Much Wenlock Male Voice Choir

Snowdown Male Voice Choir from Aylesham in Kent will be performing in a joint concert with Much Wenlock at the Holy Trinity Church , the choir is the choral legacy of a mining community developed in the early 1900’s when miners travelled from Wales and other mining areas to work the newly established mines in Kent, of which Snowdown colliery was one.

The mine was the last to close in the 1980’s and in it’s early days earned the nickname ‘Dante’s Inferno’ owing to the extreme heat of the working conditions, so much so that miners worked without clothing! You’ll be pleased to learn that the fully clothed choir will be appearing on Saturday 22nd March and tickets are available from Penny Farthing in The Square, from choir members or by contacting 01952728758, the concert starts at 7pm.

Band on the Edge and Much Wenlock Male Voice Choir combine at the Edge Arts Centre this Friday to celebrate the community with an evening of fun and music with the choir performing a variety of musical gems for your delight while the band will be playing hot jazz from the golden age, ballads and Jazz/Rock styles from the 60’s onwards – it’s an event not to be missed.

Due to the impending retirement of our current pianist there is an opportunity for a new Principal Accompanist for our thriving well-established choir in this historic Shropshire town.

We sing for pleasure and have a strong reputation for our variety of music styles, delivered with emphasis on harmony and tonal quality.

Please write by email to secretarymwmvc@gmail.com for further details including job description, and our policy regarding remuneration and the selection process.

December is here and it’s time to get festive with the advent of the annual Wenlock Xmas Fayre on Saturday 7th, with stalls selling eveything from mince pies to mulled wine and a wide variety of gifts and treats and the choir wassailing at the Corn Exchange from 11am along with a host of other groups…for the full list of events see the Fayre’s main website. Its an event not to be missed.

On Monday 16th December the choir will be holding it’s annual FREE Christmas Concert at the William Brookes School, entry is by ticket, obtainable from choir members or from Penny Farthing in the Square in Wenlock. It’s the choirs way to thank friends, supporters and patrons with more mulled wine and mince pies on offer and a chance to join in some carol singing too! Do consider coming along.

A concert at Church Stretton Methodist Church on Saturday 26th October proved to be a hit with the audience with the choir singing a number of favourites including Jamaica Farewell and American Trilogy and solo performances by Jess Fox and Paul Cotton. Many kind comments from members of the audience at the close of the evening were very much appreciated and the whole event was judged to be a success. Thanks to the organiser Barbara and the team for all their work and for providing much welcomed refreshments .

Members of the choir performed at the Bridgnorth Music and Arts Festival which was held over the bank holiday weekend. The large scale event which is held over 4 days is run entirely by volunteers with the support of the local Council and Businesses and saw artists from far and wide performing at venues across the town, one of which was the Bandstand at the Castle Grounds where the choir appeared on Saturday afternoon. The Festival aims to support emerging talent with all the main stage artists performing their own music and the event has become a yearly attraction.

The choir’s cake & coffee morning at the Holy Trinity Church in Much Wenlock on Saturday (10th August) was a big success and raised over £300; it proved to be a popular event with plenty of visitors coming to try out the wide variety of cakes on offer and take part in the raffle. The choir’s Chairman David Chantrey gave thanks to all the volunteers who helped commenting that “it was an excellent event in all sorts of ways…your contributions are greatly appreciated”!

The choir’s rehearsals re start this Tuesday 13th August in preparation for an open air concert at the Castle gardens in Bridgnorth on Saturday 24th August at 1.30pm, part of Bridgnorth Music & Arts Festival (Google their website for a full list of events).

The choir’s concert at Shrewsbury Abbey on 15th June has raised over £1000, with ticket and raffle sales divided equally between Macmillan Cancer Support and the Abbey Parish. Macmillan were delighted with the amount they received which with some additional donations amounted to around £780. John Harrison from Macmillan Cancer Support said “Thank you so much for enabling this fantastic fundraising to have happened! It was a lovely evening (despite the torrential rain outside) which has helped to raise a really significant amount of money to support people with cancer in Shropshire”

The choir will be travelling to Staffordshire on Saturday 6th July for a joint concert with Biddulph Male Voice Choir.

Following the choir’s appeal for a June concert owing to the postponement of this year’s Wenlock Festival we are delighted to announce that the choir will be singing in Shrewsbury Abbey to raise funds for MacMillan Cancer Support, a charity so many in the community have received help from…please put Saturday 15th June in your diaries and come along to support both the choir and the charity.

The choir’s first outing of the season is another exciting venture, when we join forces for the evening with both the Newport and Hadley Orpheus Male Voice Choirs to form a ‘Wrekin Choir’. This is another fund raising event on behalf of the Midlands Air Ambulance and The Alzheimer’s Society. The concert will be held in the Memorial Hall at Wrekin College in Wellington at 7pm on Saturday 23rd March; tickets are £10 and include light refreshments and are available from choir members, Penny Farthing in the Square at Much Wenlock or at the door on the evening….it is not often so many voices gather to unite in song and this promises to be an evening to remember.

The annual Wenlock Xmas Fayre is fast approaching and is due to be held on Saturday 2nd December. It’s an event which has grown in popularity year on year and is a great way to kick off the festive season, with an eclectic mix of over 100 festive stalls each selling their own unique merchandise in addition to all the usual shops in the town.

Festivities start at 10am and throughout the day there will be a variety of performances and entertainment for children and the young at heart, the choir will be performing under the Corn Exchange from 11am till midday. The whole event ends with an atmospheric candle lit procession down the High Street and traditional Christmas Carol singing in the Square.

If you plan to go there is parking at Wenlock Motors in Smithfield Road, at the William Brookes School and at Grange Fencing on Stretton Road. The parking charge is £5.00 (please note you will need exact change for the payment). For full information about the event see the website www.wenlockchristmasfayre.org.uk