Hart Voices
Amateur SATB choir based in Fleet, Hampshire
Join Hart Voices
So, if you’ve arrived at this point of our website, can we presume you’re interested in joining?!
Excellent – we’re always delighted to welcome new members!
Like a lot of choirs, we always have plenty of room to accommodate more male voices, but we genuinely are interested in hearing from anyone who would like to turn their Wednesday evening into Choir Night!
Here we give you the information you’ll need if you’re thinking about becoming a Hart Voice…..
We know how daunting it can be joining a new group.... Will I fit in? Will everyone be friendly? What do I do during the interval? How much will it cost?
To help alleviate any of your pre-joining stress, our short guide for new and potential members should help answer most of your questions, to make your initial few months with us as easy as possible.
Find out a little bit more below...
"That music in itself, whose sounds are song, the poetry of speech." Lord Byron
Rehearsals
Rehearsals generally take place on Wednesday evenings between 8-10pm in the Parish Centre at All Saints Church in Fleet – it therefore makes Hart Voices the perfect choir for any commuters who have long since had to relinquish a social life in exchange for the dreaded commute! If you want to check when we're rehearsing, please click here.
Although there are no hard and fast rules, we do ask that you turn up to rehearsal as on-time as possible, pencil in hand ready to sing at 8pm and try not to miss more than three rehearsals in any one term. (Please be aware that if you miss more than three rehearsals in any one term, it will be at the discretion of the Musical Director as to whether you can take part in that term's concert.)
Rehearsals are normally led by our Musical Director, Roy Rashbrook with piano accompaniment provided by Angelina Palmblad or Tom Kelsey, our expert pianists. Roy, Angelina and Tom are professional musicians with extensive experience and on the rare occasion that either of them can’t make a rehearsal, we can look forward to a highly experienced deputy appointed by Roy!
We normally rehearse for around an hour then have a ten minute break before launching into the final 50 mins, giving you time to stretch your legs, lubricate your vocals, chat to your colleagues and nip to the loo.
The majority of the choir parks in the Council-operated car park opposite All Saints Church, behind Sainsbury’s, off Church Road. Parking used to be free here after 8pm, but alas, Hart District Council implemented evening charges so make sure you have some change handy or your bank card (and don’t forget to display your ticket!!).
At the end of the day, we can guarantee that you can look forward to an exhilarating sing every Wednesday – there is nothing quite like it for helping you to forget your busy day or week and just simply enjoy the music and the company of so many like-minded individuals. There are those of us who find it the most stress-relieving part of the week!
Learning the Music
Talking of our inimitable MD, Roy Rashbrook has been with Hart Voices since 2002 and in that time he has taken the direction of the choir in ever more ambitious and demanding routes. His background and experience ensure that our repertoire challenges us as singers but also allows us to enjoy some very beautiful music, music we may not individually have the opportunity to perform.
Rehearsals also incorporate guidance for better singing techniques but because there is a lot to get through each week and each term, we very much rely on each individual singer taking responsibility for their own part learning and therefore we do ask that you do your homework!
If you’ve sung in choirs, you’ll know how this works, but don’t worry if you haven’t or if you don’t have a piano at home, we make various resources available to you to help with out-of-rehearsal-practice.
Rehearsals before Concerts
During the year we normally perform four concerts and we ask that you try to make sure you can perform as many as possible. Leading up to concerts, we sometimes have extra rehearsals on the Thursday before the concert (please keep it clear if you can) and there will almost ALWAYS be a rehearsal on the day of the concert, usually between 2-5pm.
If you are going to miss any of the last three rehearsals before a concert, you must let the Musical Director know direct; we generally say that if you’re going to miss the final afternoon rehearsal before the concert then you won’t be permitted to perform on the night – extenuating circumstances aside, this will always be at the discretion of the MD.
Subscriptions
As a members organisation we do charge an annual subscription to cover the normal running costs of the choir (hiring the rehearsal space and the services of the MD and Accompanist) – this is payable either per term, or on a one-off annual basis. Currently subscription costs £50 per term.
Hart Voices is a registered Charity and tax-paying members are asked to sign a Gift Aid declaration (available from the Treasurer – Michael Soul) so that a tax rebate can be claimed from the Inland Revenue.
Ready to Join?
If you are ready to join Hart Voices and make us your choir, contact us at enquiries@hartvoices.org.uk.
Please let us know what voice part you can sing and if you have any previous experience.
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We will suggest the best time to come along to a rehearsal, and will be able to have some music available and know to look out for you! We recommend you try us out for 2 or 3 rehearsals to get a feel for what we do. Genuinely, we look forward to welcoming you along!