Newsletters

Hello everyone,

I hope you are doing well and have had a good weekend.

This coming Thursday 10th is our last meeting of the summer - doesn't time fly?!- and we will be back in the hall. I look forward to seeing many of you there - there won't be a Brownie in sight!

ADVANCE PAYMENT

Thank you very much to those who have paid in advance for next term. This Thursday is the last opportunity to pay by cheque. The deadline for transfers is August 31st please.

FEEDBACK FORMS

Please continue to fill in the online feedback form. The deadline for these is August 31st. They will provide really useful information for planning next year's choir.

CHRISTMAS CAROLS THIS WEEK

Please bring your lyrics for the following carols, if you have them:

-O Holy Night

-In The Bleak Midwinter (we are doing the version by Harold Darke, so feel free to listen to it!)

If you feel like doing lots of homework, have a listen to the beginning of John Rutter's "What Sweeter Music" which we will make a start on this week.

TICKETS FOR DECEMBER 9th CONCERT

Everyone singing in the December 9th concert gets 1 free ticket for a friend or relative IF THEY TELL ME WHO IS USING IT BY SEPTEMBER 30th.

I would be really grateful if every member of the choir would do their best to SELL 2 TICKETS FOR THE CONCERT. Before September 30th tickets are £12. Thereafter they are £15.

MEETING FRIENDS OVER THE SUMMER

During your social whirlwinds in August and early September, can you find anyone who would really benefit from joining the choir in September?

Can you advertise the Dec 9th concert to people who don't know about it yet?

JANUARY 2024 - THURSDAY OR MONDAY?

Please do give me any remaining feedback on your preference between choir remaining on Thursdays or changing to Mondays in 2024.

There has been good support for both days. Currently Thursdays are winning!

With many thanks and I hope to see you for our last summer session on Thursday.

Best wishes,

Chris 

Hi everyone,

I hope you are well and I'm looking forward to seeing many of you on Thursday for our penultimate meeting of the summer.

Please remember we are in the church again this week.

ADVANCE PAYMENTS

Thank you to those who have already paid in advance for next term. The deadline for payment by cheque is August 10th and the deadline for transfers is August 31st. Unfortunately I am not able to extend either of these deadlines.

FEEDBACK FORMS

Thank you to those of you who have filled these in. Please consider filling one in if you haven't already done so as they provide me with very useful information. The deadline is August 31st.

FROM JANUARY 2024 - THURSDAY OR MONDAY?

Thank you to those who have told me their preference for our choir nights from January 2024 - staying on Thursdays or moving to Mondays. Both options have received votes. Currently it is more likely that choir will remain on Thursdays. I will make the final decision in early October.

TICKETS FOR DECEMBER 9th CONCERT

If you are singing in the concert you don't need a ticket.

If you are singing in the concert you also get 1 free ticket, provided you tell me by September 30th who will be using the ticket.

I would be really grateful if everyone would do their best to sell 2 tickets for the concert. These are £12 before September 30th and £15 after that.

It's going to be a lovely concert with 8 professional-musician guests joining us, plus the All Saints' Handbell Ringers.

START OF NEXT TERM

Next term starts on September 14th, not September 7th.

With many thanks and best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well. Thank you for such good attendance at Thursday's choir and for your support of the raffle, which I hope you enjoyed. A big thank you to Sylvia and to Brendan for their efforts, and also to Catherine and Pat for serving lots of tea quickly on a busy day! Another big thank you once again to the kind donors of the wonderful prizes.

ADVANCE PAYMENT

If you wish to pay in advance for next term, the deadline is August 31st by bank transfer (or August 10th by cheque). The cost is unchanged at £70 and please let me know if you require the relevant bank details.

FEEDBACK FORMS

Thank you to those who have submitted their online feedback forms. Only 13 have been received so far, so do please keep filling them in. The deadline is August 31st.

REMAINDER OF TERM

We have 4 Thursdays left of the summer term (last session August 10th). If you have singing friends whose normal choirs are on holiday, why not encourage them to join us for a few weeks?

NEXT TERM

Next term we start on Thursday September 14th. This is one week later than originally planned as I have to return to Morocco in early September.

DECEMBER 9th CONCERT

Those of you who are singing in our concert on December 9th, remember that you are allocated 1 complimentary ticket for a friend or family member. Please do find a recipient for your free ticket in good time.

Audience tickets are available to order now at £12. The physical tickets should be available for collection on August 3rd and August 10th. After September 30th, the discounted rate of £12 will no longer be available.

CHRISTMAS EVE 2023

A kind invitation has come from James Knowles, the vicar at All Saints’ Church, for some of our singers to join the All Saints’ Church Choir at the Lansdowne Hotel on December 24th (approx 6pm) to sing some carols in return for nice food and bubbly. Then the plan is to go to the Devonshire Park Hôtel for more carols and more mince pies.

There is room for approximately 15 singers from The Eastbourne Community Choir, so it will be ‘first come first served’.

Please note that I will not be present at this event and that all arrangements are being made by All Saints’ Church, not by The Eastbourne Community Choir. As soon as possible I will provide you with the contact details of a church representative for any questions you may have.

A DATE FOR YOUR DIARIES

On Saturday April 13th, 2024 (4.30pm) the next ‘Christopher Samuel Productions’ concert, “Bach to Broadway”, will be taking place. This one will be packed full of lovely, well-known tunes including:

• Hits from the Broadway Musicals of the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s

• Bach’s Concerto in D for 2 Violins, played by Richart Van Zyl and his teacher Maeve Jenkinson, accompanied by String Ensemble.

Many thanks for your time and I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday.

With best wishes,

Chris

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well and have enjoyed a good weekend.

Thank you for a lovely choir meeting on Thursday, and thank you also for your excellent support of the raffle which is going ahead this Thursday in the tea-break at 8.30pm.

Non-choir people who have kindly bought raffle tickets are very welcome to attend the draw and to have a cup of tea with us. They should kindly show their raffle tickets at the tea counter and must sign in on entering the All Saints' Centre.

Thank you in advance to Sylvia and Brendan for masterminding the raffle draw 

There are 30 terrific prizes which will be allocated.

Thank you again to the very kind donors of the prizes.

There are 60 tickets left.

Thank you very much to those of you who sang so well at Chiddingly on Wednesday. The rain just about held off and you sounded really good. The small audience very much enjoyed our performance.

I understand that 1 or 2 of you were put under undue pressure 'on the door' to make a donation even though you were performing. This should not have happened and I am very sorry. The 'Friends of Chiddingly Church' were well aware that choir members should not be made to feel obliged to donate, although they may choose to do so.

If any choir member donated more than they wanted to on Wednesday, for this reason, please let me know and I will refund you.

It's that exciting time when next term's Advance Payments will shortly be due! As you know, Advance Payments for next term remain at £70, payable by transfer or cheque please. The deadline for payments is August 31st.

For our very exciting and ambitious Christmas Concert on December 9th, if you have signed up please make sure you have put a tick by your name to confirm rehearsal attendance etc. Any queries, please talk to me. I would still appreciate some more singers signing up.

I hope that in the next few weeks I will be receiving lots of requests for audience tickets, at the reduced price of £12(until Sept 30) from families and friends and from choir members not singing in the concert.

