Choir 86

I have been asked as incoming chair to Choir 86 to comment briefly upon who we are and where do I see us going. The first thing I must do is thank our previous Chair Barry Musk on his tenureship which spans from 1986 when the choir was first formed through to this year 2013 when he finally 'escaped' as he says himself from committee life! He has st... eered the choir through many years in a sensitive and diplomatic manner and the fact we are still here today is testament in some ways to the passion of Barry and the other founding members. You can read more about the choirs infancy in the website section 'Brief History'. I think what strikes me most about 86 both as a newbie and as a Chair is the obvious energy and joy that is apparent in the singing. It is of course why we belong to these choirs but it is evident in more ways than other choirs I have sung in. Somehow the choir has maintained its friendly sense of smallness whilst striving to make good music and this is testament to the ethos and esprit de corps that is engendered throughout the membership. As is always the case the choir are blessed by a hard working and very dedicated committee. Some of thesehave been in post as long as Barry and it is their hard work that allows for some of the seamless effort to take place. Praise must also be given to David and Kathy our Musical directors for continuing to provide our varied programme. I know they put a considerable amount of time and effort into planning and preparing what we sing and it is evident from the high standards they set that they expect us to strive to improve. It is fair to say however that we have tended to drift somewhat and have not always maximized upon our potential to create and market our vibrant and exciting programme. We need to publicise and market more effectively who we are and what we are. We need be more rigorous in our forward planning and look to have at least a 2 year programme in place that will allow us to effectively budget, plan and vary our already extensive repertoire. We ...Read More