Joining us

Rehearsals

The choir rehearses weekly at 8.00-10 PM on Wednesday evenings at SS Mary And John Church, Cowley Road, Oxford. We usually give three concerts a year, and also have a variable number of special engagements for conferences, weddings etc.

Regardless of changes in personnel, the Cherwell Singers remains one of the friendliest choirs around. The atmosphere owes a great deal to the sense of continuity provided by long-standing members who frequently put choir engagements above other commitments, and who work with each new conductor to ensure our continuing success and high standards of performance and vocal quality. The size of the choir ensures that every singer bears a significant part of the responsibility of the blended whole, with the result that the group is exceptionally sensitive to moods both of individual singers and the conductor.

We are always ready to welcome new members (providing they pass our straightforward audition -- you do need to be able to sight-read, but not to a spectacular standard), though we try to maintain our 'intimate' size. It's always worth asking, so feel free to contact us if you would like to know more.

Presentation

Choir dress is now 'black tie for men, and black with a splash of red for the ladies', which ranges from jackets or scarves to some very splendid black and red hooped socks. The result is smart without looking like a uniform, and is occasionally complemented by the addition of red folders for music. We also have a set of surplices for church events. Concert formats are generally predictable, but one of our more ambitious excursions was the Victorian Evening, for which we managed to dress in more-or-less Victorian clothes, with the gentlemen splendidly in tails. For this event we produced an authentic-looking souvenir programme book, filled with drawings by Tenniel and Bab, and adorned with elegant borders and some extremely absurd contemporary advertisements (cover reproduced below). The busy schedule of the choir is a reflection of the energy and commitment of its members, and promises a long and healthy future.

Programme for the Victorian Evening, 21 December 1991