Thank you to the small number of you who have filled in the Online Feedback Form. Please may I encourage others to do the same?

Hello everyone,

Thank you very much for a very good choir meeting on Thursday and I look forward to seeing many of you in the Chiddingly garden at 6pm on Weds 5th.

CHIDDINGLY WEDNESDAY JULY 5th

Please aim to arrive in the car park next to Farley's and the village shop by 5.50pm. Between 5.50-6.05pm there will be someone to guide you to the garden from the car park. Please be aware that the track is uneven, and please do bring warm clothing.

We will sing approximately 6.30-6.50pm and 7.10-7.30pm.

We are encouraged to mingle with the other guests when not singing.

I am sure that it will be a lovely evening.

We will sing the following songs (NOT in order):

Do You Hear?

Annie's Song

Joshua

Wade in the Water

Steal Away

Que Sera Sera

Skye Boat Song

Sound of Silence

You'll Never Walk Alone 

Moon River

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Down By The Riverside

O Waly Waly

Shenandoah

Always on my Mind

RAFFLE

Thank you for your additional support of the raffle. I can confirm that this will go ahead as planned on July 13th. There are still plenty of tickets available and I hope that some of you will be advertising the raffle and its prizes to your non-choir friends this week.

Thank you to Sylvia and Brendan who will be in charge of the raffle on the day.

All ticket-holders are welcome to attend the raffle draw (and to have a cup of tea) at 8.30pm on Thursday July 13th.

ONLINE FEEDBACK FORMS

Thank you to those of you who have already filled these in. Please continue to do so. Thank you to Brendan for his work on the form.

DECEMBER 9th CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Please keep signing up for this event as we do not have as many singers as I was expecting. Of those of you already signed up, quite a few of you still need to tick your names on my list to confirm that:

- you will make your very best efforts to attend at least 10 out of 13 rehearsals from September

- you commit to attending choir on Thursday Dec 7th (barring illness)

- you commit to attending the rehearsal from 1-3pm on Sat Dec 9th (barring illness)

I am happy for choir members to sit during the rehearsals and during the performance.

TICKETS FOR DEC 9th

You do not need a ticket if you are singing.

Each singer is allocated one complimentary ticket (for friend/family).

Please would everyone in the choir do their very best to sell at least 2 tickets? 

The cost of a ticket is:

- £12 if paid by September 30th 

- £15 thereafter

We will be singing some of our very favourite songs and some wonderful Christmas songs all accompanied by string quartet, trumpet, flute, organ/piano and handbells. We also have Olivia coming to sing soprano solos with us.

It will be a magical evening. It is also costing the choir £1500. Please do support the event and please do advertise it to your friends and families. Flyers and tickets will be available in September.

I look forward to seeing many of you on Wednesday at Chiddingly and others of you on Thursday evening.

With best wishes,

Chris

Hello everyone,

Thank you for a lovely choir meeting on Thursday.

CHIDDINGLY

There are only 3 more choir sessions before we sing our hearts out in the beautiful garden in Chiddingly. If you are planning to sing in Chiddingly, please do attend those 3 rehearsals if you possibly can.

I hope to have maps for you this coming Thursday, and please tell me asap if you need a lift or could offer a lift to someone else.

I will announce the songs for Chiddingly at choir on June 8th.

RAFFLE

Thank you for your excellent support of the raffle. There are some fantastic prizes and all 30 prizes are really decent. There are only 250 tickets in total so you have a good chance of winning something!

Tickets are £2.50 and money goes into the choir fund. This will help to keep entry charges and membership prices for choir after the summer as low as we can. I have been told by the church to expect another hefty increase in the cost of hiring the hall from September.

Please do encourage your non-choir friends to buy a raffle ticket. Tell them how good the prizes are!

ONLINE FEEDBACK FORM

This should be on our website and ready for filling in in 2 weeks' time. Please do so if you possibly can. It's really useful for me to know your views! Paper copies will be available for those with no internet access.

DECEMBER 9th CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Thank you to those of you who have signed up for this concert. It will be a lovely day. I would still like more people to sign up if possible.

Some songs in the concert will be Christmassy and others won't be. You will be very welcome to every choir meeting in the Autumn term even if you are NOT planning to sing in the concert.

For those who are hoping to sing in the concert, I would like you to do your very best to attend AT LEAST 10 of the 13 choir meetings between September 7th and December 7th.

Additionally, you SHOULD attend choir on November 30th and December 7th and you MUST attend the full rehearsal on the concert day, December 9th, barring illness.

I know some people will be unwell some weeks and that is fine. 

Excepting illness, if you think you are going to struggle with your attendance but would like to do the concert, please discuss this with me BEFORE THE SUMMER BREAK.

I'm putting these things in place so that you will all enjoy the concert more because you will be happy that you know what you are doing!

I hope you have a lovely week in the sunshine and I look forward to seeing many of you this coming Thursday.

With best wishes,

Chris 

PS My Monday Choir starts on June 5th and runs every Monday in June and July. It's in our usual hall but it's slightly earlier, 7-9pm.

It's for those who like sacred music plus folksongs, pop arrangements etc. I will provide sheet music and for June and July you're welcome if you don't read music but would like to learn.

£6 each session, nice biscuits.

Hope to see some of you there

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well.

Thank you for a lovely rehearsal on Thursday and for a fantastic term of singing. I am thrilled with the numbers attending each week.

Have a good couple of weeks off and I look forward to the first meeting of next term on May 4th. As it's Local Election day, we will be in the church.

For those of you attending the concert this coming Saturday, I look forward to seeing you there. You will need to show your tickets at the door, and doors open at 4.30pm for a 5pm prompt start. Please enter through the main church door on the corner of Grange Road and Carlisle Road, not through the hall. We have the whole of the church car park for our use, including the East End car park accessed by driving around the church. Please try not to block anybody in. If parking on the roadside, please do not block anyone's driveway. Carlisle Road, Old Wish Road and Grassington Road are all good options for free on-street parking. 

The revised estimated finish time for the concert is 6.50pm.

Wine will be available for a suggested donation of £3 per glass.

If there is anyone who has not yet paid for their reserved ticket, please let me know.

Tickets will also be available on the door, at £12 (cash only).

If anyone who is coming to the concert would be happy to make an 'official' audio recording of the concert on their IPad or equivalent, please let me know.

If anyone would be happy to do car park-marshalling, please let me know.

Please do continue to book on the website for Chiddingly Pimm's. There are plenty of spaces still available.

I meant to say thank you for my lovely Easter card with a lovely chocolate egg and a bunny on the envelope. I don't know who it's from, but thank you very much!

Next term, if as many of us as possible can continue to bring our own mugs for tea and coffee, we can continue to minimise the need for single-use disposable cups.

With best wishes and have a good, healthy couple of weeks,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well and have enjoyed a lovely Easter weekend.

This coming Thursday is our last meeting of term and we are in the hall as normal.  Next term begins on May 4th and we are in the church that day due to the Local Elections.

To remind yourself of when next term starts, you could call to mind the famous quotation from 'Star Wars':

"May the 4th be with you"....

This coming Thursday 13th is the deadline for paying £10 for pre-booked tickets for the concert on April 22nd.  After this date, including on the door, tickets are £12 each.  If you have not yet collected your physical ticket, please make sure that you do so this Thursday.

