This page contains useful information that will help you to enjoy singing with choir.

Anyone who pays their subscription and attends rehearsals is a member of The Callington Singers. We aim to put on performances of a high standard whilst welcoming singers of all abilities. For this reason, there are no auditions.

SUBSCRIPTIONS:

The choir rehearses for three terms each year, these correspond roughly with the academic terms of Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity. There are breaks during Easter, August and Christmas (after lots of Carol Singing, of course).

The subscription for each term is £40. You can pay monthly by direct debit (£10.00 per month). If you prefer to pay each term by cheque, these should be made payable to ‘The Callington Singers’. You can also pay by cash.  Children and students are not required to pay a subscription.

The Callington Singers is a registered charity, therefore, if you are a UK Tax Payer, we can claim back Gift Aid on your subscription. To do this you will need to fill in a short form. This small measure brings in several hundred pounds to the choir funds each year, so please do so if you can.

The Committee member who deals with all subscriptions and related paperwork (such as Gift Aid forms and standing orders) is the Treasurer Barrie James.

The subscription covers the costs of honourarium for Sarah Gard and Mark Smith and also fees associated with hiring venues for concerts and associated administrative costs.

REHEARSALS:

Our high standards depend, in the main, on regular attendance at rehearsals. Anyone missing rehearsal will probably slow the progress of the whole choir in the following week, so please be willing to make this weekly commitment as part of your membership.

Rehearsals are held at Callington Primary School on a Thursday evening from 7:15pm until about 9pm with a break in the middle. We ask people to arrive at 7:15pm so that they can pick up music, buy a raffle ticket if they want and register with the secretary. We then begin to sing at 7:30pm, but that 15 minutes is very important, so do try to turn up at 7:15pm.

It is respectfully requested that choir members keep chatting to a minimum during rehearsal, as it can seriously cut in to singing time and makes it difficult for others to concentrate. Do feel free to socialise with other singers during the break, before we start singing, or afterwards in the pub.

Your attendance at rehearsal is registered by the Secretary who should be informed well in advance of any planned absences, e.g. annual holidays. If you find you cannot attend a rehearsal on the day, please try to let us know by 6pm. You can do this using the contact form on this website. It is particularly important to let us know if you can’t come, because the Musical Director may need to change the rehearsal programme of a particular voice is poorly represented.

MUSIC:

If you wish to suggest a piece of music that you would like the choir to sing, you are very welcome to do so by talking to the Musical Director; she will then decide whether it is practicable and will let you know accordingly.

The music that we buy and hire is expensive and the control of music for such a large group is not an easy task. Hired music which is lost or overdue incurs a fine from the hirer and can involve a 30 mile round trip to return it. Equally music which we purchase has to be replaced if lost. You may be required to purchase from us some of the smaller pieces but this is limited to an annual commitment of about £10. Please assist our librarian by caring for your music and folders and by returning them on time.

We are increasingly making use of the free sheet music which can be downloaded from websites such as the Choral Public Domain Library. On occasion you may be contacted by email with a file attached and asked to print one off for yourself if you are in a position to do so. This really helps to lower the printing costs of the choir. If you are not able to print off something, then don’t worry, as a copy will be provided for you.

The Librairian is responsible for all hard copy hired and bought music, for maintaining choir music stock and sourcing free music online and for providing music packs for overseas and UK trips.

If you find that you need some music because you do not have a copy of something that we are currently singing, you will need to let us know about it as soon as you can so that they can organise bringing you a copy for the next rehearsal.

CONCERTS:

It is most important that anyone taking part in a concert or service is present at the preceding rehearsal. If you are unable to attend for any reason, please inform the Musical Director and ensure that your place is reserved at the event by members of your section. If you are not singing, please return the relevant music before the concert.

Concert Dress is detailed under a page titled ‘Uniform’ in this section of the site. Any enquiries about uniform should be directed to Ren Jackaman, who keeps some spare uniform for ladies.

THE ANNUAL PROGRAMME:

Each year varies, but can include singing services for Cathedrals and local churches, providing the chorus for a proms concert or orchestral event, or as part of a festival.

Generally, there is a Spring Concert, a Summer Concert and several Christmas carol events. We also try to sing evensong at least once a year in a local church or cathedral.

Trips abroad have become rarer than the annual event they used to be, but opportunities to sing overseas are still pursued where practicable.