The Oriel Singers are looking forward to a new term of performances, which gets underway in late October.

The award-winning Cheltenham-based choir will be performing at Upton-upon-Severn on Saturday 20th October, the first of many concert performances in late 2018 and early 2019. Kirsty Winnan has been a part of the vocal group for 15 years and says her enthusiasm for the new term remains the same as when she first joined the choir.

“There’s always so much excitement ahead of our first performance of a new term,” she said. “We began rehearsing in early September and we’ll be building towards our upcoming performances in the weeks ahead,” Kirsty added.

There can be few choirs in Gloucestershire as successful as the Oriel Singers, who won the prestigious BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year in 2005. Kirsty had just joined the choir prior to their triumphant performance at The Lowry in Salford, which she remembers with great clarity.

She continued: “It was a fantastic evening, everyone who was there still talks about it all these years later! It was a real surprise because we hadn’t entered too many competitions prior to that. We worked incredibly hard in the months and weeks leading up to the event, we had to learn two new programmes off by heart which was a real challenge, especially with the TV cameras on us.

“We were up against some supremely talented choirs which made winning even more special. The bus journey back from Salford was fantastic, we had quite a party. Winning that award opened so many doors for us, we were asked to perform a specially commissioned piece in a concert at Tewkesbury Abbey which featured The Orlando Consort and was one of the most special performances I can remember.”

The Oriel Singers meet every week for rehearsals, a chance for the 30 members to work on their repertoire ahead of a busy autumn and winter schedule. Kirsty continued: “A lot of us have been in the choir for a very long time.

“We’re all very supportive of each other, we sing at each other’s weddings and really look out for each other. It’s a bit like an extended family really, we all get on really well and help each other along.”

Any successful choir needs a top-class conductor and the Oriel Singers are certainly no different. Ben Sawyer has been leading the Oriel Singers for the past three years and in that time has had a major impact on the output of the choir.

Kirsty Added: “Ben has made such a significant impact on the choir, he’s a supremely talented conductor who has taken us to another level. He hasn’t been with us too long but in that time has worked wonders.”

The Oriel Singers have sung at all the leading music venues in Gloucestershire, with one particular venue being a favourite for Kirsty. She continued: “I’ve always loved singing in Tewkesbury Abbey, it’s such an iconic building. We recently performed there alongside the Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra and the Saint Cecilia Singers to commemorate the ending of the First World War.

“It was a fantastic concert, one of the many occasions that you feel so lucky to be part of such a talented choir. There’s a lot of adrenaline that courses through your veins before and during a performance and the moments after you finish singing are a real thrill.”