We are pleased to announce that our next concert is our Annual Concert.  This is to be held on 9th May at the Melbourne Catholic Church and will also feature the choir from the Grace Dieu Manor School.

The concert begins at 7pm so please make sure you arrive in plenty of time.  Tickets are only £6 per head and available from Choir by calling the Secretary, Seymour Bell, on 01283 703992.

Tickets are also available to purchase from Grace Dieu Manor School or from Melbourne News Shop in the centre of the village.

We look forward to seeing you.

Choir Vice Chairman Alan Higgins said “as we are just starting to learn a new programme and we will be singing with music at our Christmas Concerts, now would be a good time for anyone considering joining us to come along”.

The core of the Choir live in Melbourne but others come from the outlying villages such as Aston and Weston on Trent, Hemington, Castle Donington, Findern and Belton, with one member who used to teach in Melbourne travelling from Croydon every week.

Any former members who would like to return or new members will be welcome to come along to our Friday evening practise that starts at 7.30pm in the Wesleyan Hall in Potter Street, Melbourne.

You don’t need to read music, all you need is to enjoy it. We offer fun, comradeship and good company. You won’t be asked to take a voice test to see if you are good enough, just to establish which of our four sections you need to sit with. There is tea, coffee and biscuits at half time and if you fancy a pint afterwards the ‘wet brigade’ adjourn to Melbourne British Legion.

Why not come along?  If you want further details please contact our Secretary Seymour Bell on 01283 703992.

Choir performed for visitors at the home of its President Lord Ralph Kerr on the afternoon of Sunday 31st August.  A combination of the sunny afternoon and the anticipation of Choir’s performance saw a record number of Sunday visitors for 2014.

Standing in the Hall below the Main Staircase this was the first public performance for Choir under its new Music Team of Musical Director Andrea Leeming, Accompanist Lydia Wright and Assistant Accompanist Charlotte Harris; they did not disappoint.

Highlights included ‘American Trilogy’, ‘ My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose’ and ‘Calon Lan’.  Soloists Tony Mulcahy, Ron Kenning and Graham Cameron added to the enjoyment of the afternoon.

Choir’s Red Wine Club met in the Blue Bell Inn, a well known Melbourne watering hole, both before and after the concert for suitable refreshment.

Saturday August 16th saw two bus-loads of Choir members and supporters leave Castle Square in Melbourne for a lunch time performance in Southwell Minster by kind permission of The Dean.

The Minster has been described as one of Nottinghamshire’s hidden gems. It can trace its history as a church on the site to Anglo Saxon times as early as 630. The present church was built in 1108.

Choir, standing on the alter steps in front of the beautiful West Window, gave two 30 minute performances. They performed excellently with the sound carrying and echoing right through The Quire and The Nave. This particularly impressed visitors with quiet numbers ‘My Lord What A Morning’ and ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Miserables. As one member remarked, “a wonderful experience".

The party called at Patchings Farm Arts Centre for welcome food and refreshment on the return journey arriving back in Melbourne late afternoon.

Held at the The Ritz in Burton the event promises to be a fantastic evening of live musical entertainment from Tony, with the Choir joining him on the bill.  See the event poster below for all the details.