As Chair of MCS my main responsibilities are to chair the committee, be the focal point for communications to the members, and act as the public face of the society. I also liaise with the Music Director in creating the programme booklets.
I’m a relatively recent member of MCS, joining in late 2021 after lockdown. I hadn’t sung in a choir for over 30 years since I left Mansfield. I had lessons as a child but more to please my dad than because I wanted to sing. I originally joined as a SOP but transferred to the Altos to bolster numbers in 2023.
I enjoy being part of MCS. It’s a big family really, and members are very supportive, regardless of ability. It’s also a delight to sing under the baton of Diane. She knows what she wants, and how to get us to deliver it. As a singer herself for many years she understands that the performance is different from rehearsals, which gives us the freedom to be the best we can be.
Arthur joined the Choral Society 20 years ago shortly after his retirement. He took up the mantle of treasurer and charity trustee for the choral society around 2010. His 15 years (and counting!) gives a very helpful level of continuity and stability as time moves on and new faces join the committee or take on the role of musical director.
I joined Mansfield Choral Society (MCS) in October 2024. I was in a ladies choir in Aldershot a long time ago and loved it but haven’t had another opportunity until I moved to Mansfield. Spurred on by seeing friends singing in a choir in Cyprus, I was determined to find one, once I was settled here. Searching for a choir, I wanted a challenge, hence a real choral society came to mind. I noticed on MCS’ website that no auditions would be needed, so I thought, maybe I have a chance.
My first rehearsal was terrifying but Iris, sitting next to me, and other members close by have been wonderful guides. It’s such a pleasure to be able to get together with others with a similar passion for making music come to life.
To help the Society I took on the role of Secretary and look forward to supporting our choral society in any way I can; in bringing interesting and wonderful choral works for others in the community to enjoy too.
Mansfield Choral Society has been part of my life for over 20 years now. Busy with work and bringing up a family, Thursday evenings became my special time when I could go and do something just for myself. MCS welcomed me and has always been a friendly place to go and experience the joy of singing beautiful music together. I have sung with 4 different musical directors over the years, each with their own style and strengths, helping us to improve our performances in different ways.
Joining our hard-working Committee has meant I can give a little of my time back to the organisation which has given me pleasure and friendship for so many years.
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Having been cajoled into giving the Choral Society a go by a couple of good friends who were already members, I joined the choir in 1995.
My teenage years had been spent singing in Musicals and Gilbert & Sulivan Operettas, so this was a change of style, though I had been a church choir boy before being attracted away by the bright lights of the theatre. I soon got the choral singing bug especially with the promise of singing Mozart’s Requiem (still one of my favourite choral pieces) and making many new friends in the process. In 2012 I took on the role of Chairman and oversaw our 40th year celebrations in 2014 when we sang, yes, Mozart’s Requiem! But at the end of my 4-year term, with work and family commitments, I felt I should hand on the baton. Still wanting to support the choir when I could, the position of Librarian became vacant a few years later and here I am, though I am not so sure the workload is any less than Chair’s duties sometimes!
My singing dates back to my local parish church choir in 1960, then to seven years as a Peterborough Cathedral Chorister, then leading camp fire singing as a Scout Leader. This was followed by a couple of decades singing and playing my fiddle (often from top of a beer barrel) whilst leading my soldiers in perhaps less exalted but hearty singing post-exercises. As a schoolteacher my ability to lead songs/teach music/lead assemblies was a useful adjunct to my other teaching subjects.
My move to Nottinghamshire led me to renewed interest in major choral works with Angela Kay and “Notts Choral Trust” (now “Music for Everyone”). I also joined the Farnsfield Parish Church Choir, in time for Stainer’s Crucifixion, where I somehow managed to sing the solo parts for both of the Basses crucified along with our Lord, a slightly schizophrenic experience!
The honeytrap that led to me joining Mansfield Choral Society was a planned concert in Southwell Minster in 2010 with Director David Wilson, which encompassed many of the greatest church anthems. Peter Siepman grew the choir further to around 90 members, in time for our 40th anniversary concert (Handel’s Messiah). I joined the committee in 2014, becoming librarian in 2015. In 2017 I was regularly sourcing 110-120 copies of music.
In 2021, shortly after Diane Haslam took over the baton, I sang with MCS supporting Bingham Choral Society for their Golden Jubilee of 2022. By that time, I was also deputy director for the Farnsfield Church Choir (FCC) but was available to take on the minor role of MCS Archivist. More recently, having filled in as acting director at FCC for a year, I moved to my local Rainworth Parish Church giving me a little more time to devote to other retirement pursuits, not least local folk music groups, plus dancing and playing fiddle with the Nottingham Folk Dance Society and the “Merry Minstrels” dance trio – which explains my photo!
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My musical journey began earlier in life when I learned to play the piano and guitar and developed a love for singing. I was previously part of a church choir and am still involved in another, where I continue to enjoy singing within an ensemble. Although other commitments meant that music took a pause for some years, joining the choir has rekindled my passion for choral music. I sing in the alto section and greatly enjoy contributing to the shared sound and musical life of the choir. My favourite piece of music changes from time to time, but currently it is O Magnum Mysterium as performed by Voces8. Among the singers I particularly admire are Sandi Patty, Annie Lennox, and Nina Simone.
I joined the Mansfield Choral Society in January 2025 after being inspired by the choir’s Christmas concert. I was particularly struck by the clarity of diction, the quality of the ensemble singing, and the thoughtful choice of repertoire, which encouraged me to become part of the choir.
I have been singing in choirs since I was in my teens and it has been a ‘joy bringer’
Many friendships have been made through this, and the experience of making music together grows those friendships and makes memories.
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