On April 22nd, decent-quality wine will be available during the interval of the concert for a suggested donation of £3 per glass. Soft drinks will be available for a suggested donation of £1.50 per glass.

Children 16 and under may attend the concert free of charge, provided they are accompanied by an adult.

The idea of a Choir Raffle has been popular, so this will be held in July (exact date tbc). If anyone else would like to donate a prize, please let me know.

Please continue to sign up on the website to take part in the Pimm's Party at Chiddingly. It's only 11 weeks away and numbers are still low.

Please sign up on the website to take part in 'Christmas With The Eastbourne Community Choir and Friends' on December 9th.

Please could I see in the break on Thursday all those who are kindly 'helpers' on April 22nd?

I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday.

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well and are enjoying the lovely springtime sunshine.

A reminder that this coming Thursday we are in the church. Please enter via the door between the hall and the church, then turn left into the church.

If you have booked a ticket for the Recital on April 22nd but have not yet paid £10, please do so by April 13th by cash, cheque or transfer. Tickets will be available after this date at £12 (including on the door). There is still time to book at the reduced price if you have not yet done so!

Please keep booking on the website to take part in the wonderful CHIDDINGLY Pimm's Party on July 5th. 

If you are having trouble with the website, there is a paper sign-up for this available on Thursdays.

Very soon it will be possible to sign up on the website for 'Christmas With The Eastbourne Community Choir and Friends' on December 9th. Please put your name down if you would like to be involved in this lovely event.

On April 20th and April 27th there is no choir because it is our Easter Holiday.

A reminder that there will also be no choir on May 18th as I will be in Morocco on business.

Unfortunately the opening of the Willingdon Park Manor Care Home has been put back to 2024, so our Carols performance on December 21st has been cancelled.

With best wishes and I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are well and thank you for attending in such good numbers on Thursday, which was our highest attendance since returning after the pandemic!

Thank you to those of you who have paid in advance for next term. The deadline is March 31st, and with apologies it cannot be extended. Please let me know if you require the relevant bank details. The last opportunity to pay by cheque is this Thursday 30th.

On Thursday 30th we will be in the hall as normal. On April 6th we will be in the church. On April 13th we will be back in the hall, and then we will have 2 Thursdays off.

The Choir Summer Term begins on May 4th, when we will be in the church due to the Local Elections in the hall. 

If you call to mind the famous phrase from 'Star Wars' - "May the 4th be with you" - this will also remind you when our summer term starts!

Thank you for continuing to book for the Classical Singing and Violin Concert on Saturday, April 22nd at 5pm. It fits in nicely between Sainsbury's shopping and your Saturday evening plans!

If you know anyone who likes this sort of music, please do mention it to them. It would normally be necessary to travel to London to hear much of this repertoire. If anyone would like some flyers or posters to display or distribute, please let me know.

Thank you to my 6 kind helpers for April 22nd. Please could we all have a very brief meeting at the break on Thursday 30th? Some of you are still owed a refund. The team is:

Sylvia P

Cindy R

Jane S

Sue C

Zoe G

Jeff G

Thank you to the following 'Reserve Helpers' who don't need to attend the break-time meeting thank you:

Sandra F

Steve F

David C

Barbara C

Angela R

Maureen D

If I have made a mistake, please let me know.

Please keep checking the whole website regularly, not just the newsletter.

With many thanks and see many of you on Thursday,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are well and are enjoying these lighter evenings at last!

Thank you very much to those of you who have offered to help at the April 22nd concert day. I have now had so many offers that there is a substantial 'reserve' list!

For those of you who have booked tickets for this concert but have not yet paid, please do so by transfer or cash by April 13th at the latest.

Tickets after this date will be available at the higher price of £12.

Please do continue to book and to let your friends know. All concert details are on our website including biographies and photos of the performers.

Please do remember that if you wish to pay in advance for the choir summer term, at a cost of £70 by transfer or cheque, the deadline is March 31st. This deadline cannot be extended, unfortunately. 

Thank you to those who have already paid for next term.

Please let me know if you require the relevant bank details.

Next term it will also be possible to 'Pay As You Go' at £7 per session.

CHIDDINGLY PIMM'S PARTY

I have had queries from some of you as to whether the PIMM'S PARTY is in April, May or June. The answer to those queries is 'NO'.

The PIMM'S PARTY is on Wednesday, July 5th at 5pm, as has been advertised on our online calendar since September.

Over the next few weeks the lyrics to the remaining choir songs will be posted as PDF's on the website.

An online feedback form will be available on the website in June.

Please do continue to check our wonderful website regularly, including on every Thursday.

'Christmas With The Eastbourne Community Choir And Friends', Dec 9th

If you have any requests or suggestions for music to be included in this concert, please let me know.

A reminder that we will have a string quartet, 2 trumpets, an organ and a Soprano Soloist with us.

My current thoughts for this concert include:

'Panis Angelicus'

'Va Pensiero'

'Imagine'

'O Holy Night'

'The Shepherds' Farewell' - Berlioz

It has been lovely to welcome several new singers recently. If you are planning to attend choir and you have not yet filled in a Choir Registration Form, please do so on your next Thursday.

I look forward to seeing many of you this coming week.

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well.

Many thanks for your fine singing at Thursday's rehearsal which I very much enjoyed.

Thank you very much to those of you who have booked tickets for the Classical Vocal and Violin Recital on April 22nd at 5pm. If you haven't yet paid, please would you do so by April 13th, by cash or transfer?

Please continue to let your friends know about this event. All Advance Tickets are £10, children 16 and under are free.

If you would be able to display a poster or flyer in your block, street or area, please let me know on Thursday.

Thank you if you have volunteered to help on the door, or with wine, on April 22nd. I am now able to offer you a free ticket if you are a helper (you will receive a refund if you have already paid). I am looking for 3 further helpers. Please let me know if you are interested.

If you wish to pay for the Choir Summer Term in advance, please do so by March 31st (3 weeks' time) by transfer or cheque only. I am pleased to say that the Advance Rate remains unchanged.

One change to the online Choir Calendar - there will now be no choir on May 18th, with apologies. I will be in Morocco dealing with my uncle's will and property there.

In June there will be an online Choir Feedback form, similar to last summer's paper version.

If you are able to contribute a prize to our inaugural Summer Raffle, please let me know.

I hope you have a good week and I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday.

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well and thank you for attending choir in such good numbers on Thursday.

Remember that there is no choir this Thursday! We start again on March 9th and we go through until April 13th (the Thursday after Easter).

So the choir's Easter break is actually after Easter this year!

Thank you to those who have booked for the Song and Violin Recital "The Paths We Have Trod" on Saturday April 22nd in All Saints' Church. Details are on the website, and more information about the performers will be posted soon. I really believe it will be a lovely recital. It starts at 5pm (after shopping/football) and finishes at 6.30pm (before Saturday night revelries and 'Strictly Come Dancing')!

Good wine and nice nibbles will be available in the interval.

Thank you to those who have volunteered to help on the day, and thank you to those who have already paid. Advance payment is by cash or transfer. Please remember that this recital is open to all, not just to choir members.

