We are starting to meet in person, after a year online, from June 22nd 2021. Below you’ll find information about how to get involved, when and where we meet in normal times, and what kind of music we sing, and parking info etc

Normal Meeting Times

We come  together to sing each week

Every Wednesday, 7:30 – 9:30pm

(there’s a break 8:30-8:45pm for a tea, biscuits and a chat)

Summer term: N/A

Half term break : N/A

Location

St Lawrence Church Hall

Lawrence Street

York YO10 3WP

Just near Walmgate bar

Plenty of Free parking available on site (around the back of the hall, behind the church, accessible from Lawrence Street by car)

Concerts

Our latest performance was 3 short concerts in Homestead Park, as part of York Big Sing 2019. In June 2019, we performed a concert at the Unitarian Chapel, York, to raise funds for St Nicholas Fields Nature Reserve and Environmental Centre. In March 2019, we performed as part of the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Community Choir Festival.

Upcoming plans include a candlelit Christmas concert at Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, for the Churche’s Conservation Trust, Tuesday December 10th and Tuesday December 17th.

We performed a short concert and vocal workshop in Rowntree Park, as part of York Big Sing 2018. In June 2018, we performed a concert at the Unitarian Chapel, York, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of St Nicholas Fields Nature Reserve and Environmental Centre. In August 2017, we performed as part of Refugium, a special composition created by director Jon Hughes, and performed at Creswell Crags limestone gorge in Derbyshire. This combined specially composed vocal pieces for choir with a 30 meter outdoor ambisonic speaker circle to create an immersive experience for the audience, and was seen by over 250 people.Our first concert was broadcast live on BBC Radio York, Friday April 7th 2016. It was part of York in Harmony, a project run by the BBC to encourage community choir singing in York.

Repertoire

In terms of repertoire, the key words are simplicity and beauty. Music doesn’t have to be complex or difficult to be beautiful, and the human voice comes into its own with simple material that contains real emotional depth.

We are all the custodians of a rich global vocal music tradition, and so much of it is accessible, singable, and easy to learn. We can draw on music from many countries and traditions, connecting with artistic and vocal expression from diverse cultures. Our repertoire includes the following, and is growing all the time:

Bat’onebis Nanina – traditional Georgian folk song

Bright Morning Star – early North American folk song

Bushes and Briars – English folk song

Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby – slave era North American spiritual

Grey Funnel Line – English folk song

Haiku for St Nicks – specially composed for the choir by composer David Hammond 2018

Hamba Lulu – South African traditional

Hide Your Love Away – The Beatles

Canopy of Voices – contemporary fusion of South Indian vocal music and modern European composition

Lou Bouie – traditional L’Occitan 

Love Call Me Home – Peggy Seeger

Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrica – South African national anthem

Nkosi Yiba Nenceba – traditional African

O Sing to Me of Heaven – Primitive Baptist/early North American spiritual

Plovi Barko – traditional Croation folk song

Shell Prayer – contemporary composition by Jon Hughes 2016

Shimona – contemporary choral composition

Shoshaloza – traditional work song from Southern Africa

Sithi Molweni – Xhosa greeting song from Africa

Siya Hamba – traditional Xhosa song from Africa

Somagwaza – traditional African initiation song

South Australia – sea shanty from the 18th century

Sto Mi e Milo – traditional Macedonian folk song

Tantum Ergo Sacramentum – traditional Corsican spiritual

The Parting Glass – Irish folk song

The Young Fisherman – English folk song

Through the Gate – contemporary composition by Jon Hughes 2017

Thuma Mina – traditional African