One of our altos, Liz, has written a fantastic account of her first year with Saints' Singers, from joining us in September for the Come and Sing month to almost a year later when she performed in our summer 2023 concert - I Am Woman.

On the warm evening of the 24th June 2023 Saints’ Singers performed our summer concert ‘I Am Woman’ at All Saints’ Church Winterton to a sold out audience. The fifteen song repertoire was very well received:

“The material …was well chosen and professionally delivered. The harmonies blended extremely well.” Audience member

“Just to say how much I enjoyed the concert. You gave us a packed programme which was great fun to listen to.” Audience member

For me the overriding feeling was one of shared and tangible pride and elation among the choir members, and gratitude to Elisabeth (our Musical Director) and James Longden (piano), Toby Jacklin (guitar) and Lisa Oliver (drums) who accompanied us on the night, as well as pride that our regular pianist Jean was in the audience to hear the results of all the rehearsals over the last six months.

It’s hard to believe that it was only ten months earlier that I had joined the choir for a taster series of four sessions. I wasn’t even sure if I was an alto or soprano but didn’t fancy trying to reach those high notes so plumped for alto! I was immediately struck by the choir’s warm welcome and the skill, encouragement and highly organised approach of our M.D. The rehearsals were fun and challenging. I was learning such a lot in a very short time. The regular choir members were supportive and I found that listening to the other altos around me helped considerably. I had no hesitation in deciding to continue with the choir.

We went on to learn the Christmas repertoire and performed at Forest Pines and at All Saints’ Christmas Concert. I was nervous but enjoyed the experiences. In January 2023 we embarked on learning the repertoire for the summer concert. It was exciting to see the work of such a range of female artists included in the repertoire, including Carly Simon and Dolly Parton. Elisabeth had put this together taking into account suggestions given by choir members. Some of the songs were very challenging and I had doubts that I would ever conquer ‘This Woman’s Work’ by Kate Bush or ‘Easy On Me’ by Adele. We were given a variety of tips and strategies above and beyond the regular Monday evening rehearsals to help, including; using a highlighter to identify the different vocal parts on the score, recorded teach tracks, and audio recordings of rehearsals. I found all of these to be very helpful and I am sure that my memory has improved through this process.

The run up to the concert was not without hiccups. Unfortunately our regular pianist Jean was unable to accompany us on the last few rehearsals, or for the concert itself, and we had one particularly poor rehearsal when we just seemed to have forgotten so many things! However, Elisabeth assured us everyone has one bad rehearsal prior to a big performance. As the concert drew nearer, Elisabeth’s exceptional skills became very clear. At one rehearsal it all suddenly clicked for me as we sang ‘This Woman’s Work’. I was so moved that the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

My positive experience is shared by other singers who joined the choir in September after the Come and Sing month as two new singers, Jane and Mo reflect below about their experiences joining the choir:

“I have never been in a choir in my life…until I joined Saints’ Singers at the grand old age of 75…After the loss of my husband…It has helped me a great deal, given me a new interest and wonderful new friends. I am very grateful to have such an amazing teacher …and so much help from the dear ladies around me …I still can’t believe how much I enjoyed my first concert.” Jane 

“Joining Saints’ Singers is one of the best decisions I’ve made. However bad a day I may have had , or however tired I am, getting out and singing always makes me feel better. I feel challenged but not uncomfortably so and whilst I was nervous for the summer concert …I don’t think you’d get the same buzz afterwards if there weren’t the nerves”. Mo 

The Summer concert was a huge success. It was a fabulous experience! This year, the new starters had been welcomed, nurtured, and accepted into this well established choir. We too had felt the positive physical, mental and emotional benefits of being in the choir. We were part of the team, part of this beautiful sound.