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How to audition

We are always looking for new members!. If you are interested in joining the choir, please fill in our application form.

Life with Keswick Hall Choir

Keswick Hall Choir has been active since the 1970s, performing mostly classical repertoire, spanning from early music to contemporary classical work. You can read more about our history or browse our previous concerts to get an idea of the standard of music we work with. You don’t have to be a perfect sight-reader. All choir members are expected to work on music outside of rehearsal, and playlists are provided by the committee at the commencement of each term (and sometimes, rehearsal parts!).

The choir generally performs three times a year, with a concert before Christmas, in Spring, and in early Summer. Occasionally we do perform more than this, but you’ll be given any concert dates between 10-12 months in advance.

During the season, we rehearse weekly on Wednesday evenings from 7:30pm-9:45pm in the United Reformed Church off Ipswich Road with our director Robbie Carroll. We have a short break for tea and coffee (and biscuits) in the middle of rehearsal – the perfect time for a chat with fellow choir members! We ask choir members to bring their own mugs to reduce single-use plastic usage.

Our members are a varied bunch, from senior singers to recent graduates, and we come from many different backgrounds and cultures, with several nationalities present in the choir. We believe this greatly enriches what we do and helps us to form a friendly community with people we might not otherwise get to meet. While it can be hard to find social time for a group this large, we have a social event once a year in January we like to call “Quiz and Chips”, where we gather together to do a table quiz, eat chips, and enjoy each other’s company (plus ones welcome)!

The choir is run by a committee of dedicated volunteers who manage venues, dates, finances, AGMs, and more! They oversee arranging copies of music for everyone too (unless you would prefer to work from your own copies), and provide opportunities for choir members to purchase music where possible. They also signpost further opportunities for singing whenever they land in the Keswick inbox. New committee members are always welcome at our annual AGM.

Membership and costs

Once you have joined the choir, we have an annual membership fee of £110. Cost for music is an additional amount each term (but this is normally at a very low price). Please note that our choir has a policy of not excluding those who cannot afford these fees; if this is you, please let a committee member know. We believe music-making should be for everyone.

We hope you’ll consider joining us! If you have any other questions, we’d love to hear from you at enquiries@keswickhallchoir.org.uk.