From the Summer Term we will start singing through some things which might be included in our exciting 'Christmas With The Eastbourne Community Choir And Friends' concert on December 9th in All Saints' Church. If you would like to take part in or support this event, please make sure it is in your diaries now and please help to spread the word. We will have an organist, 2 trumpets and probably a string quartet. Lots of congregational carols too. In the Summer we will also hold a choir raffle and an online feedback form will be available.

For those of you who are happy to read from tablets (iPads etc) or phones, remember it is possible to photograph lyric sheets or to download them from the website, if you feel there are too many sheets to bring each Thursday. In the coming weeks the lyrics of the remaining songs will be put on the website in PDF format.

I hope you have a good, healthy couple of weeks and I look forward to seeing many of you on March 9th.

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well.

As a special treat(!) this week's Choir Newsletter has been sent directly to your inbox.

From next week it will once more be posted on our website only:

https://www.theeastbournecommunitychoir.org

Thank you for attending choir in such good numbers this term.

I am aware that there are quite a few people whom we haven't yet seen this term. Do keep in touch with us if you can, and let us know if there is something we can do to help you get to choir. Lifts can often be arranged, so please let me know if you would benefit from this.

A big thank you to those already giving lifts to other choir members.

The other reason I am emailing you directly this week is to make sure that you are aware of the Classical Concert which I am staging in All Saints' Church on Saturday April 22nd 5-6.30pm. Details and booking options are available on the choir website, but there is also a flyer attached to this email. If you come to the concert you will have to listen to me sing for 20 mins, but there will be lots of lovely music in the programme to dilute that!

This email is going out to a small number of people who, I am aware, are unable to continue with choir. However I hope that those people might be interested in the concert details. If you would prefer not to have received this email, my apologies.

I would be delighted to hear from any choir members who would be willing to marshal the ticket desk or help with serving wine in the interval on April 22nd. There will be a suggested donation of £2.50 for a glass of decent wine.

POSSIBLE SUMMER RAFFLE

I would be interested to hear your views about the possibility of holding a Choir Raffle in the summer. Prizes could include:

- A Pair of Tickets to the VIP Performance of Eastbourne College's Musical Theatre Production in December

- A Singing Lesson with Chris (!)

- Cuddly Toy

- Bronell 'Lily-of-the-Valley' triple-milled soap

- Other Prizes generously donated by choir members........

LIFT FROM SEASIDE?

If anyone is able to offer a lift this coming Thursday to a new choir member in the Seaside area, please let me know.

Thank you so much to Gill, Bryan and all the helpers for the wonderful Farmhouse Breakfast this morning in Hellingly. The large number of you who attended know what a lovely event this is.

Finally, please do check our wonderful choir website regularly (link contained above). It's especially important in case we need to make any last minute changes on Thursdays.

With best wishes and I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday,

Chris

Hello everyone,

I hope you are well and thank you for attending in such good numbers on Thursday.

APRIL 22nd CONCERT 5-6.30pm

Thank you to those of you who have already booked for this Saturday tea-time concert in All Saints' Church. Please continue to book online or on the physical list. The deadline for reserving and paying for reduced-price tickets is April 13th.

A reminder that we ARE meeting this coming Thursday 16th. We also meet on Feb 23rd. March 2nd is the Thursday when we will NOT meet.

Please make sure you are checking the website every Thursday afternoon, and preferably at other times too. Have a good look through the calendar and the events.

For those of you who are keen to be involved in our performance opportunities, please make sure that December 9th is in your diaries for "Christmas with The Eastbourne Community Choir and Friends". This is by far the choir's biggest performance to date and the evening will include trumpets, the organ, other instrumentalists and audience-participation carols. Please tell your friends now!

Enjoy the slightly lighter evenings and I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday.

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are well and are enjoying this lovely sunshine.

CONCERT of CLASSICAL SONG and VIOLIN, 5pm - 6.30pm, Saturday April 22nd

All Saints' Church

Thank you to those who have already booked for this event.

The programme is now confirmed and I really think it's going to be a lovely event. You can shop and meet your friends in town beforehand, and after the concert you'll be in time for 'Strictly' or to go out for dinner! The programme is:

'Frauenliebe und Leben' by Schumann - sung in German by Yvonne Lloyd

Violin Sonata by Sarasate - played by outstanding young Eastbourne violinist Richart Van Zyl

'Che Soave Zeffiretto' - duet from Mozart's opera 'Le nozze di Figaro'

INTERVAL WITH WINE

'Fiancailles Pour Rire' by Poulenc - sung in French by Olivia Hemmings

'Songs of Travel' by Vaughan Williams - sung in English by Christopher Dixon (who?)

'Soave il Vento' - trio from Mozart's opera 'Cosi Fan Tutte'

APRIL 13th

As mentioned on Thursday, Olivia's Recital will not take place on April 13th. It will now take place on October 26th.

CHOIR WILL STILL TAKE PLACE ON APRIL 13th.

PIMM'S PARTY IN CHIDDINGLY GARDEN - JULY 5th 5-7pm

Please reserve your place on our website if you would like to attend this lovely event. It was a great evening last summer. You get free entry into the wonderful garden plus PIMM'S and canapes!

CHOIR WEBSITE

Please do have a good look at all the sections of our website and please check it every Thursday afternoon in case of rehearsal cancellation.

Do please have a look at the calendar - click on 'Calendar' then click on the top right-hand corner of the box.

BUY 12 CHOIR SESSIONS, GET 13th FREE!

This applies only to those who 'Pay As You Go'.

2 or 3 of you are still on track to qualify for a free choir session on April 13th. If you have attended every session this term up to and including April 6th, you will be a prize-winner. Congratulations!

I hope you have a good week and I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday.

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well and many thanks for a lovely sing yesterday evening. I was pleased with the new seating-formation and many of you have already told me that you prefer it. Please keep the feedback coming on this!

The lyrics of next week's new song will be available as a PDF on our website by Tuesday. You may then print it or download it to a tablet or phone as you prefer. Of course copies will also be available on the night.

Please do get into the habit of checking the choir website every Thursday afternoon. This is our 'central notice-board' for communicating any last-minute changes to Thursday rehearsals. Unless you have let me know that you have no internet access, I will need you to check the website weekly to keep yourself informed of any such changes please. Those without internet access will be telephoned in the event of any changes.

Of course our website can be used for much more than just posting changes of arrangements. I hope you have all enjoyed studying our Calendar of Events and Rehearsals through to Christmas 2023, have explored how you can reserve discounted concert-tickets through the website and have read Olivia's recently-posted biography. All this and much more is currently on our site!

TICKETS

For Olivia's recital on Thursday April 13th at 6.30pm, each choir member may reserve 1 ticket at the discounted price of £3. Guests are welcome at a ticket-price of £5. Wine will be available at a suggested donation of £2.50.

For the Classical Song and Chamber Music Concert on Saturday April 22nd at 5pm in All Saints' Church, each choir member may reserve up to 2 tickets at the discounted price of £10. The deadline for the discounted tickets is April 6th. Other guests, and choir members booking later than April 6th, are welcome at a ticket-price of £12.50. Wine will be available at a suggested donation of £2.50.

This concert will finish by 6.40pm so that you can still watch 'Strictly Come Dancing' afterwards!

