Nottingham Hospitals Choir

Welcome Pack

Welcome

 

Hello and welcome to Nottingham Hospitals Choir.  We hope you will enjoy singing with us and decide to stay and become a member.  If this is the first choir you have attended or if you haven’t sung for a long time, that is fine – Nottingham Hospitals Choir welcomes you.

 

Some of our members have been in choirs ever since leaving school, and others join later in life because they realise that they like singing.  Some read music, and others don’t – we are a very mixed bunch. All that matters is that you enjoy singing, you can attend rehearsals regularly, and you are prepared to join in our public performances.

 

 

 

About The Choir

 

Nottingham Hospitals Choir was founded in 1970 and since then we have been singing and raising money for different charities.  We have recently achieved charitable status ourselves and commit our time to raise money for others by performing concerts.  We work closely with the Nottingham Hospitals Charity, supporting their fundraising.

 

We are a choir of 30-40 members and we sing a wide variety of music, from musical theatre to classical pieces.  We perform three or four concerts a year and are asked to perform at other events such as the Nottingham City Council service for Remembrance Sunday and the BBC Radio Nottingham Christmas Carol Concert, which we recorded in Southwell Minster.

 

Our President is Dr. Keith Girling, the Medical Director of the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

 

 

 

Rehearsals

 

We rehearse on Thursday evenings from 7pm until 9pm in QMC, during term-time only.

 

Rehearsals start promptly at 7pm so please arrive a few minutes before so you are ready to start at 7pm.  There is a short break during rehearsal to socialise with other members, stretch our legs and rest our voices.  This is also the time when the choir’s Chair gives out any notices and when you can talk to members of the committee.

 

We can park in the Medical School car park at QMC and the barrier is raised for us from 6.15pm until 7.30pm.

 

There is further information in the Choir Code section, later in this booklet.

 

 

 

 

 

How the choir is organised

 

We have a Musical Director (Nick Milburn) and a piano accompanist (Gill Shaw) to lead our rehearsals and conduct our concerts.

 

The members of the choir elect a committee every year at our Annual General Meeting.  The committee meets regularly to make arrangements for concerts and
to discuss anything relating to the smooth running of the choir.

 

 

2023/24 committee members

 

Chair: Sally Lancaster

Treasurer: David Wilde

Section Head (Ladies): Jo Davidson/Jane Jarvis/Sally Lancaster

Section Head (Men) and Librarian: Jonathan Waite

Secretary: Jo Davidson

Membership Secretary: Jane Jarvis

 

 

Voice Check

 

Once you have attended a few rehearsals and decided that you wish to join the choir, the Musical Director will listen to your voice.  He does this at the end of a rehearsal – not in front of the whole choir!

 

You will be invited to sing a well-known piece (e.g. the first verse of ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’) within a small group of singers.  Nick will also do one or two exercises with you on your own to check the range of your voice.

 

The Voice Check is not a test or an audition.  It is simply a way for Nick to understand the voices that he has in the choir, which helps him when choosing music for us to sing.  For example, if he is considering a piece with some very high notes for the sopranos, he needs to know that he has sopranos who can sing those notes.  Also, new members who have not sung in a choir before do not necessarily know if they
are a soprano, alto, tenor or bass – at the Voice Check Nick will confirm this for you
to make sure that you are singing in the section of the choir that is best suited to
your voice.

 

Once you have done your Voice Check you become a full member of the choir and
are eligible to sing in our concerts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Choir Code

 

We ask members to follow this code, for the benefit of the whole choir:

 

 

• Rehearsals are held weekly on Thursdays, from 7pm to 9 pm and any other day as required if we are doing a special performance.

 

• You are expected to attend a minimum of 70% of rehearsals for an event in order to be able to be part of the performance. If your attendance is less than this, your participation at the concert or event is at the discretion of the Musical Director and the committee.

