Our choir was formed in 1974 by its first conductor, Dr Alwyn Surplice and rehearsed for many years at Twyford Methodist Chapel in The Drove. It has grown from around 30 members to its current size of about 70 and still has two of the founding members within its ranks. Other past conductors have been John Lunt, Alan Mottram, Peter Parfitt and Derek Beck, who is now our President. Our present conductor, David Hall, took over the baton in 2021.
This year marks the fiftieth year of Twyford Singers, and a few special events are planned.
We are a friendly SATB choir and are proud to be non-auditioned; nevertheless previous choral experience and an ability to read music are both invaluable. We currently have vacancies for singers in all voices. If you are interested in joining us, please contact our membership secretary. Members live not only in Twyford but also in surrounding areas, including Winchester, Colden Common and Alresford.
To find out how you can join us, please click here
We give two main concerts per year:
The first, usually held in February or March, normally alternates on an annual basis between Twyford Parish Hall and an ecclesiastical venue, such as St Mary's Twyford or St Cross Chapel We are often able to make a significant donation to one or more local charities from the proceeds of this concert.
Our second concert is given with other local choirs as part of the Hampshire Choral Festival (formerly the Winchester and County Music Festival). Until recently the venue has been either Winchester Cathedral or Romsey Abbey, but it is unlikely that we will be permitted to sing in Winchester Cathedral in the near future.
In addition, we normally supplement the ad hoc choir of St Mary's Twyford for its annual carol service and sing carols at The Phoenix Inn Twyford, to raise funds for a chosen local charity.
To see our recent repertoire, please click here.
With breaks for public holidays (including some half-terms), rehearsals are held in Shawford Parish Hall, Pearson Lane, Shawford between 7.30 and 9.30pm every Tuesday, from early September to mid May. Parking is available at the hall and nearby.
There are also important joint rehearsals with other local choirs for our annual performance in the Hampshire Choral Festival. These rehearsals are held on two Sunday afternoons between 2.00 and 4.30pm in March and April and then on a Wednesday evening in May. Finally, we rehearse with the concert orchestra at 2pm on the Saturday afternoon of the performance. Our conductor issues a detailed schedule of all rehearsals and performances at the start of the Autumn and Spring terms.
Our present piano accompanist is Andy Hayman.
Our main social events are our Annual Dinner, held in either March or April, and a "bring and share supper", following the AGM in June. We usually hold a "skittles evening" at The Phoenix Inn, Twyford in October, which includes supper. Such events help members to get to know one another better. We also hold a welcome back drinks occasion in September, particularly to welcome new members.
Since this is our fiftieth year, we are planning a tea party at Twyford School on 23rd March.
We continue to consult our membership about arranging further social activities.
One of our main aims is that all members enjoy themselves in the process of making music. David will make this possible by establishing a relaxed and happy atmosphere through good humour and patience. Nevertheless, since we perform to paying audiences, it is vital that all members are as well prepared as possible. To this end, it is important that we find time to rehearse individually, helpful aids being CDs of professional performances and practice tapes/CDs, such as those sold by Choraline or Internet versions offered by Cyberbass (see Links), which are tailored to each SATB part. Individual practice also helps to enhance enjoyment of rehearsals and performances.