We now meet at St Augustine's Church, Thicketford Road, Tonge Moor, Bolton BL2 2LP every Wednesday during term time at 6.30pm for a chat and refreshments, ready for practice at 7pm till 8.30pm. There is a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
Our Musical Director is Jane Hampson and our Pianist is Helen Walker.
We start the evening off with some gentle vocal exercises and then learn new songs or rehearse more established repertoire for upcoming concerts. It's a good idea to bring a bottle of water to sip throughout the evening.We have around 55 regular attendees and our choir is divided into 4 vocal ranges: Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass. If you aren’t sure which section you should sing with, don’t worry, our Musical Director will be able to advise. There are no auditions, you don’t have to be able to read music or have sung in a choir before - you just need to have a willingness to join in and sing.
We don't charge for membership but we do ask for a contribution on practice nights to help cover our overheads - most people give £3. Due to rising costs we request that people give more if they are able to.
We are fully inclusive with an ‘open door’ policy and access to the room at St Augustine's Church is wheelchair friendly.
Although we are based in Tonge with the Haulgh, where many of our members live, we do welcome members from further afield. We can sometimes offer lifts to people who struggle to get to choir.
We usually sing at several concerts throughout the year at a variety of venues; We sing regularly at St Augustine’s Church, and in the Tonge area of Bolton. We have also sung at the Victoria Hall in Bolton, the Horwich Music Festival, All Souls Church in Astley Bridge and St Matthew's Church in Little Lever, The Fusion Centre and Eldon Street Extra Care Housing.
Our choir members are really proud of their efforts as we go from strength to strength singing in and around our community.
We have regular bespoke singing workshops throughout the year - led by guest Musical Directors such as Sue Hickey, Elaine Lowe and Nicola Mills. Friends, family and members of other choirs are invited to participate in these events
Members of the committee also arrange social events throughout the year which may be a meal out or a trip to a show or film. We also hold several fundraising events like Easter Egg Raffles, cake and book sales.