Please remember that Saturday December 9th at 5pm is our wonderful 'Christmas With The Eastbourne Community Choir And Friends' concert in All Saints' Church. The trumpeters have already been booked, there will be some incredible violin-playing and a Soprano Soloist will soar over the top of our choir singing O Holy Night. Colin will be playing the organ and there will be audience sing-along carols too. Mulled wine will be available in the interval. Please do let your friends know.

If anyone would be able to give a lift to rehearsals, on a regular or semi-regular basis, to a choir member who lives 400 yards from the church, please do get in touch.

If anyone would be able to display a poster advertising The Eastbourne Community Choir in their Apartment Block, Community Centre or Local Area, please let me know.

Many thanks for all your support and please feel free to feed back any thoughts. And please have a good scroll through the website!

With best wishes for a healthy week,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are well and many thanks to those of you who attended Thursday's meeting.

In the coming weeks we will be posting PDF's of the lyrics of some of our songs on the website.

For those of you with access to a printer, this will mean that you can print your own copies of new songs and also print additional copies of current songs, should you wish.

In the coming weeks I will be compiling a list of names of those who would be happy to print their own lyrics. This will be very helpful in reducing the choir's substantial printing costs.

Please may I bring to your attention 2 concerts in April? Discounted tickets for both events are available to members of The Eastbourne Community Choir.

Thursday April 13th, 6.30pm, All Saints' Church Hall (followed by our normal choir rehearsal):

Olivia Hemmings (soprano) and Colin Hughes (piano) return, following their wonderful recital last year, to perform a programme of Classical Song and Opera Favourites.

Tickets are £3 for choir members and £5 for guests. Children 16 and under are free.

Wine will be available, with a suggested donation of £2.50 per glass.

Soft drinks will also be available.

Saturday April 22nd, 5pm, All Saints' Church:

'A Teatime Recital of Classical Song-Cycles, Chamber Music and Opera Duets'

Olivia Hemmings - Soprano

Yvonne Lloyd - Soprano

Christopher Dixon - Baritone

Colin Hughes - Piano

Plus a String Quartet

This concert will include music by Schumann, Poulenc and Vaughan Williams. The downside is that you will have to listen to me sing for a bit too, but a tray of rotten tomatoes will be available for your use.

Please do put this event in your diaries now if you can and tell your friends!

Tickets are £10 for choir members and £12.50 for guests. Children 16 and under are free.

Wine will be available, with a suggested donation of £2.50 per glass.

Soft drinks will also be available.

Please do get into the habit of checking our wonderful website regularly. Please have a look at all of the events, not just the Newsletter. Please also check the front page of the website every Thursday afternoon.

I am aware that several choir members are currently unwell and/or are waiting for various medical procedures or tests. I would like to wish everyone well and I very much hope to see you back at choir soon.

If we haven't seen you since before Christmas, and you are able to attend, do remember where we are on a Thursday evening!

All feedback is welcome, so if you have any requests, suggestions or questions please do send me an email.

I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday.

With best wishes,

Chris

→ Current Newsletter  14th January 2023 ←

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well and thank you very much for an excellent start to our singing in 2023. I was delighted to have such strong numbers on a rainy day in early January!

Thank you to the considerable number of people who sent their apologies for Thursday due to being unwell. I wish you a speedy recovery and we hope to see you at choir very soon.

Please continue to bring all of your lyric sheets (except Christmas Carols) to rehearsals. If you are able, please also bring a mug from home so that we can minimise our use of disposable cups.

The church car park is for our use, although I know space can be a little tight. We have now also been given permission to park at the East End of the church where there is quite a bit of space. This is accessed from Grange Road and then by driving around the church. Until the evenings get lighter, I would recommend that only choir members who know this route should try this for now!

On-street parking (unrestricted) is usually fairly easy on Thursday evenings.

I think it was helpful to bring the chairs closer to the piano this week. Within our usual formation, please do come as far forward as you feel comfortable. You will hear me, and each other, more easily this way. Obviously we need to leave space by the doors, and if you require additional space and distance that is fine.

We have an exciting programme of events this year which includes our Christmas Concert 'Christmas With The Eastbourne Community Choir And Friends' in All Saints' Church on Saturday December 9th at 5pm. Please put this into your diaries and tell your friends!

As with all of our performances, there is no obligation to be involved. It is absolutely fine if you would prefer just to attend our Thursday meetings.

Please do get into the habit of looking at all the details on our wonderful website on a regular basis, and particularly after 12 noon each Thursday.

I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday, when I believe it is forecast to be a little colder so wrap up warm!

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well and are enjoying this lovely sunny afternoon at a time when the evenings are noticeably getting longer and lighter.

Please remember that Thursday's rehearsal is in St Saviour's Hall, South Street. Please wrap up warm.

The church car park is now full. Please bring your Permits for Andy. Yvonne and Donna, please remind Andy that you weren't able to collect your Permits.

Everyone else, please allow lots of time to find a parking space.

If you think you will not be using your Permit, please let me know straight away.

Thank you to those who have already paid in advance for next term. The cost is £70 and the deadline is in 14 days (December 31st). With apologies, for accounting reasons I am unable to accept any 'Advance Payments' later than December 31st.

As you know the 'Pay As You Go' rate from January is increasing to £7. The 13th session which you attend in the term will be free of charge.

The View Hotel

I would hope that everyone who is planning to sing at The View will be attending Thursday's rehearsal. Songs for The View are now posted on the website. 

On Christmas Eve everyone needs to be ready to sing at 5.15pm on the Mezzanine Level of The View Hotel, dressed smartly.

Bibendum

The 'Table Plan' is now posted on the website. If you are going directly to Bibendum, our tables will be available from 6.30pm.

Apart from the 'Welcome Drink' and 2-course meal, you will need to pay for everything else yourselves. There is no choir tab.........

DATES FOR YOUR 2023 DIARIES

All Community Choir rehearsal dates until Christmas 2023 are now on the website. You may also wish to take note of the following:

Thursday April 13th 2023, 6.30pm, All Saints' Hall - Olivia Hemmings returns to give us another beautiful Vocal Recital, accompanied by Colin Hughes

Tickets: Choir Members £3/Guests £5

Saturday April 22nd, 5pm, All Saints' Church - A Teatime Recital of Classical Song and Opera Duets

Olivia Hemmings - Soprano

Yvonne Lloyd - Soprano

Rebecca Hughes - Mezzo-Soprano

Christopher Dixon - Baritone

Colin Hughes - Piano

Tickets £12 (£10 if booked in advance through The Eastbourne Community Choir)

Wednesday July 5th, 5pm, Chiddingly - We have been invited back to sing at another Pimm's Party in this beautiful garden

Saturday December 9th, 5pm, All Saints' Church - 'Christmas with The Eastbourne Community Choir and Friends'

A Teatime Christmas Celebration Concert with professional instrumentalists - please tell your friends now!

Tickets £15 (£12 if booked by September 30, 2023). Children 15 and under - free of charge.

Thursday December 21st, 4pm, Willingdon Park Manor Care Home - We have been invited to sing carols at this brand-new care home. Refreshments will be provided by their catering department.

Please remember that next term starts on January 12th. If I don't see you before, may I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas.

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping safe and well in these wintry conditions.

