Covid-19
Reluctantly, the Committee have decided to suspend all rehearsals until further notice as well as cancelliing the Gala Concert in June. Our 2020-21 season will be regarded as a celebratory one with both the Gala Concert and St Matthew Passion being rescheduled, dates and venues to be confirmed. The season may also include an additional concert and another Come and Sing event.

St Matthew Passion Scores
Although there is no rehearsal on Tuesday, 17 March, members should deliver their cleaned scores to Bridget at the Chase School this evening (17 March). Bridget and her team will be available from 7.15 to 8.30 pm. In order to avoid crowding please stagger your visits according to the initial letter of your surname as follows:

7.15 pm -7.30 pm A to D
7.30 pm -7.45 pm E to H
7.45 pm - 8.00 pm I to L
8.00 pm - 8.15 pm M to P
8.15 pm -8.30 pm Q to T
8.30 pm -8.45 pm U to Z

Members will be asked to give the number of the scores they are returning to the team and then to deposit the scores themselves in a box. The scores are capable of carrying viable viruses for up to 6 days so we want to avoid them being handled by anyone other than the member to whom they have been issued. Once they have handed over their scores, members are requested not to linger, tempting though it is to socialise.

Christmas Charity Donation

Carol-singing at Morrisons and the Carols for All concert combined to raise £1262.47 for Heartstart Malvern. Many thanks to all members and friends who participated and, in particular, to Penny Vere who masterminded and conducted both events.

Friends of Malvern Festival Chorus

The new Friends of MFC scheme is now up and running so please encourage friends and family to join. All the details are on the website on the Friends of MFC webpage which can be accessed either from the Home Page or from the About Us drop-down menu.

March Concert in Worcester Cathedral

We are delighted that members of the 1885 Singers will be joining us for the concert. Numbers have not yet been fully finalised.

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March Concert in Worcester Cathedral

• We’ll need 6 people to help on the doors at the Cathedral. To greet people, sell tickets, and hand out tickets which have been booked and paid for for collection on the door. Please let a member of the Committee know if you have a partner, family member, friend who would be willing to help, or are perhaps a member who won’t be singing but would like to help.

• Following suggestions put forward at the AGM about concert dress, the Committee have decided that dress for formal concerts (such as that on 14 March) should be as follows: men, open-necked black shirts with DJs. Ladies, black 3/4 to full-length sleeved black tops with black trousers or long skirt. As no scarves will be worn, the top can be collarless.

• Concert posters and leaflets are now available. Please let Catherine Oliver know where you are distributing them and also if you have any suggestions for where they could be put, even if you are unable to put them there yourself.

• Richard Rosoman will be selling concert tickets in the interval at each rehearsal. Tickets £20 (front nave), £15 rear nave, age 16 and under free with paying adult. Demand is likely to be high so get yours booked early.

• Please ensure that you sign the register each week and also indicate ASAP your intention to take part in the concert and afternoon rehearsal as a seating plan will need to be prepared.

Centenary celebrations June/July 2020

• There will be a drinks reception following the concert on 27 June 2020. NB The concert starts at 6.00 pm. The reception will be from around 8.30 pm and we hope that our visiting conductors will join us.

• We are considering a celebratory dinner on the weekend following the concert. The current proposal is that this would be at Malvern College and would cost in the region of £35-£40 per head including drinks. In order to gauge interest amongst members there will be a secret ballot at next week’s rehearsal (21 January). We appreciate that the date and cost may be factors.

Member details

Any new member who hasn’t yet filled in a membership form, please see Joy Black for a form and let her have a completed one ASAP. It’s important we have your contact details and it will help ensure everyone gets information sent out by email.

St Matthew Passion - English translation

Members who would like to look through the libretto in English in a slightly easier format than the scores can find a link to an English translation on the Practice Files webpage, accessed from the button at the bottom of this page.

NSSO Concert in Birmingham Symphony Hall, July 2019
The video of the concert in which over 50 choir members performed is now available on YouTube. Click here to view it.

Centenary Season

Plans for our Centenary Season have been conceived not only as a celebration of 100 years of MFC but also with the objective of increasing membership and visibility within the community, and thus assuring the future of MFC. In addition to the two outlined below, other means of raising funds will be discussed at the AGM on 10 September.

We hope you agree that our Centenary Season will be one to remember for many years to come. We appreciate your help in making it so.

Centenary Concerts and Sponsorship

End-of-season Social - Wine and Cheese Garden Party

A huge 'thank you' to Bridget and Malcolm for hosting the summer social. Ably assisted by members of the Committee, they went to an enormous amount of effort to ensure it was a most successful and enjoyable occasion. They even managed to defy the weather forecast and see to it that the evening was warm and dry despite earlier rain. Although fund-raising was not the primary focus, the event raised over £400 for choir funds.

Our grateful thanks go to the hosts and everyone who helped both before, during and after the event and to all those who contributed cakes, books and prizes for the raffle and tombola.

AGM
AGM papers can be found here:

• AGM Notice and Agenda
• Minutes of 2018 AGM
• Minutes of EGM 26 March 2019
• Annual Report
• MFC Committee 2018-19
• Committee Nomination Form (please note, this will open as a Word document)

Centenary Season 2019-20
Please look out for emails during the summer break as we will be keeping you updated with our plans for our Centenary year. Please also keep visiting the website as this will be the best place to find the latest information.

• History of Malvern Festival Chorus: Marion Couston has been writing an update to the original history of the choir from 1980 to the present and we are hoping to publish this as one volume from 1919 to the present in the autumn term as part of our Centenary celebrations.​​​​​​​

If you have any suitable contributions for the weekly raffle, please could you bring them to the dress rehearsal on Saturday.

• Heartstart training: There are still places available for anyone interested in learning to use a defibrillator and associated skills. Training will probably not take place before September. Please sign the list on the Notice Board table at rehearsal or let Edwina know if you would like to be included.

Extraordinary General Meeting, Tuesday 26 March
In a secret ballot, members voted unanimously to appoint Jonathan Brown as Musical Director now that he has completed a one year mutual trial period.

Centenary season membership / sponsorship drive
As mentioned in Notices on 19 March, a member list has been circulated for you to tell us about any organisation/school/business where you have a contact. We’re looking for sources of potential members and / or sponsorship. For example, they may have employees or colleagues that they would sponsor as members, or they may offer to sponsor us in exchange for concert tickets and publicity. Please add any information against your name if you can help.