Rehearsal 27th June

The choir sang as part of the Cockermouth Live! event, part of the summer festival, on Saturday morning at the Kirkgate. It was good to see new faces in the audience. Quite a respectable number too! Our a capella programme worked well and there were appreciative comments, both about our singing and the summer 'black with a touch of sweet pea' outfits. Tonight's rehearsal was fine-tuning numbers from the summer programme. Only one more rehearsal before the concert. There'll just be the one rehearsal after that before the summer break (for which Val says we do NOT need to take our carol books... she worded that one very carefully...). And of course there's the summer party at the Harwoods, who hope to be dried out after last weekend's torrential rain.

Rehearsal 20th June

All of our a capella programme tonight, ready for Saturday's performance at the Kirkgate as part of the Cockermouth Live! day (23rd June, 11 a.m.) So much easier for Val H. to conduct us all when our accompanist isn't there, not to be sitting behind a keyboard! So a good and productive evening for us all. We also had our AGM. Finding members willing to be on the committee is a problem, more than it has seemed to be in the past - but maybe that's just ignorance on my part. Might have to do some arm-twisting to reach a quorum on the committee. Watch this space...

Rehearsal 13th June

Hard work for Val tonight as Ann-Marie is rehearsing elsewhere for two weeks, and she had to combine conducting with accompanying. We did some note-bashing on items to be included in the summer concert; The Long and Winding Road, the two Ave Marias (Faure, which is so high it's in the squeaky range for some of us; and Saint-Saens); and the Gwyn Arch Latin American arrangements, The Girl from Ipanema, River of Babylon and Gauntanamera. Next week's rehearsal will begin at 7pm as we have the AGM. It will be totally a capella, in readiness for our performance at Cockermouth Live! on 23rd June, at the Kirkgate (11 o'clock). We will not now be singing at Isel Hall on 23rd in the afternoon, but have been asked to sing at Isel Church in early December. It's a little gem! The group photos that were taken some weeks ago are now ready. Audrey will have a list of prices for members who'd like to buy one, next week. Janet Mansfield is collecting for the raffle. For the summer concert, where refreshments will now be served in the church instead of the church rooms, members have been asked to arrive at the pre-concert afternoon rehearsal with a packet of either savoury or sweet biscuits.