North Kingston Choir

 

North Kingston Choir is a friendly and informal mixed-voice community choir based in Kingston upon Thames. We have around fifty adult singers, and we usually sing in 4 parts - bass, tenor, alto and soprano. Some of our members also play instruments and we are very lucky to have a band that accompanies our choir when we rehearse and perform.

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We sing a wide repertoire of mainly modern and popular music, including pop, soul, jazz and occasionally more traditional pieces. We normally perform two main concerts a year – usually one around Christmas and another one in the summer. We also sing at other ad hoc events outside these times. Some of the venues we have performed at are the Rose Theatre, Camden Roundhouse, Hampton Court Palace, and Southwark Cathedral.

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We aim to have fun and enjoy singing together, although we also like to challenge ourselves and work towards high quality performances, performed without word sheets or music scores. This often means choir members spend time outside rehearsals learning lyrics and their harmony parts in the run up to performances.

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Our choir is open to all regardless of music experience and background - there is no audition to join, and ability to read music is not essential. Many of our songs are learnt by ear during rehearsals, and to support the learning of the different parts at home we provide material to suit a range of learning styles. To help us get ready in time for the next concert we encourage members to attend most of the choir sessions during the term, and to practice between sessions with the material provided. However, we do appreciate that everyone has busy lives and may not be able to attend every rehearsal.

 

We meet weekly every Monday evening 8-9.30pm in a local school in North Kingston, from September to July, broadly following the academic term dates and holidays.

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Rehearsals tend to be relaxed and informal. We usually start with a short physical and vocal warm-up. Our MD usually recaps on some of the songs we are learning or introduces a new one so we cover a number of songs each week. On occasion, we have separate rehearsals for the different parts. After rehearsal we like to socialise at a local pub. 

 

As a not-for-profit registered charity, we are run by a committee made up of choir members who volunteer for different roles. We also rely on our members who help out in setting up before and after rehearsals and performances.