A Message from Our Director

I’m writing this on 17th May, the date for the next stage of the roadmap set out by the government, as a way out of the restrictions created by the covid-19 pandemic. Tomorrow, The Octavian Singers intend to return to live singing together, albeit in small group rehearsals for the moment.

The last time we sang together (again in small groups) was Autumn 2020 and we were bowled over with emotion in those first live rehearsals - even the members following on Zoom from their homes found it very rewarding after months of feeling alone, singing along to me plonking their parts on my piano (which needed tuning!). As we returned to live group singing, all the members wanted to enjoy feeling free to sing our “old favourites” with gusto. We enjoyed madrigals, familiar anthems, beloved partsongs, and the fun jazzy pieces, and as autumn progressed, we prepared for our bookings to sing Christmas music for RHS Wisley’s Glow event. Sadly, of course, that never came to fruition, and we returned to solo singing on Zoom.

There have been some fun moments on Zoom: a couple of quizzes; a Christmas party, appropriately dressed; a visit from a past member who spoke of his work with the Sing for Freedom choir, a community project for refugees and asylum seekers; even a visit from one of the goats at Cronkshaw Fold Farm!

Mostly, of course, we have revised our vocal technique and our general musicianship, while also learning a few new pieces from Sacred Music by Women Composers, a new anthology that we had purchased late 2019 with a view to using it in our March 2020 concert (which hasn’t happened yet).

We are now excited to be preparing to perform live again! We have booked Lord Pirbright’s Hall in Pirbright Village - our regular summer concert venue - and will look forward to performing all those aforementioned “old favourites” - Now is the Month of Maying, The Bluebird, If Ye Love Me, Java Jive, to mention just a few. All of us have very much felt the loss of the group camaraderie, the chats with friends, the musical focus, and the buzz of feeling the vibes from an enthusiastic and supportive audience, and we are excited to see the promise of all that returning.

July 3rd is the date, so please put it in your diaries now! There will be an additional performance at 5:30pm, as well one at our normal time of 7:30pm. Obviously this is still the time of sensible caution and we will be seating audience in their family groups at a distance from other family groups - hence the necessity of pre-booking, which has never been mandatory at previous Octavians concerts. The concert will be of approximately an hour in duration, windows will be opened as feasible to allow ventilation, and there will be no interval or refreshments this time. From next Tuesday, 1st June, you will find a booking form on our website, along with further information as needed to complete your booking. Additionally, you can contact us from there if you have any specific questions.

Like everybody else, we don’t possess a crystal ball, and therefore can’t yet commit to plans beyond the summer - but in the pipeline is the delayed concert comprising Women Composers such as Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann, Hildegard of Bingen and 21st Century pieces. We hope this may proceed in Autumn 2021, and be followed by Wisley Glow for Christmas fun!

Why not bookmark our website and keep checking back for further updates? Or if you’re not already on our mailing list or a member of our Friends, please use the “contact us” button on the website to drop us a message, and we’ll remedy that situation!

See you on July 3rd!

Laura