Member List Previous concerts and events Choir Roles Rehearsals Additional recordings Safeguarding Policy
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR ALL MEMBERS
Subscriptions
The annual subscription for 2023/24 will be £130 p.a. For singers who are under 20 and/or in full-time education it is £65. If you are a taxpayer, Gift Aid allows the choir to benefit from reclaimed tax; the Treasurer has Gift Aid forms. Members are expected to commit for the whole year. A member who needs to be absent from the choir for a period and who has not made arrangements to pay in full is liable to be re-auditioned before resuming membership.
The annual subscription rate is to be recommended by the Committee to the AGM for approval.
It is normally payable in full within one month of the AGM (i.e. usually by mid November); payment in two or three instalments may be made by special arrangement with the Treasurer.
Payment by bank transfer (the preferred option) as detailed below.
Payee Account Name: EAST CORNWALL BACH CHOIR
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(REG CHARITY NUMBER 1024388)
Account No: 00022771
Sort Code: 40-52-40
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Please use your initials as a reference and subs, tickets or subs and tickets.
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Alternatively you may pay by cheque made payable to East Cornwall Bach Choir (written in full and not 'ECBC') or cash (please pass to the Treasurer in an envelope with your name on it).
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For further information please contact the Treasurer, Elizabeth Nodder telephone 07810597328 or email Enodder@hotmail.com
Non-payment will be deemed to be a resignation, and a choir place will be lost.
Any intended resignation is to be notified in writing/by email to the Secretary at least 4 weeks prior to the AGM, otherwise a full subscription is due. Resignations thereafter due to unforeseen domestic/compelling compassionate circumstances will be considered on an individual basis. Any member wishing for a leave of absence beyond the customary permitted rehearsal absences whilst retaining membership needs to notify the Committee and the Musical Director (MD) in writing/by email to allow full consideration of the circumstances.
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Rehearsals and Commitment
Weekly rehearsals until the end of December 2023 are being held at Liskeard Methodist Church hall. From January 2024 they will be held at the Church of Our Lady and St Neot, 2 West Street, Liskeard (opposite the Town Hall). The rehearsals take place on Wednesday evenings from 7.30pm – 9.30pm, normally running from September until June. Choir members are expected to attend every rehearsal but it is accepted that health and personal circumstances may occasionally prevent this. Please let ECBC know if you have to be away: apologies should be submitted online using the Apologies Form or by contacting your Section Rep.
If three or more rehearsals are missed within a term then the MD must be informed; the MD, in liaison with the Committee, will decide whether or not that member can perform in the concert being prepared for.
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There are sometimes extra rehearsals as a concert approaches and the afternoon of a concert is usually given over to rehearsing. You will be given a rehearsal schedule. All members are expected to commit to attending every performance. The current pattern is three concerts a year, in December, March and June. In the event of being unable to take part in a performance due to unforeseen circumstances or personal commitments you must discuss this with our MD. Choir members are expected to come well-prepared for each rehearsal so that continuous progress can be made. After any absences it is expected that members will attempt to catch up on anything they missed, by asking a friend, Section Rep or Committee member for details.
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Please bring a pencil and rubber to all rehearsals. During rehearsals, please do not talk whilst another voice is being rehearsed, and refrain from tapping your foot.
ECBC holds an annual workshop for the choir (usually on a Saturday morning) to cover such things as vocal technique, exercises, and ensemble singing. All members are expected to attend this workshop as part of the annual subscription goes towards the cost of this event.
ECBC also holds an annual fund-raising Singing Day (usually on a Saturday) for members of the public. All choir members are strongly encouraged to attend this event, and to do their best to make the details known to friends and their local communities. The MD and Chair must be notified if members cannot attend.
New Members and Auditions
Any prospective new member should be asked to apply via the ECBC website, or contact the Chair (Ruth Atkinson - jatkinsonhp@gmail.com)
Initial auditions take place within two or three weeks of the first attendance. Established choir members may be re-auditioned from time to time.
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Members' conduct
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Throughout its history members of the East Cornwall Bach Choir have always behaved politely and respectfully towards one another. Please be aware that the committee reserves the right to ask any person to leave the choir should their behaviour towards others become a cause for concern.
Music
Music is usually available on loan for free, though you may be asked to purchase some frequently-used anthologies. The Choir Librarians have responsibility for hiring, allocating and returning music copies. Choir members are expected to take good care of hired music and to return it in good condition to the Librarian at the end of the relevant concert. Members will be charged for lost or damaged copies.
