Historic choir looks for new members to mark 75th anniversary (From Harrow Times)
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Historic Harrow choir looks for new members to mark 75th anniversary
5:40pm Monday 15th October 2012 in News
By David Hardiman, Reporter
The society performs regular concerts in the borough.
A community choir that has sung for the Queen is celebrating its 75th anniversary and wants to recruit new members.
Harrow Choral Society, which meets weekly in St Albans Church Hall in The Ridgeway, North Harrow, was set up in 1937 and adopted its current title in 1960.
The 120 members perform quarterly concerts across the borough, and a select few were invited for perform for the Queen at Krishna Avanti Primary School as part of the Diamond Jubilee tour in March.
Choir member Valerie Pentecost, who was one of six members who took part in the concert which included members of other choirs across the borough, said “it is not every day that you get to sing for the Queen”.
She added: “We had to wait for hours and hours just to sing for five minutes, but it was well worth it.
“It was a bit of a thrown-together choir but we did very well and I thoroughly enjoyed it – and I think the Queen did too.”
In the past, the group has travelled to France, Italy and Belgium to perform, as well as singing in eighteen Prom concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in 1961 and 1973.
Ms Pentecost said the choir, which is led by Simon Williams who has been a member for 30 years, is looking to build on its rich history by encouraging new members to join its Singing for Starters training group.
She said: “The person who runs it is a professional music teacher and it’s for anyone – if you come along you can sing more well-known stuff or the kind of thing you sang at school.
“Then if you improve throughout the year you can come and join the choral society and find out what it’s like to sing with 120 people – it can be quite awesome.”
The society’s 75th anniversary concert, in which the choir will sing Mendelssohn’s Elijah, takes place at Harrow School’s Speech Room in High Street on October 27th at 7.30pm.
For more information on the concert or how to get involved in the society, visit its website.
