth Community Singers – an introduction and
overview
Emsworth
Community Singers has been running in it’s current form for two years,
having grown out of the choir known as The Meridian Singers.
It was formed and is run by Louise Russell, who has always been
fired with the ambition of offering local people the opportunity to sing
together, regardless of age or musical experience.
The choir is in the fortunate position of having three
extremely talented people at the helm:
Louise, the director, Denise Baugh the musical co-director, and
Roger Parham, a most patient and brilliant pianist, who keeps everyone
in tune. (Mostly!)
The selection of music is influenced heavily by the
choir itself, and reflects the wide ranging tastes of the eclectic mix
of people, the final decisions on suitability for singing resting with
Louise, Denise and Roger.
The repertoire ranges from songs from the musicals,
popular music and ballads from the fifties sixties and seventies, folk
music, sacred music, barbershop and light opera.
There is something for everyone, and for some, surprises when
they learn something they maybe thought would not be ‘their kind of
music’, only to find it’s actually quite good fun to sing.
The choir gives performances to various local groups
and for charity funding events, and will be pleased to consider any
requests for events coming up.
Please contact Louise for information or requests.
Emsworth Community Singers is open to new members of
all ages, both with and without musical knowledge.
It is a friendly group, and the intention is to stay focussed on
offering a broad range of musical experience to it’s members, and
expanding it’s musical reportoire.
If
this sounds as though it might be for you, why not come along to our
next meeting a give it a try?
We look forward to seeing you there.