- Christmas Concert will support Parity for Disability and feature guest Laura Sillett
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Date Posted: Mon, 14 Oct 2024
October 14, 2024 – Hampshire and Surrey Hills Men’s Choir are delighted to announce that their Christmas concert will be performed at High Cross Church in Camberley on 19th December to support the Parity charity. The concert will include seasonal numbers as well as other popular songs and feature guest performances from singer and actor Laura Sillett to help make a great evening of music and support for a very worthwhile local cause.
Parity for Disability is a charity that provides excellence in support and services for people with multiple disabilities, their families and carers. Laura Sillett is a professional actor, singer and musician who has performed in musicals, plays, pantomimes and touring shows and who will add even more musical excellence to the evening.
Over the last 12 months the choir has developed significantly in terms of numbers, following an innovative “pie and a pint” recruitment project, and also in quality through the expert tuition of Musical Director Philip Viveash-Brainch.
Announcing the concert, choir Chairman, Peter Viveash, said “We are very excited about our Christmas concert. With a great combination of new and established choir members, new songs, and a wonderful guest performer we expect the evening to be a seasonal joy. We are even planning audience participation and seasonal refreshments to add to the fun.”
The Christmas Concert is on Thursday 19th December at 7:30 p.m. in High Cross Church, Knoll Road, Camberley. Tickets are available at https://www.trybooking.com/uk/DYKQ.
Parity
Parity for Disability is an award-winning local charity providing specialist day services in Farnborough, Camberley and Mytchett for people with multiple disabilities. The 54 people aged 18+ (called students) who use our services access specialist staff, equipment and technologies to engage in chosen activities, build friendships and networks, use and develop skills, contribute to their community – in fact, do what everyone else is doing. Parity exists because when a young person with multiple disabilities finishes full-time education, there are few services for them to call on. Families are left to cope alone. Parity's staff are trained and services equipped so everyone using them can pursue a good quality of life.
Your support will help provide the up-to-date essentials that transform the lives of all our students. This includes technology and equipment, ensuring students have the communication tools they need and don’t spend all day in their wheelchairs. Items are needed for projects that build students’ independence skills and make the most of the movement and abilities that each person has. We aim to raise £150,000 a year so that our students can do the activities that matter to them and keep accessing the services they need. Learn more at www.parityfordisability.org.uk.
Laura Sillett
Laura is a professional singer, actor and musician who trained at the Guildford School of Acting, graduating with a degree in Musical Theatre in 2013. Since then, she has performed in musicals, plays, pantomimes, tours and even starred as Sandy in 'Grease' on (at the time) the world's biggest cruise ship - Royal Caribbean's The Harmony of the Seas.
Laura plays multiple instruments and is usually found playing one (or 5!) in her work.
Some of her career highlights are most recently 'Barnum' at The Watermill theatre (she played the flute, clarinet, saxophone, piccolo and the double bass which she learnt for thjs job!), the international tour of 'Footloose' in 2017, and the 50th Anniversary international tour of Hair!
Laura lives in Bordon with her husband and little boy Robin who has just started school. In her spare time, she loves baking, cooking, sewing, walking, and learning new instruments of course.
She is very excited to be singing with her wonderful Dad, Dave in the concert this Christmas.
- Choir Presents Donation To Camberley Care Charity
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Date Posted: Tue, 16 Jul 2024
At the last rehearsal before their summer break, Hampshire and Surrey Hills Men’s Choir presented the donations from their summer concert to representatives of the local charity, Camberley Care.
Choir Chairman, Peter Viveash presented donations of over £800 with Gift Aid to Camberley Care Chairman, Tony Bovenkamp, and fundraising Trustee Linda Christopher.
The concert, at the end of June, was at High Cross in Camberley and was the first Summer Concert conducted by Musical Director Philip Viveash-Brainch and assisted by Deputy Conductor James Harrison, with accompanist Charlotte Hobbs.
Making the donation Peter Viveash said “The service that Camberley Care has been providing for 50 years is a vital resource for those in the area who are elderly or not so mobile, so we are very happy to be able to support them”. In response, Tony Bovenkamp explained that Camberley Care is always under pressure to find extra funding and extra volunteers. This donation will make a real difference to the lives of the elderly and vulnerable in the area and on their behalf he expressed his gratitude to everyone involved.
