Newsletter Winter 2022

IN THIS EDITION:

COMMITTEE’S INTRODUCTION

ADVERTISING IDEAS

CONCERT DAY NOTES

FUNDRAISING & FINANCIAL STUFF

RUBBING OUT & SOCIAL EVENING

SPRING TERM NOTES

COMMITTEE’S INTRODUCTION

We’re pleased to send you our Winter 2022 Newsletter!  It has been great to get back to rehearsing together this term, and to join in learning the programme of beautiful music which Alex has introduced to us.  The concert on December 17^th promises to be a lovely evening, when we will be joined by two talented soloists and, once again, the Brother Tree Ensemble (with trumpeter and harpist), who accompanied us so beautifully in May.

It is very pleasing to see choir numbers steadily increasing.  Please continue to spread the word amongst family, friends, acquaintances and colleagues who may wish to join us to swell our numbers, and enjoy our fun and informative Monday evenings and the joy of performance.

We hope that you will find this edition useful – it contains important information about concert day arrangements and other information which will be new to some.  If you have any suggestions as to what you would like to see included, or what other information you need, please don’t hesitate to speak to a member of the committee.

You will have noticed that this is a committee, rather than the usual Chair’s introduction.  We hope that this will serve as a reminder that the choir is currently missing a Chair – a vital role – so please don’t hesitate to speak to any member of the committee if you feel that you might be willing and able to take this on.  You will find the committee diligent and extremely supportive.

Finally, we are delighted to inform you that we have a new committee member!  Jackie Rubin (soprano) agreed to be co-opted onto the committee at our meeting on 11^th November.  Thank you very much Jackie!  We would really welcome one or two additional committee members.  We generally meet two or three times a term and truly believe in helping and supporting each other, and “spreading the load” of the tasks necessary to run this amazing choir!

With our thanks and best wishes for a wonderful concert and thereafter a very happy Festive Season,

The Committee

Chris Purves, meeting chair (acting)

Isabelle Reynolds, Secretary

Suzanne Bryden, Treasurer

Ken Darvill, Librarian

Jean Jones

Alex Brooks

Jackie Rubin

 

Advertising our concert…..

It would be great to have a really full church for the concert, so whatever you can do to spread the word would be really helpful.  You could:

• pick up posters and flyers at rehearsals to display wherever possible;
• email out the digital version of the poster to all your friends and relations and perhaps include in your covering email the link to ticket sales  ticketsource.co.uk/greatmissendenchoralsociety ;
• “Like” the concert post on our Facebook page and share it to your FB friends and any local FB groups you may be members of.

 

CONCERT DAY NOTES

Dress Code – Women: black long skirt or dress trousers and a black top with long or three-quarter length sleeves.  Janet will be supplying the festive adornment for us!  Men: black tie and dinner jacket please.  As usual, please no aftershave/perfumes that are likely to aggravate allergies and affect singers’ voices.

Timetable – There will, as usual, be a rehearsal in the Church on the day of the concert, and Alex will confirm timings nearer the day.

Access to the Church- when you arrive for Saturday’s rehearsal and the performance please enter through the vestry door. This avoids disturbing the orchestra area-but see Security below.

 Security –   The Church itself and surrounding area is a high-risk area prone to opportunistic theft of personal property.

It is important that valuables are not brought to rehearsals or the performance. There will be a volunteer steward providing security at the vestry door.  It is important that the vestry door is not left open or closed “on the latch” at any time.

Take the normal precautions of not leaving any items on display in your car and lock your vehicle.

Helpers. We are fortunate to have a few people who are always willing to help, acting as Stewards/ Front of House/Security and setting up/clearing away.  However, we do need extra help.  Could any of you or your friends/partners get involved and join the team?  That would be much appreciated.  If so, please let a member of the committee know.   This is especially important after the concert.  Many hands make light work – willing helpers are sought for 10/15 minutes after the performance to tidy the church to its normal setting.  Again, please let a member of the committee know if you or someone you know is able to help.

 Car Parking –

Access Road – There are double yellow lines on the road leading up to the church. Furthermore, emergency vehicle access must be preserved.

Disabled.  Parking spaces are very limited. Those with a real need for priority disabled parking please let Bob Stupples know the name and make, model and registration number of car.  Bob will give you the appropriate permit.

Choir/Volunteer Helpers.  Parking on the unmade road down from the top gate in the evening of the concert is limited to those members who help clear afterwards.  Please let Bob Stupples have your name, make and model of car and registration, and he will give you a parking permit.

These parking permits should be fixed or held inside the windscreen on the left side to be seen by the parking stewards on arriving at the car park entrance.

Tickets for collection at the Door – If you wish to organise tickets to be collected at the door please place them in a white envelope BOLDLY marked with the names of the person collecting them, and whether payment has/has not been made.   Thank you!

Social Evening

On the Monday after the concert – 19^th December – we shall get together to clean up our scores and enjoy each other’s company, perhaps with a glass of something……..We’ll start at 7:30pm.

If you are unable to attend, please either leave your scores in the boxes provided after the concert, or clean them up and give them to someone who will attend on the Monday.

Subs and Gift Aid

Membership subscriptions are payable once per term and are currently £65.  We offer a £5 discount to £60 for members who pay in the first three weeks of term.

Payment may be made by cheque, or by direct bank transfer to “Great Missenden Choral Society”, Lloyds bank, sort code 30-84-24, account number 11264968.  Members sometimes add a donation to their subs, and this generosity is always welcome.

We also claim Gift Aid from HMRC for part of our subs.  This is a very valuable contribution to choir funds.  If you are a new member able to use the gift aid scheme and haven’t yet completed a form, please ask Suzanne for one.  If you have already completed a form and your circumstances have changed, e.g you have changed address, or no longer pay tax, please let Suzanne know so that our claims are accurate.

FUNDRAISING NEWS

ONLINE SHOPPING

When shopping online, please consider supporting the choir through on Easyfundraising or, if shopping on Amazon, through Amazon Smile.  It’s easy to sign up for these fundraising sites.   Here is an extract from Amazon’s website:

What’s AmazonSmile?

AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on amazon.co.uk. The difference is that when you shop on smile.amazon.co.uk, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) to the eligible charitable organisation of your choice.

On your first visit to smile.amazon.co.uk you need to select a charitable organisation to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.co.uk will result in a donation.

Great Missenden Choral Society has been set up as an eligible charity to receive donations from Amazon, so please do nominate the choir, and continue raising funds when shopping on Amazon.

Of course, 3,000 other retailers continue to use Easyfundraising, so do continue to support the choir in this way.

Easyfundraising is a great way to add to the choir’s funds, especially when you are shopping for “big ticket” items, such as a change of insurer, holidays etc.  This month, we received a donation of £80 from one purchase!  You can opt in to its “donation reminder”, which means that if you visit a participating site, Easyfundraising will remind you with a pop-up that a donation is available and with just one click your purchase will generate a donation.  You can choose to remain anonymous, and the sites you’ve been shopping in are not identified to the administrator.

Please ask Suzanne if you need further information or assistance with either of these items, and a BIG thank you to those who are already donating to the choir through online shopping.

ANY OTHER fundraising ideas will be very welcome!

SPRING 2023 CONCERT

On April 29^th 2023, one week before the coronation of King Charles III, we shall perform Handel’s Coronation Anthems.  It will be wonderful to learn this music, and to present our concert accompanies by a period orchestra!

WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING AGAIN NEXT TERM. OUR FIRST REHEARSAL WILL BE HELD ON JANUARY 23^RD.

December 2nd, 2022