Chepstow Choral Society held its 2008 Annual General Meeting recently, which was one of the best attended for some years.

Eric Taylor (chairman), Sarah Whitehead (secretary), Doug Lawrence (treasurer) and Jean Parkes (membership secretary) were all re-elected unopposed for a further term of office, along with other current committee members. Several new committee members were also proposed and elected.

The first major concert of the year will be the Society’s annual Christmas Music and Carols show, which will take place at St Mary’s Priory Church, Chepstow on Saturday, December 13, commencing at 7.30pm.  The Society will be joined by Wyedean School choir, (directed by Pat Allard), and well-known local soprano Lindsay Kidd, with Peter Cook, (organ), and Marjorie Duerden, (piano) providing the accompaniments.  As well as singing some solo items, Lindsay will join with the choir for one of their choral pieces. There will also be several family carols for audience participation, and a selection of seasonal readings, ranging from serious to humorous.

 The whole programme will be directed by Graham Bull, the Society’s musical director, and will be an excellent forerunner to the Christmas festival period. Tickets will be available from Chepstow Bookshop and through choir members. Please telephone 01291 623310, 620414 or 424725 for further information, or visit the Society’s website: www.chepstowchoralsociety.org.uk.

The Society is pleased to report that they have been able to welcome several new members since the commencement of the new season. It is still a fact, however, that any four-part chorus needs singing members of all voices – and this includes tenors and basses! Anyone interested in becoming a singing member should contact Marjorie Duerden (tel. 01291 623310) for details about the musical schedule and singing membership. Rehearsals take place on Wednesday evenings during school term time, in the Drama Room at Chepstow Leisure Centre, 7.30pm.

If you enjoy singing, have recently moved into the area and sung with a choir previously, or have decided that it is time for you to resurrect your musical life, we would be delighted to hear from you. The Society will only survive and continue to thrive with new members – and their supporters! – and will thus be able to continue to provide Chepstow and its surrounding area with a varied programme each season of choral singing,  professional soloists and instrumentalists.