- Superb Summer Concert
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Date Posted: Mon, 1 Jul 2024
On Friday 28th June we were delighted to take to the stage at High Cross in Camberley for our first Summer Concert conducted by Musical Director Philip Viveash-Brainch and assisted by Deputy Conductor James Harrison, with accompanist Charlotte Hobbs.
In front of a packed audience MC Sue Shoveller introduced a wide ranging programme of songs including old favourites such as "Speed Your Jouirney", "With a Voice of Singing", "Yesterday", "Working Man", "What Would I Do Without My Music", "Londonderry Air" and "When The Saints Go Marching In" with some relatively new items such as "A Cole Porter Medley", "Puttin On The Ritz", "Silent Worship" and the very popular "Wellerman", a New Zealand Sea Shanty that went 'viral' during lockdown. An innovation was the "choral hug" - a rendition of "Down To The River To Pray" sung with the choir standing around the audience. We continued the choir tradition of audience participation with Philip successfully teaching the audience to sing "This Old Freedom Train" in a round while the collection was made for supported charity Camberley Care.
We were particularly pleased to welcome 13 new members as a result of our "A Pie, A Pint and A Song" recruitment event. With just six weeks tuition they were able to join in a great number of the items and definitely contributed to the overall improved quality of the sound and enjoyment for the audience.
Guest performers, Cactus Brass, treated the audience to two sets of three items, some familiar, some new, and even included a medley of Abba tunes.
- Helping Camberley Care celebrate 50th anniversary
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Date Posted: Thu, 16 May 2024
We are very pleased to be invited to entertain the staff and volunteers behind the Camberley Care charity at their 50th anniversary celebrations.
Camberley Care offers essential and safe transport for older people and those in the community who need support in Camberley and Frimley. Camberley Care's team of volunteer drivers regularly transport clients to and from Doctors and Dentists, Hospitals and Clinics, Opticians and Podiatrists, Day Centres and Nursing Homes, Family Friends and Social Occasions. They have been operating for 50 years in 2024 and their aim is to assist independent living, helping clients and their loved ones to enjoy life at home for as long as possible. They also offer a reliable and low cost handyman service for small jobs around the home.
We will be supporting Camberley Care as our local charity for our upcoming Summer Concert.
- Summer Concert will support Camberley Care and feature new members plus guests Cactus Brass
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Date Posted: Tue, 14 May 2024
May 14, 2024 – Hampshire and Surrey Hills Men’s Choir is pleased to announce that their summer concert will be performed at High Cross Church in Camberley on 28th June to support the Camberley Care charity. The concert will feature guest performers, Cactus Brass, a brass group that will bring even more fun into a great evening of music and support for a very worthwhile local cause.
Camberley Care are a local charity which offers essential and safe transport for older people and those in the community who need support when travelling to and from appointments of all sorts. They have a team of volunteer drivers plus a low-cost handyman service and are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year.
Cactus Brass consists of 8 core brass players, and, like Hampshire and Surrey Hills Men’s Choir, they have an ethos of having fun as well as making good music. A perfect match!
The choir is also welcoming a whole new set of men into the fun of singing in a choir. The recent first “A Pie, A Pint and A Song” taster evening was hugely successful and as a result around 15 new singers are expected to take part in some numbers at the concert with the full choir. They are being coached in singing in a choir with a series of Introductory workshops run by the choirs Musical Director, Philip Viveash-Brainch, and are already sounding great.
Announcing the concert, choir Chairman, Peter Viveash, said “We are very excited about our concert in June. It is a great combination of new and established choir members, new songs, and a fun guest group all in support of a wonderful local charity.”
The Summer Concert is on Friday 28th June at 7:30 p.m. in High Cross Church, Knoll Road, Camberley. Tickets are available at High Cross reception or via trybooking.co.uk/DLUG.Camberley Care
Camberley Care offers essential and safe transport for older people and those in the community who need support in Camberley and Frimley.
Cactus Brass began life as a quartet in 2002 in the Rushmoor area, rapidly becoming a traditional brass quintet performing both locally and abroad. We now consist of 8 core players meaning that we can adapt to suit almost any occasion and location, from bandstands and fetes to weddings and formal ceremonies, and love nothing more than playing on a concert platform and raising money for charity.
Camberley Care's team of volunteer drivers regularly transport clients to and from Doctors and Dentists, Hospitals and Clinics, Opticians and Podiatrists, Day Centres and Nursing Homes, Family Friends, and Social Occasions.
We have been operating for 50 years in 2024 and our aim is to assist independent living, helping you and your loved ones to enjoy life at home for as long as possible. We also offer a reliable and low-cost handyman service for small jobs around the home.
