We are delighted to confirm that our rehearsals will recommence at Sunderland Minster on Wednesday 2nd February 2022. Please come a little early so that the organisation of scores can take place and we can commence the rehearsal promptly.
All of our Covid precautions remain in place and we need everyone to be aware of the Guidance to Members and act accordingly.
We look forward to seeing everyone then.
Due to lack of access to Sunderland Minster, there will be no rehearsal on Wednesday 19th January 2022. As the duration of this lack of access is uncertain we are exploring alternatives for the choir to begin rehearsals.
Please do not attempt to attend any Wednesday rehearsals until alternative arrangements have been confirmed to you.
Due to the considerable spike in local cases of Covid-19 it has been decided that our first rehearsal back on the 12th January 2022 should be cancelled. At the moment it is impossible to predict when this spike might be over but everyone will be updated on future arrangements as soon as further decisions are made.
Our next rehearsal will be the first in 2022 on Wednesday 12th January at 7.30 p.m. in Sunderland Minster, when we will begin preparing for the Rossini – Messe Solennelle. If it is possible for you to come a little earlier that evening we can sort out scores and still make a prompt start. We look forward to seeing you then.
To mark all of the effort which has been put into rehearsing Handel’s ‘Messiah’ there will be a performance for choir members only on Saturday 4th December 2021. Unfortunately Covid precautions do not allow us to offer this as a public concert, but in all other respects we are treating as a performance with musicians, soloists and in full black concert dress.
There will be a rehearsal, as there would be for a concert, on Friday 3rd December.
The rehearsal schedule on the Saturday afternoon will be :-
2.00 to 2.30 p.m. Orchestra and soloist rehearsal.
2.30 p.m. Choir arrive and are seated. It is expected that the afternoon rehearsal will end at or before 4.30 p.m.
Evening Performance to start at 7.30 p.m.
A fully detailed schedule of times and chorus content will be provided to choir members.
Please be advised that there will not be a rehearsal on Wednesday October the 27th 2021.
This is not connected in any way with the ongoing Covid-19 situation and normal rehearsals will resume on Wednesday November the 3rd.
This section will be updated with all of the information for members to attend rehearsals in a safe way. This is based on a Risk Assessment and coming from that some specific Guidance to Members. There will be a responsibility on everyone to take precautions to protect themselves and the needs of others while we once more ‘find our voice’.
The source document is the risk assessment, which outlines the known problems and the mitigations which are being put in place to minimise the possibility of infection.
There is also a summary of this as Guidance to Members.
These documents will be updated if regulations, guidance or circumstances change. Members should note that it may be necessary for rehearsals to be cancelled at short notice if circumstances change and they should regularly check for email circulations before attending.
The Annual General Meeting of the Society will take place on Wednesday 8th September 2021 starting at 7.30 p.m. in Sunderland Minster. The meeting will be as brief as possible to allow for new changes to be put in place for the first rehearsal in our new start.
The Agenda, minutes of the last previous meeting and details of the accounts are available below :
Our Annual General Meeting due to take place on Wednesday 2nd September 2020 is CANCELLED.
This is due to the current public health situation, which is also preventing us from starting our usual rehearsals until further guidance is available and we can ensure the safety of members taking part. You will find links to many of the usual reports that would be published before the AGM below as pdf files.
Very sadly, given the public health situation, it has been decided that the Society needs to suspend rehearsals with immediate effect and cancel our forthcoming concert on April 4th. This is to protect members, audience and other performers. It is not possible at the moment to predict when we will be able to resume but we will keep you up to date with any developments. The ‘Singalong Social Evening’ (and practices for it) are also cancelled.
Fortunately the scores for St.John Passion belong to the Society and so there is no need for their immediate return. Please keep your copy safe so that it can be returned when we resume. Who knows we may be able to sing St.John at Easter 2021. We appreciate that there are other practicalities which will now need to be sorted but we are on the case. Our activities are insured through Making Music and we are checking this against cancellation in these unusual circumstances.
It is important that this message gets out to everyone, so please could you check with your usual contacts within the choir that they have seen this email as we don’t want anyone turning up on Wednesday, and convey our apologies to any potential audience members. It is certainly a time for remembering others, so please sustain contacts even if we are not physically getting together at the moment.
Best wishes. Take care and keep safe.
P.S. This is not the first time that the Society has had to postpone a concert. A performance of the Verdi Requiem Mass was due to be given on 17th February 1979 but the weather prior to that date was so bad that neither the orchestra or the soloists were able to guarantee to reach Sunderland. It went ahead on 1st April 1979.