 

• Please tick the attendance register at each rehearsal, and note any dates that you know you will not be at rehearsal, e.g. due to a planned holiday.

 

• If you cannot come to a rehearsal unexpectedly, e.g. due to illness, please let your Section Head know:

 

Jo Davidson 07979 947552/Jane Jarvis 07880 576912

 

Jonathan Waite

 

0115 914 2128, or 07880 791713, or jonathanwaite52@gmail.com

 

 

• If you do not attend rehearsals for a long time, for reasons other than illness, this may lead to suspension at the discretion of the Musical Director and the committee.

 

• The last two rehearsals before a concert and occasionally certain others
  are compulsory: any member not attending these will not be allowed to take part in the event.If you give reasonable prior notice that you cannot attend one of the final rehearsals, for example because you have to work, you may be able to sing at the event at the discretion of the Musical Director and the committee.

 

• Please pay attention to the Musical Director during rehearsals and do not carry on conversations, even if he is speaking to another section.

 

• Mobile phones should be switched off during rehearsals, and should not be checked other than during the break.If you are on call, please keep your phone on ‘silent’ and leave the room to take any call.

 

• You will be asked to sign up to say that you will take part in a concert several weeks before the event.If you cannot take part in a concert, perhaps due to a holiday, you are still expected to attend rehearsals to help your colleagues learn the music.

 

• Please only use a pencil to make notes on your music.

 

Choir Dress for concerts

 

The choir has agreed the following dress code so that we present a smart, professional appearance at our concerts:

 

Ladies

 

• floor-length black skirt or smart black trousers (no jeans)
• plain, black, long-sleeved blouse with a stiff collar
• black tights or socks
• black shoes – if you wear boots, they must be hidden by your skirt/trousers
• choir scarf - you will be asked to buy a choir scarf which is £2.50
• discreet non-reflective jewellery and/or hair accessories.

 

Men

 

• black dinner suit
• plain white shirt
• black bow tie
• black socks
• black shoes.

 

On some occasions different dress may be worn, following consultation between the committee and choir members.

 

You will be provided with a black folder to hold your music during concerts. 
This remains the property of Nottingham Hospitals Choir – please return it
if you leave the choir.

 

 

 

Subscriptions

 

The annual subscription, as decided at the Annual General Meeting, is due on the
1st September.  At the moment it is £100 per year (less if you join part-way through
a year).  The subscription can be paid in two instalments (September and January).  If you think you will have any difficulty paying the subscription, please speak to the Membership Secretary who will be happy to make an arrangement with you.

 

Members who have not paid their subscription by the 31st of January will be
deemed to have resigned; reinstatement will be subject to the rules applicable
to new members.

 

If you are a taxpayer, we will ask you to complete a Gift Aid form so that we can reclaim the tax on your subscription.

 

 

 

 

 

Music

 

Members are personally responsible for all music issued to them and are expected to return their music at the agreed time in good condition.  Members will be charged for copies not returned.  

 

 

 

Resolving any concerns

 

Please feel free to express any concerns that you may have to your Section Head or another committee member, either in writing or by talking to them on a Thursday.  The committee will do their very best to resolve the issue for you.

 

 

 

Welcoming new members

 

The choir aims to provide a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for all members, but especially to those who have recently joined.  Your Section Head will make sure that you have everything you need to enjoy rehearsals.

 

Please have a look at our website:

 

www.nottinghamhospitalschoir.co.uk

 

 

 

Thank you for coming to your first rehearsal with the Nottingham Hospitals Choir – we hope it is the first of many and that you decide to become a member.

 

 

Contact details

 

 

Please complete these details and give them to your Section Head.

 

 

 

 

Name

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Address

 

 

 

 

 

Home phone no.
(landline)

 

 

 

 

 

Mobile phone no.

 

 

 

 

 

E-mail address

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These details will be kept securely and will not be given to any third parties.  We will only keep these details in order to keep you updated about choir events.

 

Please see our website for a longer version of this statement.