Cactus Brass
We are a fun group who enjoy what we do, and hope others enjoy us too. The story behind the name Cactus Brass is that, rehearsing in our own homes, we needed somewhere to empty our water. A readily available (almost dead) cactus became the obvious place. The cactus is now thriving but the debate as to whether it is because of the water, or our playing is ongoing!
- "A Pie and A Pint and a Song" attracts many new singers
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Date Posted: Tue, 30 Apr 2024
On Monday 29th April we held our first "A Pie, a Pint and a Song" Taster evening at Camberley Heath Golf Club. 17 men interested in trying out singing in a Men's Choir, many for the first time, joined 24 of the Hampshire and Surrey Hills Men's Choir singers for a combined social evening and singing workshop. Two sessions led by our Music Director Philip Viveash-Brainch introduced the newcomers to vocal techniques and how to sing in multiple parts in a choir with some fun items and in the break between them the guests were able to quiz existing choir members about what it is really like! All this with a free drink plus delicious shepherds pie snack. Following an explanation of next steps, the evening was rounded off with a performance of "Londonderry Air" (aka "Danny Boy") by the existing choir members to demonstrate what you can achieve.
The newcomers are now invited to take part in six weeks of rehearsals, including further singing introduction lessons from Philip, culminating in partciiapation in the Choir's Summer Concert on 28th June at High Cross in Camberley.
- The Hope Hub Variety Show
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Date Posted: Wed, 17 Apr 2024
We were delighted to be asked to feature in the first Variety Show hosted by The Hope Hub at Camberley Theatre on Sunday 14th April. We performed a 20 minute set including a variety of styles - "Puttin' On The Ritz", "Silent Worship", "Yesterday", "What Would I Do Without My Music", "Londonderry Air" and "When The Saints Go Marching In". Many of us were accosted in the interval to be told how much the audience loved our singing!
Other acts on the programme were Rickie B, singing Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin songs, The Secret Stage School showing dance and stage skills, 4 in a Bar - a saxaophone quartet who guested at our summer concert last year, singer Bruno Santino with painist Joanna Monrtague-Smith, acoustic guitarist Abi Powell and singer Lizzie Brignall.
The Hope Hub is a registered charity dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in Surrey Heath Borough and surrounding areas who we have been proud to support in the last year. The evening was a great success and raised around £2,600 for the charity.
- Entertaining shoppers in Farnborough
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Date Posted: Mon, 15 Apr 2024
On Saturday 13th April we followed up our successfull 'Sing Out' in Camberley with one in Farnborough Princes Mead shopping centre.. Once again we ran through a short list of items twice over the hour or so we were there, much to the enjoyment of local shoppers. A particular hit was "Puttin' On The Ritz", but we noticed a number of bystanders mouthing along to the words of a number of the songs such as "Don't Fence Me In", and "Molly Malone" . Roger Hacker and MIke Charlesworth did sterling work handing out flyers for our "A Pie, A Pint and A Song" taster evening at the end of April - so we are looking forward to a good turnout!
- Entertaining Camberley Shoppers on St. Patricks Day
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Date Posted: Mon, 18 Mar 2024
On Sunday 17th March members of the choir gathered at The Square in Camberley at noon and gave two 15 mins recitals to the shoppers passing by. As a nod to "Paddy's Day" we included "Molly Malone" in the set! It was very well received – lots of enthusiastic applause. Roger H and his “gang” gave out flyers advertising the Pie & Pint taster event. Some people actually came up to Roger H and ASKED for a leaflet. The ad-hoc choir truly enjoyed ourselves, and we are looking forward to introducing the shoppers in Farnborough to the choir on 13th April. Attachment:
- A Pie, A Pint and A song Taster Evening
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Date Posted: Wed, 6 Mar 2024
The Hampshire and Surrey Hills men's Choir is now opening its doors to any man interested in having a go at singing by holding a free “Pie and a Pint and a Song” taster evening at Camberley Heath Golf Club on Monday 29th April. There is no audition to join in, no need to be able to read music and everyone will enjoy a free drink, a snack and a short singing session guided by the choir’s exceptional Musical Director, Philip Viveash-Brainch.
