Who are you
Charlton Kings Choral Society is a group of about 100 friendly, enthusiastic amateur singers based in the village of Charlton Kings, on the outskirts of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in England. Read more about us.

How do I join
If you would like to sing with Charlton Kings Choral Society, please contact us.

Is there an audition
We ask all new singers to take an audition. Don't worry - it is very straight forward.
Read more about the audition.

Where and when do you rehearse
We rehearse every Wednesday evening from 7:30 to 9:30 with a break for coffee and a chat. We meet in St. Edward's Infants' School Hall, Ashley Road, Charlton Kings (map opens in new window). Members must sign in for each rehearsal. The season runs from the beginning of September until the Summer concert in July, with short breaks at Christmas and Easter. We like you to attend at least three-quarters of the rehearsals, in order to sing in a concert. If you attend rehearsals for one of the two main concerts, it is assumed that you will be singing in that concert. If you cannot sing, then you must "sign out" with the membership secretary. A copy of the sign-out list will be left with the attendance lists.

How much will it cost me
The fees are set at the AGM each September. Current annual fees are £95 full rate, £80 for over 60s and free for under 25s in full time education, payable in September. If you join part way through the year, the fee is pro rata, based on the number of concert remaining for the season. As the Society has charitable status (charity no 291743) you might like to use Gift Aid. In addition you will have to buy a folder for use in concerts (about £5-£6), hire music for a small charge (about £2-£3) at the start of each term and ensure you have the appropriate concert dress.

How do I get music
Most music is available for hire from us for a small charge. Only occasionally will you have to purchase any music. If you sing in the Carol Concert you will need to buy the Carol Books we use every year and if you prefer, you can always buy music for the Autumn and Spring concerts as well. Check our members page for the correct editions.

Is there any homework
Although there is plenty of time each term to learn the pieces, we expect you to look at the music in between rehearsals in order to gain the maximum from the rehearsals themselves. Often rehearsal cds and tapes, which feature your own part, are available to hire or buy through the choir. On our members page, our conductor John Wright recommends recordings of the works, which you can buy or borrow from the library. Also look at our links page for useful midi sites to help with learning the notes.

How many concerts do you perform each year
We perform two main concerts a year, in November and May. We also give a Carol Concert in December and a Summer Concert in July. Read more about our future concerts.

What sort of works do you perform
Take a look at our past concerts to see the range of works we perform. Pieces are mainly drawn from the classical repertoire. Our Summer concerts also give us a chance to perform other types of music. For example in Summer 2004 we performed songs by Gershwin, Jerome Kern and Cole Porter.

Who performs at your concerts
We use a professional orchestra or accompanist for our concerts. We have a long association with the Regency Sinfonia. Soloists are either students from the Guildhall School of Music, a long standing tradition of about us, or local professional singers.

What do I wear for concerts
Ladies, you wear black blouses and long black skirts or black trousers. You will need a long sleeved blouse for the Autumn concert and a short sleeved blouse for the Spring concert. Gentlemen, you wear dinner jackets with black trousers, white shirts and black bow ties for both Autumn and Spring concerts.
Dress for the Carol and Summer concerts varies. However it is usually lounge suits, white or coloured shirts and ties for the men and either smart day-wear (what used to be known as 'Sunday Best') or coloured blouses with long black skirts or black trousers for the women.

What happens on concert day
Usually there is a rehearsal in the afternoon with the soloists and orchestra or accompanist. We normally arrive 15 - 30 minutes before the start to organise seating. Typically the rehearsal lasts 2 - 2 1/2 hours. You are expected to attend the afternoon rehearsal. Please tell the concert manager beforehand if you cannot do so.
We reassemble at least 15 minutes before the start of the concert, in concert dress. Only take music and folders on stage - no bottles or handbags, please. For each half of the concert, we process on at the start and process off at the end. Standing, sitting and applauding by the choir during the concert depends on the programme and will be made clear at the afternoon rehearsal.

Is there much socialising
We are a very social and friendly choir. In recent years we have had Choir dinners (with some very interesting speakers), parties after our concerts, skittles evenings and strawberry teas. We have organised concert trips to the Albert Hall in London and Birmingham Symphony Hall. There are also fundraising events such as coffee mornings and jumble sales. Read more about our future events. There is a 15 minute break during rehearsal when we can enjoy a coffee and a chat, and of course we go on tour.

What about choir tours
We have had three highly successful tours so far - to Brittany in 1995, to Göttingen in Germany in 1999 and to Oslo in Norway and Gothenburg in Sweden in 2002.

What else do you do
We have twice performed in Cheltenham with Orchester Göttinger Musikfreunde and also held a joint concert with the Göttingen choir St Jacobi Kantorei (use Babel Fish to translate sites), when we had the pleasure of hosting members of the orchestra and choir. We hold the occasional workshop where we can improve our singing skills, we sing Christmas carols in Cheltenham town centre for charity and sometimes we are asked to provide a choir for weddings.

How could I support the choir, if I don't want to sing
As well as attending concerts and social fundraising events, you can also support us by becoming a Patron.

How are you administered
The officials and committee (see the constitution) manages the Society on a day to day basis. The AGM is held in September, when the past year is reviewed, the accounts are presented, the fees are determined and the new committee elected. Choir members receive a news letter in the summer, and are also kept up to date at rehearsals with news, dates and events. They can also access the information on this website. If a member wishes to raise anything, the committee members and the conductor are always happy to discuss it with them, and if necessary take it forward.

I can't find the information I require
If you haven't found the answers you need or require more information please contact us. We'd love to hear from you.