Choir & Music
St. Mary’s Church Choir
The church choir are a dedicated group of singers committed to bringing music to the heart of the Church Services. They currently provide music for the Sunday Communion and festival services, in addition to anthems and hymns for wedding ceremonies, when requested. The choir welcomes singers all ages and ability and the music they sing covers all styles, from Purcell to traditional 19th Century Anthems, from Taize Chants to Gospel Music.
The music is chosen especially to reflect the service themes, in particular for special services such as the Harvest Festival, Remembrance Sunday, All Saints, Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday and the ever popular Nine Lessons and Carols. The choir can also be heard at special services such as thanksgiving for Marriage and Baptism. The choir also leads the annual traditional Choral Evensong in May and a Taize service in November, both held in the Church at Pitstone. Both are particularly evocative and atmospheric services held in the starkly beautiful surroundings of Pitstone Church.
In addition to services, the choir has performed in concerts to raise money for church funds, the proceeds from these concerts being donated towards the installation of the church heating, the purchase of choir robes and the installation of the new kitchen and toilet facilities.
Concerts have included Handel’s ‘Messiah’ with the Aldbury Singers, ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’ and concerts on special themes. The choir are particularly active around Christmas and can be seen huddled in the Church Porch at the Christmas Fair and around the neighbouring villages for Carol Singing!
The Ivinghoe choir regularly partner with singers from its sister churches, Slapton and Marsworth for Benefice services and special events.
If you want to hear the choir in their full glory, keep an eye on Church notice boards, or the website calendar. And if you want to join, just come along on a Thursday evening at 7.00pm in the church or contact: Judith Sheridan; 07771 570314.
The Choir at Marsworth practice on alternate Monday evenings. We are also hoping to reform the children‘s choir with practices in October to start singing at the family service on 25th October; if you would like to know more please contact Margaret Johnson on 01296 661280.
The Band
At the Worshipping Together service, on the first Sunday of each month, the regular organ gives way to our band. The band includes; a piano, violins, oboe, trumpet, sax, guitar, accordion and there is always room for more. We would particularly welcome younger musicians. If you would like to know more, contact Mick at the vicarage on 01296 668260.
Beacon Community Choir
In September of this year the Beacon Community Choir was formed to bring the joy of singing to a wider community. Open to all from surrounding villages and towns, there are no auditions; there is no need to have previous experience and no need to read music!!! All you need is a love of singing! The BCC performed their first concert in November 2008 after an intensive “Singing Weekend” and will be appearing in Ivinghoe’s “Music on the Green” event in June 2009 as well as working towards a performance of Ramirez’ “Missa Creola”.
The music the choir perform is largely secular, covering everything from folk song arrangements to jazz and songs from Broadway and West End Shows and even some opera choruses ......
Rehearsals are very informal, led by an experienced professional choir trainer and singer who brings her expertise to teach the fundamentals of singing and also to introduce the basics of reading music.
A lot of information, hard work, singing and laughter is packed into a short rehearsal of an hour. Fuelled by cups of tea and social banter, the Beacon Community Choir is proving a popular activity within the wider community.
Rehearsals are held at St Mary’s Ivinghoe on Thursdays at 8.00pm ending at 9.15pm. For further information contact Barbara Cummings: Tel: 01296 668621 email: philcummings@btinternet.com