Concert Diary
The diary is normally available in October as a handout and on our website and gives the choir’s concert commitments, dates, venues etc. Please help distribute the diary to potential audience members.
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Concert Dress & Folders
Men: Black shirt and black trousers, black socks and shoes. OR black dinner jacket, white shirt and black bow tie (both needed, for use on specific occasions).
Women: All black: full-length black skirt/dress or evening trousers (not jeans), black blouse or top (full length sleeves, not three quarter or short sleeves), black shoes.
You will need a black folder for your music for some performances; see Jane Asquith (alto) for this.
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Choir Jobs
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The work of the committee (see below) is supported by the membership: every member of ECBC is expected to contribute at some time to the organisation of at least one concert or special event each year. There are specific jobs to volunteer for or you might express a preference for an area of activity e.g. stage management, refreshments, IT and internet, sponsorship and advertising. A full list, including who currently does what, and where the vacancies are, is shown here. It is usually reviewed annually at the AGM. Please volunteer your help to the Chair or a Committee member.
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Your data
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In line with the 2018 General Data Protection Regulation, ECBC undertakes an annual check on the data we handle in the interests of ECBC. We collect your personal information to keep our ECBC records up to date and to communicate with you about matters relating to the choir. We will always keep your data safe and secure.
Annually we will ask for your consent for ECBC to hold and process your personal data for the purpose outlined above.
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Section Representatives
Corinne Collinson - Sopranos | corinne6054@gmail.com | 07908 535079
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Bella Tyson - Altos | 01208-873750
Jane West - Tenors | janeme868@gmail.com
Chris Smirthwaite - Basses | smiledoc2@aol.com | H: 01208-73101 M: 07773-678240
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The Section Representative’s role is to communicate information to their section members (and vice versa), to pass on latest developments or information on extra rehearsals or change of venue etc., especially if a singer has missed a rehearsal. Most communication to members is now done by email from the Secretary, but Section Reps will pass on important information by telephone or on paper to those who do not receive emails. Please let your Section Rep know if you need this communication. Section Reps are also a conduit to the committee. If you have concerns or suggestions and cannot speak to a Committee member, please talk with your Section Rep who will pass on your ideas to the Committee.
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Tickets for Concerts
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We ask all choir members to sell at least two tickets for each concert. ECBC aims to achieve a high quality of performance by employing a professional conductor together with professional soloists and instrumentalists. The expenditure for this is considerably in excess of our income from subscriptions and patrons so audiences of 200 or more are very desirable financially.
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Annual General Meeting
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The AGM is usually held after a shortened rehearsal during October; there will be reports from the MD, Chair and others. The Treasurer will provide information about the income and expenditure, including accounts for the previous season, a draft budget, and recommended subscription rates for the current season. Committee officers and members are elected.
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Constitution & Committee
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A copy of the Constitution is available to view here. It has been approved by The Charity Commission, and is registered with them. ECBC has a Committee comprised of the Chair, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, and at least three other members. The Committee is responsible for the efficient organisation of the choir, and for its continuing well-being. It welcomes your feedback, new ideas and constructive comments, so please come and share them with any Committee member. Approaches to any member of the Committee should be addressed to the Chair, at present Ruth Atkinson on jatkinsonhp@gmail.com who will pass the email to the relevant Committee member.
The Chair communicates from time to time, via the Secretary, to let members know about concerts and any other relevant information. A paper copy of the minutes of Committee meetings (other than any which may be confidential) are available on request to the Secretary.
Committee members for 2023/24 are shown below.
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Chair | Ruth Atkinson | Soprano
Honorary Treasurer | Elizabeth Nodder | Alto
Honorary Secretary | Helen Thorley | Soprano
Concert Manager | Bryony Dorrington | Soprano
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Stage Manager | Chris Smirthwaite | Bass
Publicity Coordinator | Gill Carey | Alto
Patrons’ Secretary | Nicky Walker | Alto
ECBC Scholarship fund
You may wish to consider applying for an ECBC choral scholarship. This offers free choir membership for a year and singing lessons from qualified teachers funded by the ECBC Scholarship Fund. Full details are available on the Scholarships page of this website. If you are interested your section rep will point you in the right direction, or talk to Peter Matthews, Bass.
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