By Thursday evening, and certainly by Saturday morning, the forecast is for milder temperatures.

Please ensure that you have read the current Newsflash as I will not repeat that information here in the newsletter.

There are still places available to sing on Eastbourne Seafront this Saturday 17th 11am-12noon. A gazebo is available. If you require a chair you must let me know, otherwise there will not be one for you.

We have been allowed to take a Choir Collection Bucket to this event. Please let me know if you would like to take charge of it.

Please wrap up warm for this event.

All 12 of you who applied for a Parking Permit at St Saviour's for Dec 22 have been successful. There is one permit left - first come first served.

Everyone else must find on-street parking on Dec 22.

For those dining at Bibendum on Dec 24, they have asked us to group ourselves into groups of 8 or 10 or 12 for seating purposes. Please let me know when you have finalised your group.

If you would be interested in a pre-booked taxi from The View to Bibendum on Christmas Eve at 6.45pm, please let me know by this Thursday 15th. So far there has been so little interest that I may cancel the taxi.

A reminder that Payments in Advance for next term are due by Dec 31st. The rate is £70 for the 14 meetings.

The 'Pay As You Go' rate is increasing to £7 from January 2023. I am also introducing the special offer that, for those who 'Pay As You Go', the 13th session only which you attend in each individual term will be free of charge. This offer does not roll over between terms.

Thank you so much to you all for my lovely Christmas card and extremely generous gifts. I'm extremely touched by your kindness.

Well done and thank you for last weekend's performances, and I look forward to seeing many of you this Thursday at the normal venue, All Saints' Hall.

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well as the weather begins to turn rather more wintry.

Thank you to everyone for their hard work on the carols. There will not be any new music now until the start of next term on January 12th.

Thank you and well done to those who sang at 'The Wishing Well' yesterday. It went extremely well and I have had a nice email from the owners.

They apologised for the lack of space yesterday. We were scheduled to have the whole of the inside, but apparently some stall-holders refused to set up outside yesterday.

Sovereign Shines and The Beachy Head Story are both this coming weekend. Lists of singers and songs are on the website.

This coming Thursday is our little Christmas Party! There is a complimentary Bailey's on ice and some delicious Christmas food. Thank you very much to the chefs.

This Thursday is also the deadline for applying for St Saviour's car-park passes which will start to be handed out next week.

If you don't have a pass you will need to find on-street parking on Dec 22nd.

A reminder that if you wish to pay in advance for next term's choir, the deadline is December 31st by transfer or cheque please. The cost remains the same at £70 for 14 meetings.

The Pay-As-You-Go rate will rise to £7 in January 2023.

On Dec 17th for 'Carols on the Beach' we will be completely undercover and waterproofed/windproofed. It's important that if you will require a chair, you let me know in good time please.

I am hiring a large taxi to transport some singers between The View Hotel and Bibendum on Christmas Eve. Please let me know ASAP if you would like to reserve a seat in the taxi.

A final call please to ensure that everyone has now paid for their Bibendum places in full - £20 per head.

With many thanks and I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well as we approach this busy time of lots of Christmas singing!

WISHING WELL

Carols at The Wishing Well Tea Rooms, Wilmington are this coming Saturday 3rd at 3.15-4.30pm. We are singing inside, but please wrap up warm nevertheless.

Parking is in The Crossways Hotel car park, or in the village, as the Christmas stalls will be in the Tea Room car park. Colourful, festive attire is good.

From Tuesday 29th the list of singers and the list of songs will be available on the website.

SOVEREIGN SHINES

This is on Friday December 9th, 5.45-7.35pm.

PLEASE NOTE THE REVISED TIMES.

There will be a break during which tea will be provided.

If you require to be dropped off next to the singing venue itself (through the barriers) please let me know as soon as possible.

Dress-code is bright and festive.

The list of singers is on the website. The list of songs will be posted soon.

CAROLS ON THE BEACH

This is on Sat December 17th, 11-11.45am

PLEASE NOTE that our carols will be unaccompanied as there is no power source. PLEASE NOTE that shelter is very limited and you will need to wrap up warm.

CHRISTMAS PARTY

Thank you to the kind people who are making/bringing lovely food for the tea-break on Dec 8th. We now have plenty of food thank you.

If you have a friend or neighbour who you think might benefit from joining us at our 'Christmas Party Choir Rehearsal' on Dec 8th, please let them know. It will be a lovely occasion. They will have to pay the entrance fee, but this includes a glass of Bailey's and home-made food!

PARKING PERMITS FOR ST SAVIOUR'S, DEC 22nd

Please contact me via the website if you would like to apply for a parking space in the church car park. Others will need to find on-street parking.

CHRISTMAS EVE

I am considering booking a 12-seater minibus to transport people from The View Hotel to Bibendum on Christmas Eve.

Please let me know ASAP if you would like a seat in the taxi.

The taxi will not pick up or drop off anywhere else.

WEBSITE

I would be very grateful if you would get into the habit of checking the website every Thursday afternoon. This is where we will communicate any last-minute changes.

I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday. If you are involved in any of our upcoming performances, and you have not let me know otherwise, I will expect you to be there please, barring illness or emergency.

With many thanks and best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well.

Thank you very much for attending Thursday's rehearsal in such good numbers and for working so hard.

There will be more new carols this coming week.

CHRISTMAS PARTY

A reminder that our little Christmas Party will be in the break during the rehearsal on Thursday December 8th. There will be complimentary Bailey's and wine.

I would be grateful for 1 or 2 more volunteers to make or bring something edible, if possible.

PARKING AT ST SAVIOUR'S

The deadline to apply for a parking space (for December 22nd) is December 8th. On December 15th the lucky winners will be presented with their parking permits, without which Andy won't let you into the car park...

Please try to share lifts on Dec 22nd.

'THE WISHING WELL ' and 'THE BEACHY HEAD STORY'

Everyone who has signed up online or on the sheets for these 2 events can be accommodated, thank you. Both of these lists are now closed due to the size of the venues.

CAROLS ON EASTBOURNE BEACH

Please continue to sign up for this event on December 17th at 11am.

There is also an opportunity to sing on the beach on Sunday December 11th (time tbc). Please let me know if you would be interested in this.

SOVEREIGN SHINES, DECEMBER 9th

The times for this are now 5.45pm - 7.30pm, so finishing 30 mins later than previously advertised. If you need to leave at 7pm, that's fine.

This list is closed, but please make sure you check the list of names on the website to make sure it is correct. If you are no longer able to attend, it may give someone else the chance to do so.

BIBENDUM MEAL ON CHRISTMAS EVE

Thank you very much for your support with this. We now have good numbers and I'm sure it will be a fantastic evening.

Please let me know if you are concerned about transport.

The food will be served at 7.30pm, but our tables will be ready from 6.30pm. Please feel free to sit at the tables any time from 6.30pm. With the exception of your mulled wine or hot cider, you will need to pay for all drinks yourself.

Those of us singing carols at The View should get to Bibendum by 7pm.

Please continue to sign the sheet on Thursday to indicate your meal preferences.

I will be paying Bibendum in full next week. If you haven't yet paid the full amount of £20pp, please do so as soon as possible.

LYRIC SHEETS

One or two of you have expressed concern that if I print a different song on each side of a double-sided sheet, the sheet is then difficult to alphabetise in your folders. I understand what you mean.

