The Cirencester Male Voice Choir will this month be hosting their ‘Midwinter Medley’ to raise money for the Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice.

The concert will also include the Cirencester Community Choir, the Cirencester Singers and the Corinium Community Choir.

Tony Golics, concert secretary at the Cirencester Male Voice Choir, briefly explained the history of the choir.

He said: “In terms of male voice choirs, we’re in our infancy. In fact, next year will be our ten-year anniversary and we’ll be holding a special concert in September for that.

“We hold several concerts a year, and in terms of new members there’s no auditions, we just encourage people to come along, sing and we’ll slot you in somewhere depending on your voice type.

“We’re very fortunate to have a talented and professional music team comprising of our Music Director Jules Addison and accompanist Lorraine Wild who are continually bringing about improvements in our performances"

In preparation for their upcoming anniversary, the choir transformed Cirencester Parish Church into recording studio, and recorded a special CD to celebrate their ten years together.

The Cirencester Male Voice Choir is used to singing alongside other groups, and Tony believes that these special joint concerts benefit both the performers and the audience.

He continued: “We often get asked to perform at other concerts around this time of year, so this year thought we’d arrange our own!

“Long concerts can be demanding on the voice, and having a few choirs get together and perform helps us and also makes it more entertaining for the audience. We’ve got a nice blend of styles with the different choirs and it should make for a great evening.”

Vicky Sweeney, leader of the Cirencester Community Choir, is excited for the concert and the chance to help a local cause.

She added: “We’re a choir that’s all about getting together and having fun, having a good time and singing for local charities.

“We were asked by Cirencester Male Voice Choir and it’s going to be great to get together with all the different choirs under one roof." 

Vicky founded the Community Choir in 2010 and encourages anyone interested in giving singing a go to get involved.

She continued: “We sing a huge variety of different styles of music, including pop, folk, gospel and World Music. We meet on Thursdays at the Ashcroft Centre and all voices are welcome.

“There are no auditions or solos and we have four experienced voice leaders who will have you singing fabulous harmonies in minutes!”

The Cirencester Community Choir have been busy rehearsing in the build up to the concert, and Vicky reveals what is in store for their performance.

She said: “We had two weeks off in October but since our return we’ve been working hard practising our set.

“We’re going to be singing some well-known festive songs from this country and also some unusual numbers from other parts of the world”.

The Midwinter Medley will take place on Saturday 15th December at Cirencester Baptist Church, and like Vicky, Tony can’t wait for it.

He added: “We’re going to have a grand finale with around 130 singers from all the choirs together.

“It’ll give the audience a chance to stand up and join in too. It’s their smiles and applause at the end of a show that really gives us a reward and sense of purpose.”