To find out more about us, read these answers to
Frequently asked
questions
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What is Winchester Community Choir?
We are a group of people who join together to sing, perform and raise funds for charity. The choir grew out of a series of workshops in 2005 when lots of the participants said they wanted to be part of a choir in Winchester that would be open to all, without audition. Now we meet weekly during term time at The United Church, Jewry Street, Winchester at 7:30pm on Tuesdays.​​
Who are members of the choir?
Some of our members are experienced singers who have been in other choirs, others haven’t sung since school. We particularly welcome members who are new to social singing; don’t worry if you can’t read music as this isn’t necessary to participate in a community choir.
Here's a link to more information about how we learn to sing a song in four-part harmony
Who conducts the choir?
Zack Stephens is our Music Director. Zack is a professional violinist and music teacher based in Andover. His musical journey began at the age of 10 with Hampshire Music Service. His potential was quickly recognised and he was awarded a Hampshire Music Hub Scholar Award. He subsequently graduated from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with a BMus (Hons) in Violin Performance.
He has formed and worked with various string ensembles and in the last 18 month with a choir - the Andover Museum Loft Singers.
More about Zack on his website
What type of songs do you sing?
All sorts - mainly folk, some international songs, gospel, seasonal songs such as carols, and some classical pieces. The focus is on singing for fun. We sing in rounds and unaccompanied harmony arrangements. We don’t have fixed sections of the choir and members are encouraged to move around and try singing various parts for different songs.
So what can I do if I am interested in joining?
Contact us by completing the form on our JOIN US page.
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You will be able to try us out for free for 2 sessions. After that, we ask you to decide whether or not you are going to join the choir.
How much does it cost to join?
From January 2023 the cost of choir membership is £44 per term. We offer a concessionary rate (£36 per term) for students and people who are unemployed or retired. New members benefit from a 20% discount on their first term's subscription.
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Membership subscriptions are paid at the beginning of each term by Direct Debit. Our Membership Secretary will tell you more about this if you decide to join us.
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What do you do with the money?
We are non-profit making. We use the membership fees to pay our Music Director, hire venues for rehearsals and performances and cover our running costs. Accounts are presented to members at the annual general meeting.
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We donate to other charities a proportion of ticket sales and all that we are given in retiring collections at our concerts. Charities that benefit from this are nominated by choir members and approved by the WCC committee.
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The choir has given more than £40,000 to charity over the years. Follow this link to learn more about our fundraising activities...
Why do you rehearse at The United Church?
The Sanctuary upstairs in The United Church is a large well ventilated room with good acoustics. It is also a convenient, city centre venue with lots of nearby parking. We hire the space; the choir isn’t part of the church.
Do I have to attend rehearsal every week?
No, we recognise that people are occasionally unable to attend rehearsals. As a courtesy to other members though, we do ask a level of attendance which will enable the choir repertoire to continue to grow and enable us to prepare for performances. For this reason members are asked to attend at least 75% of the rehearsals each term. Absences of longer than this can be granted, by agreement of committee, in special circumstances but as a general rule attendance at as many rehearsals as possible is encouraged.
And do you perform?
Yes, we enjoy singing in the community and raising money for local charities through concerts and carol singing. WCC has links with other Hampshire community choirs and we’ve sung at concerts in groups of 100+ with them. We plan to continue to perform regularly in the community and welcome suggestions from members for occasions and venues.
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Visit our Concert Archive for more about past concerts and events.
Do I have to perform?
Well, it isn’t compulsory, but we do hope you’ll want to join us for performances as they are great fun. Of course, you will need to be confident that you know the songs before performing, which may take a month or two, but even if you haven’t been in a choir before, Carolyn will get you ready to perform.
How is the choir run?
​The choir was an informal association of its members until March 2022 when we became a registered charity. Our charity trustees are elected by choir members at an annual general meeting. They and our Music Director organise the choir and its activities.
Here is a key documents about our status as a charity. It's our constitution. It's the basis on which we were granted registered charity status.
Our charity number is 1198281. You can see what's on record about us at the Charity Commission HERE.
Can I help to run the choir?
Yes please! There are lots of opportunities to get involved with running the choir, so please let us know if you would like to help.
Our non-singing volunteers are an important part of the WCC family. There are volunteering opportunities, like stewarding at concerts, organising carol singing in nursing homes, or helping with choir admin. Email us at membership@winchestercommunitychoir.com if you are interested