I am currently concerned about how much paper we are getting through.

New carols and any 'additional' carol lyrics will continue to be double-sided.

Additional copies of a small number of non-Christmas songs may also be double-sided.

I am not planning to do away with single -sided sheets. However if anyone is willing to use their tablet to photograph all lyric sheets, and then to sing from their tablet, I would be interested to hear from you.

CHOIR CHARGES FROM JANUARY

I am pleased to say that for those who wish to pay in advance for next term, the cost will remain the same at £70. The deadline for Advance Payment for next term in December 31st.

For those who prefer to 'Pay As You Go', the cost will rise to £7 per session.

This 'Pay As You Go' rate has not risen for 18 months, and I hope you will agree that this rise of less than 8% means that The Eastbourne Community Choir remains competitively priced. Tea, coffee and biscuits (plus occasional alcohol) will remain complimentary.

For those who 'Pay As You Go' I am also introducing this new offer from January 2023:

In each term, your 13th attended choir session will be completely FREE OF CHARGE.

There are at least 13 sessions in each term.

BLACK CARDIGAN

An "F and F" black cardigan with gold buttons was left in the hall on Thursday, which I currently have. Please let me know if it is yours.

CORRECT CHANGE

If you are able to bring the correct change to choir rehearsals it would be much appreciated.

That's more than enough from me!

So I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday when we will rehearse our carols hard but also sing plenty of other tunes!

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

Thank you very much for a lovely rehearsal on Thursday and I am so thrilled with the numbers attending. Thank you.

If you have joined the choir in the last few weeks, I hope you are enjoying it and that you have felt welcome.

Over the next 6 weeks there will still be a focus on the many choir members who are not involved in any of the Christmas performances. There will still be plenty of non-Christmas music, and perhaps it will also be nice for you to sing some carols to get into the Christmas spirit!

REHEARSAL on DECEMBER 22nd

Please note that this rehearsal will take place in the hall of ST SAVIOUR'S CHURCH, SOUTH STREET at the usual time.

IMPORTANT - there are 13 parking bays available to us in the church car park which is accessed from Spencer Road. Other cars will need to park on Hardwick Rd (perhaps by the Devonshire Park Theatre) and Spencer Rd. Please share lifts as much as possible on this day.

Thank you to Andy who will be dressed in a Hi-Vis jacket to marshal the car park on Dec 22nd. Honestly it could be quite tricky to park, so please allow plenty of time.

If you would like to apply for 1 of the 13 spaces in the church car park, sign up is available now on the choir website here ---->  info@theeastbournecommunitychoir.org  . I will allocate the spaces according to who I believe has the greatest need and will announce the successful applicants!

DECEMBER 19th, HELLINGLY HUB is CANCELLED.

There was a mix-up by the clerk at Hellingly Church, sorry.

CUPS

Just a reminder that if you are able to bring your own cup/mug to choir, this reduces the number of disposable cups we need. It helps the choir to be more eco-friendly. There will always be some cups available for those who can't.

DRESS-CODE FOR PERFORMANCES

With the exception of The View Hotel on Christmas Eve, the dress-code for Christmas events is bright, festive and cheerful (but not show-stealing please!)

For The View Hotel it is:

Ladies: Black Skirts/Trousers, White Blouses OR Black Dresses (neither Ballgowns nor very short dresses please), A Splash of Gold, Silver or Red. Please have a black cardigan, jumper or jacket available.

Gents: Black Trousers, White Shirts, A Splash of Gold, Silver or Red. Please have a black jacket or jumper available.

If anyone needs help with securing these items, please let me know.

CAROLS

I know that 1 or 2 of our carols are a bit high in their current keys. I will make some of them lower, and 'O Holy Night' will be in a much lower key next week.

YOUR TALENTS ARE REQUIRED AGAIN

This morning we have been engaged for another Christmas Performance, at The Wishing Well Tea Rooms in Wilmington on Saturday December 3rd.

Sign up is available now on the choir website here ---->  info@theeastbournecommunitychoir.org

BIBENDUM CHOIR MEAL, CHRISTMAS EVE

Thank you so much to those of you who have invited additional friends to this meal. There are still some spaces available.

This coming Thursday I will bring our special Bibendum menu. If attending the meal, please indicate on the menu which items you would like.

CAROLS ON THE BEACH, DEC 17th 10.45am

It would be great if a lot more could sign up for this, if possible. 

Sign up is available now on the choir website here ---->  info@theeastbournecommunitychoir.org

CAROLS AT 'THE BEACHY HEAD STORY', Dec 10th 1pm

I would be grateful if 8 more people could sign up for this event. 

Online booking is currently available here ---> info@theeastbournecommunitychoir.org

That's more than enough from me for now. I hope you have a lovely weekend and I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday.

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are having a nice weekend.

Thank you very much for your support of Becky and Colin's recital on Thursday. Weren't we lucky to hear them? They will be coming back to perform for us again in the near future.

A huge thank you to all of the helpers, without whom events like Thursday just couldn't run.

Please do put the date of Thursday April 13th, 6.30pm in your diaries now. This is when Olivia Hemmings returns, following her gorgeous singing for us at Easter, to perform for us again. Colin will be playing the piano for Olivia.

ATTENDANCE AT CHOIR

Thank you again for supporting Thursday's choir rehearsal in such good numbers.

The more regularly you attend, the better chance we have of keeping future price rises as small as possible including for those for whom the choir entry fee is genuinely a substantial financial outlay.

CAROLS PERFORMANCES - SPECIFIC REHEARSAL ATTENDANCE

If you have signed up to sing carols at The View Hotel on Christmas Eve, please do your very best not to miss any rehearsals in November or December, unless you are unwell.

The View Hotel is an important, formal performance, the like of which many of you have requested. With the opportunity for formal performance comes the requirement to attend as many rehearsals as humanly possible and to rearrange other commitments if required.

The list for The View Hotel is now closed and will be posted on our website in the coming days.

If you have signed up for Carols at 'Sovereign Shines' on December 9th, thank you and please attend as many rehearsals as you possibly can.

The list for 'Sovereign Shines' is now closed and will be posted on our website in the coming days.

If 5 more people are able to sign up for Carols at Hellingly Hub on Monday December 19th, 10.30am -12 noon, we will be able to accept this engagement.

We have been offered a further Carols opportunity on Saturday December 10th (time tbc) at The Beachy Head Story, Eastbourne.

Please DO NOT email me about this. A sign-up sheet will be available from November 10th.

In all of these performances there will be approx. 15 carols. There are 10 we haven't started yet!

BIBENDUM CHOIR MEAL, DEC 24th

I would really appreciate some help with securing some more diners to join this event.

It's a good 2 course menu with vegetarian options, plus a glass of hot cider/mulled wine, for the bargain price of £20.

Do you know any (responsible) family members, friends or colleagues who would appreciate the opportunity of a Christmas bash but they didn't get round to booking it in time?? I can offer self-contained tables of 10 (possibly even 20). Not the local U18 football team please....

Please could the lady, who was enquiring last Thursday about lifts to and from choir, email me so that we can arrange?