Pre-booking is required (for catering numbers) - go to https://www.trybooking.com/uk/54204 or click on this QR code:
- The Odds becomes Hampshire and Surrey Hills Men's Choir
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Date Posted: Mon, 4 Mar 2024
The Rushmoor Male Voice Choir has announced that it is being renamed the “Hampshire and Surrey Hills Men’s Choir” to reflect today’s reality and is embarking on a major recruitment drive to boost numbers as the choir develops further going forward.
A men’s choir nicknamed “The Odd Fellows” was created by “Aldershot’s Mister Music, Geoff Waller in 1960 to compete in the Aldershot Music Festival. The name was coined because the choir comprised an odd fellow from here and an odd fellow from there. What was initially intended as a single event group soon became an established choir that has continued to perform and raise money for local good causes over the last 64 years.
During that period the choir was occasionally renamed to reflect its activity at the time, and most latterly was known as the Rushmoor Male Voice Choir or the Rushmoor Odd Fellows Male Voice Choir. Today the choir draws its members from, and performs regularly, across both Surrey and Hampshire so decided to mark the start of a new phase in its development by updating the name to reflect this reality.
Announcing the development, choir Chairman, Peter Viveash, said “We are welcoming new members from a wider area now, and are being invited to perform outside the Rushmoor district so we felt that should be reflected in our name. In addition, the “Odd Fellows” nickname was a bit confusing for anyone who didn’t know our history.” He added “What hasn’t changed though is the ethos of the choir that has been with us since 1960. It is the club-like atmosphere of men having fun singing well and raising money for local charities.”
The choir is now opening its doors to any man interested in having a go at singing by holding a free “Pie and a Pint and a Song” taster evening at Camberley Heath Golf Club on Monday 29th April. There is no audition to join in, no need to be able to read music and everyone will enjoy a free drink, a snack and a short singing session guided by the choir’s exceptional Musical Director, Philip Viveash-Brainch. Alternatively, anyone is welcome to visit a rehearsal – they take place each Monday evening from 7:30 p.m. at North Camp Methodist Church Hall in Farnborough. Further details for the taster evening or rehearsals are on the choir’s new website at https://www.hampshireandsurreyhillsmenschoir.org.uk
- First outing for new songs at Sindlesham
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Date Posted: Wed, 28 Feb 2024
For our first performance of 2024 we stepped outside of the borders of Hampshire and Surrey into Royal Berkshire. The concert was hosted by the Berkshire Freemasons at the Masonic Centre in Sindlesham on Saturday 17th February. The concert raised about £1,000 to support the choir and The Friends of Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh Court, a nursing and care home
A full audience were treated to our first public performance of three new musical items, the cowboy song "Don't Fence Me In", the sea shanty "Leave Her Johnny Leave Her" and "Silent Worship" from Handel's opera Tolomeo - a truly wide range of musical styles! Other items included a number of old favourites - "With A Voice Of Singing", "Speed Your Journey", "Yesterday", "What A Wonderful World", "Working Man", "American Trilogy", "What Would I Do Without My Music", "Morte Christe", "Londonderry Air" and rounded off with a rousing performance of "When The Saints Go Marching In".
The concert also featured guest performances by guitarist and singer Richard Costello who sang a selection from artists such as Johnny Cash, Simon and Garfunkle, The Beatles, and Don McLean.
- Choir raises over £1,000 for Farnham ASSIST
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Date Posted: Mon, 22 Jan 2024
Presenting the donation, choir Chairman, Peter Viveash, said “We are very glad to support Farnham ASSIST, as many of our members are only too aware of the potential dangers of isolation as you get older”. Farnham ASSIST is a charity that has for over 20 years offered support to older people in Farnham who live alone or are carers who may become isolated from friends and neighbours. It offers a range of events and activities for around 200 people in the area.
Accepting the donation on behalf of Farnham ASSIST, Rodney Bates said “We are absolutely delighted to partner with the Choir for their Christmas Concert and extremely grateful for their support towards our local charity. This money will directly go towards supporting older people in Farnham living alone and enabling opportunities to enjoy activities together. Many of our clients and volunteers also came to the concert and greatly enjoyed the evening. We would like to thank the Choir and wish them well in their future community endeavours.”
The Hampshire and Surrey Hills Men's Choir is kicking off the new year with a major focus on recruiting men singers to join in the fun of singing in a choir. With three new members already in the first couple of weeks the future is looking bright, but anyone interested is welcome to come along to a rehearsal to try it out – there is no audition or need to even read music. For details of when and where the rehearsals are, or for further information about joining the choir, email mensingingtogether@gmail.com.YouTube Video URL:
