Join Us

JOIN US

If you would like to sing in a choir come and join Bingham and District Choral Society. We sing three concerts in each season, which starts in September. We don’t hold auditions – if you can read music it will make it easier for you, but we welcome anyone who is keen to sing.

Our rehearsals will take place between 7.15pm and 9.30pm on WEDNESDAYS during school term time, at CARNARVON PRIMARY SCHOOL, Nursery Road, Bingham, NG13 8EH. This will include a 20 minute break. Tea/coffee and biscuits are available during the interval for a donation of 40p.

Our concerts are usually in November, December (our Christmas special), May and July, although this schedule remains flexible. The best time to join is when we start to rehearse new works, usually in September and January. New members are invited to try us out for three weeks free of charge. If you are unsure, or haven’t sung in a choir before, we have a mentor for each singing part, who can help to get you orientated.

Membership for the 2025/6 season (now including music hire) is £155 (and if paid in two instalments will be £85 in September and £70 in November 2025). We invite young people in full-time education to join the choir for a nominal fee of £1 per annum.

In addition to our musical activities, we enjoy a range of social activities which help us to raise funds so that we can continue to afford professional soloists and orchestral support for our concerts.

Contact us by e-mail for further information:
choir@binghamchoral.org.uk or ring Valerie Morgan (Choir Secretary) on 0115 933 2353.

Click here for an application form

NB RETURNING MEMBERS A completed form is only required if contact or Gift Aid details have changed. Otherwise please send payment only.

NEW MEMBERS We are happy to allow 3 weeks to settle in before payment is due. Please send completed form only.

REHEARSALS

Rehearsals take place on Wednesdays at 7:15pm, Carnarvon Primary School, Nursery Road, Bingham, NG13 8EH. If you have always wanted to join a choir then why not come along and see how rehearsals work. If you don’t know what voice part you sing we can quickly establish that so we can make sure you are sitting with others in the same voice range. We are always short of male tenors!

Janet Chapman, a longstanding member and now our Chair, describes how she has benefited from being part of the choir

” I had done no singing since student days but by joining Bingham at a friend’s suggestion, I rediscovered the fulfilment it gives, not only for the uplift, challenges and fun of regular rehearsals, but the deep joy of getting to know and better understand wonderful works of music as well as having the satisfaction and reward of performing the

BDCS SINGING DAYS

BDCS has a proud tradition of holding an open day for singers every year. Anyone and everyone is invited to come along to sing under the guidance of an expert choral conductor. This raises welcome funds for the choir but, more importantly, provides fun, learning and inspiration for participants, some subsequently deciding to join us more permanently. Inevitably, the tradition was broken during the pandemic but it was revived in 2024 when the great Bob Chilcott agreed to lead a day. In 2025, BDCS’ own distinguished conductor, Dr Stephen Bullamore, designed and led a hugely successful event under the banner of Getting a Handle on Handel.

A Singing Day with Stephen Bullamore, Saturday 5th July 2025

Stephen describes how he planned the day:

‘I’m a great fan of Handel’s oratorios. They have such drama and the music
illustrates the stories so effectively. So, I was delighted to be asked to
lead the day, “Getting a Handle on Handel”. I spent a bit of time looking at
oratorios I had previously performed and listening to those I hadn’t
previously engaged with. I wanted to give a broad overview of the variety of
Handel’s writing, as well as giving tasters of a wide variety of works. I
also ruled out the most challenging choruses – we didn’t want to get bogged
down in too much detail on the day. I ended up with a shortlist of about 24
choruses, which I then whittled down to give a coherent structure. It was
quite a fun, if rather time-consuming process!’

Stephen’s design plus the detailed logistical planning carried out by the BDCS committee drew a warm and enthusiastic response from participants. As always, the support of our brilliant accompanist, Michael Overbury, was essential to the day’s success. Feedback from participants included the following:

‘We cannot fault the day at all. So much had been thought through. The organisation on the day was excellent. The number of and balance between singing and break sessions was spot on! The delivery and content of the teaching was brilliant. Timing and pace were perfect. It was engaging and challenging, informative and humourous. From the moment we approached the church doors we were warmly greeted and then made to feel welcome throughout the whole day. In other words a big thank you to all involved. Please let us know if you have another one. Perhaps. “Getting the “mozt” out of Mozart” might be an idea?’

An amazing array of cakes and biscuits for sale, baked by BDCS members, added to the feeling of well-being, and many purchases were made from the CD and music table. Together with the fees paid by participants, a handsome sum was raised for choir funds.

A Singing Day with Bob Chilcott, Saturday 24th February