Just a reminder that this is the penultimate newsletter sent by email. Please do get into the habit of checking our website on a regular basis:

https://www.theeastbournecommunitychoir.org

Remember that there is no choir next week, and I look forward to seeing you on November 10th.

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hi everyone,

I hope you have had a good weekend and I am looking forward to seeing many of you on Thursday.

RECITAL on OCTOBER 27th

This is a wonderful opportunity to see high-class music-making.

Please do come and please do tell your friends.

Choir Members - If you are planning to come and haven't paid yet, please do so by this Thursday. Anyone who is unable to attend on the day will be refunded.

Tickets will be available on the door for guests. 

Please be in the queue by 6.15pm.

Anyone who is coming by car and not staying for the choir rehearsal, please park at the far side of the church (East End) or on the street.

CHRISTMAS EVE MEAL AT BIBENDUM

I would love to take 20 more bookings for this. The limit of 1 guest per choir member is now removed!

Please encourage your friends. It's a lovely 2-course Christmas Meal plus a glass of mulled wine for the bargain price of £20.

If anyone you know would be interested in booking a stand-alone table of 10 on these terms, please let me know.

Vegetarian options are available.

If you know you are coming and haven't paid the balance yet, please do so directly to me as soon as possible.

SHORT XMAS PARTY

In our choir meeting on December 8th we will have a slightly elongated break for a small Christmas Party. A complimentary glass of Bailey's will be available. Please let me know if you would like to make a cake.

Please do log on to our lovely website:

https://www.theeastbournecommunitychoir.org

I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday for a few carols and much much more!

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are keeping well and thank you for another good rehearsal yesterday.

I am writing earlier than normal in the weekend because I wanted to let you know of an opportunity this coming Monday 10th at 6.30pm to 8pm in the Birley Centre, with free entry and wine!

Nigel Richards, a well-known Musical Theatre singer who used to play The Phantom in the West-End production of 'Phantom of the Opera', is giving a Musical Theatre Masterclass in public, working with 6 current Eastbourne College students. It promises to be an excellent evening.

If you are definitely planning to attend, please enter the Birley Centre door from Carlisle Road by 6.15pm. Please let me know if you plan to attend.

Speaking of opportunities, the recital to be given by Becky Hughes and Colin Hughes on October 27th, 6.30pm to 7.15pm, will be outstanding and I am keen to drum up some more interest. You won't get music of this quality at this price anywhere else! And there's a glass of wine thrown in! The recital is open to non-choir people at £3. Please do spread the word.

I had a very successful meeting at Bibendum today finalising details for our Christmas Meal on Dec 24th. They are being very generous to us, and I am keen to increase the uptake if possible. Remember that 1 guest per choir member is welcome. All booking and payment by the end of this month please.

If you are singing carols at The View Hotel on Christmas Eve, do please attend as many rehearsals as you can. We were quite a few people down for our carols rehearsal yesterday.

From next Thursday there will be a sign-up sheet for participating in 'Sovereign Shines' on December 9th. Please don't email me about this, sign the list please.

Please, please, please regularly check our fantastic new website:

https://www.theeastbournecommunitychoir.org

Did anyone hear Pablo the Singing Goat on Radio 5 Live this evening?!

I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday. Have a good and healthy week. 

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are enjoying the weekend.

Thank you for last Thursday and thank you for listening to Hansa so attentively.

She very much enjoyed being with us and perhaps some of you will keep in touch with "Holding Space".

For those of us singing at The View Hotel on Christmas Eve, please attend as many rehearsals as you can. We will rehearse our first carol this Thursday.

We are starting early so that no Thursday evening is dominated by carols. All meetings up to and including December 22nd will be open to all, not just those singing at The View.

Last call this month for participating at The View please.

'Sovereign Shines' - Dec 9th

I hope to have more information asap. I am awaiting several replies from the organisers.

December 18th

A reminder that we are NOT now joining the All Saints' Church Choir for their Carol Service on Dec 18th. Unfortunately the church has withdrawn this invitation.

October 27th

Becky's Recital is nearly here! Booking and payment by Oct 13th would be appreciated, for catering purposes.

Tickets will also be available on the door. Guests are welcome @ £3 per ticket (inc. wine)

Bibendum Christmas Eve Meal

If attending, please pay your balance of £17 pp by Oct 31st (1 or 2 need to pay deposit also).

Please do check our wonderful website regularly. Everything is there including choir dates for the whole year, the date of Olivia's Spring recital, the venue for December 22nd's rehearsal and much more!

Please remember to bring all of your lyric sheets with you to all meetings.

I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday.

With best wishes,

Chris 

Hello everyone,

I hope you are well and thank you for a lovely choir meeting on Thursday.

It was great to meet some more new people, and there will be more registration forms available this Thursday.

We also look forward to welcoming back quite a few regulars in the coming weeks.

WEBSITE

Please do check our website regularly. Brendan has done a wonderful job of making it look as good as it does. From early November this weekly newsletter will only be available on the website. Here is a link:

https://www.theeastbournecommunitychoir.org

LYRICS

Please make sure that you bring all lyric sheets to choir AND THAT YOU ONLY HAVE ONE COPY OF EACH SONG.

Photocopying and printing are considerable expenses for the choir.

SHORT TALK BY 'HOLDING SPACE'

This will be given by Hansa Raja-Jones, the charity's founder, and will take place on Thursday September 29th, 8.20-8.35pm. 

There is a link on our website to the charity's website.

There will be no fund-raising. Please do not donate money on Sept 29th. If any of you would like to offer a couple of hours of your time to 'Holding Space', I'm sure that Hansa would be delighted to talk to you during the tea-break.

CAROLS AT 'THE VIEW'

Some of us will be performing an hour of Christmas Carols at Eastbourne's 'View Hotel' on December 24th 5.30-6.30pm. You may continue to sign up for this event.

We will be singing at a Private Function and this is a formal performance.

Many of you have longed for a 'Formal Performance Opportunity' and this is your chance! Dress is black and white with a splash of colour (see website for more details).

If you wish to take part in this event it is important that you are able to attend sufficient rehearsals. From November 10th to December 22nd, please plan to miss a maximum of one rehearsal.

We will start to rehearse some carols in October, although they will not dominate the evenings.

All Thursdays (including Dec 22nd) are open to those not singing at 'The View' and there will always be plenty of non-Christmas music.

ALL SAINTS' CAROL SERVICE, DEC 18th

Booking for singing in this closes in 4 days. I have a meeting with the vicar before next Thursday's choir.

RECITAL OCTOBER 27th

Please continue to book for this. It would be helpful if I could receive payment by September 30th for catering purposes.

Choir Members - £1.50

Guests -£3

Glass of Wine included

More details on the website

PAYMENT IN ADVANCE

Only for new members whose first session was 15/9 or will be 22/9, a final extension until September 22nd for Payment in Advance for this term.

£70 please, or £63.50 if you paid £6.50 last week.

No further extensions!

CUPS

As far as possible we try to bring our own mugs from home to minimise the use of disposable cups. We do not have access to the church cups and dishwasher - this costs extra.

If new members are able to bring their own mugs it would be appreciated.

There will always be a small number of disposable cups available.

That's enough from me! I look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday when I will try to keep the tea-break a little shorter.

I hope you have a good, healthy week and best wishes,

Chris