Our songbook
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Following on from our hilarious Tex Mex funder-raiser in 2024 we will be re-visiting our spectacular Oktoberfest meets Sound of Music event of 2022. More on this and our Christmas Carol concert below.
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In our repertoire this year, we will be trying out some choral classics: Vivaldi's Gloria, Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus and also re-running our staple Lord's My Shepherd by Howard Goodall.
For our Oktoberfest Sound of Music extravaganza event we will be covering The Sound of Music, Choral Selection Medley (arr. Clay Warnick) - which includes, Do-re-mi, My Favourite Things, The Sound of Music and Climb Ev'Ry Mountain - as well as standalone versions of The Lonely Goatherd (arr. Mark Brymer) (there's a clip below to whet the appetite) and So Long, Farewell (arr. Ed Lojeski).
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And alongside all that we have the beautiful Seal Lullaby words by Rudyard Kipling music by Eric Whitacre, Skye Boat Song (Robert Louis Stephenson - arr. Jay Althouse), the Carpenter's classic Close to You by the inestimable Burt Bacharach (arr. Milton Rogers) and The Lord Bless You and Keep You by our favourite composer Sir John Rutter.
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Listen to them all on our practice resources pages​, where most of these songs are lined up for you to rehearse at home
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Sound of Music meets Oktoberfest II
Our self indulgent "Sound of Music meets Oktoberfest" singalong fund-raiser mit bratwurst, strudel, steins und wines was a tour de force in 2022 and attracted more than 100 revellers, nuns, dirndl wearers and leder-hosed singers the to Sparsholt Brauhalle.
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Back with a vengeance for 2026, keep Friday 9 October free.
"It's A Christmas Carol"
concert for 2026
Last Christmas we ran our first "A Christmas Carol" fund-raiser at Holy Rood Church Sparsholt, with mince pies and mulled wine starting before and after raising hundreds of pounds of donations for the church​.
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We plan to build on that success with a similar event for 2026 . Join us for a delightful evening of festive cheer at the "It's A Christmas Carol" Concert! Get ready to be transported into the enchanting world of Charles Dickens' classic tale, as we bring the magic of Christmas to life through music and storytelling.
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Gather your loved ones and make your way to the lovely Church of the Holyrood in Sparsholt, where you'll be greeted with twinkling lights and the warmest festive atmosphere.
Arrive early for a welcome drink of mulled wine and mince pies and stay on after.
Songs we tried in the past
We had a go at a fabulous American songbook harmony choral version of Henry Mancini’s Moon River arranged by John Coates, Jr, (as sung by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's) and the powerful spiritual Deep River arranged by Brian Trant. Next on the list is an acapella arrangement of David Bowie’s Life on Mars.
In the repertoire
We love Goodall’s beautiful arrangement of The Lord’s My Shepherd (which most will remember from the Vicar of Dibley) (listen here), a choral arrangement of Bob Dylan’s Make You Feel my Love (which owes more to Adele), and an emotionally-charged Brymer arrangement of Bring Him Home from Les Miserables (listen to the arrangement here). And our passion for Rutter continues with For the Beauty of the Earth, which is popular for our harvest fesitival performances - or whenever!
When we practice
In season we meet at 7:45pm at Childrey Methodist Hall every week for an hour. Please feel free to come along.
Childrey choir
Led by our fantastic choir mistress Mel, we are a mixed choir singing in four parts: soprano, alto, tenor and bass (and occasional baritone). We tackle secular and non-secular pieces, from Rutter to Mancini, from show-tunes to carols. And we’re always looking for new singers.
Join us
Come along to any practice session or fill out the contact us form below. We’d be delighted to meet you and welcome you into the choir.
