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As last year, some members of Harrow Choral Society sang for and with the children of Coteford’s Infant School on Wednesday 3rd December as part of their Christmas assembly. The children sang and signed the words for Star Carol and played the jingle bells for Jingle Bells. A triumph were the four children who played imaginary trumpets for the trumpet fanfare introducing O Come All Ye Faithful. Yet the true highlight was when Anna Gorbachyova, mother of one of the Reception children and a professional soprano and singing teacher, sang the solo of Rejoice from Handel’s Messiah. The children just sat and listened with rapt attention!

Congratulations to Mary Myzer, teacher and Music Lead at Coteford Infants’ School and HCS alto for organising the event and conducting the choir and children. Also to Anna Mitchell, professional pianist and also a HCS alto, who accompanied us with aplomb! As Ariene, another, yes, alto, member of HCS said ‘Fabulous! Thanks Mary for having us, had the best morning. And it turns out the secret to the largest of pumpkin faces is tinsel and singing with an audience of animated little minds!’ For those not in the know, pumpkin faces equate communicating the joy of singing and performance to our audience!

The Open Rehearsal for Patrons and Sponsors is now a regular event in our calendar. On this occasion the invitation was extended to anyone interested in observing the choir at work in preparation for its Christmas Celebration on Saturday 13 December at 5.30 pm in Harrow School Speech Room. It was lovely to see some of the guests joining in with the singing and the provision of refreshments during the break also contributed towards a very enjoyable evening!

We are extremely grateful for the financial - and moral! - support that our Patrons and Sponsors provide. Anyone interested in supporting us in this way can find out more about the scheme at patrons@harrowchoral.org.uk

Harrow Choral Society’s Come & Sing Elijah - a great success!

On Saturday 15th November we welcomed some 50 members and guests to our second Come & Sing event in recent years, rehearsing a number of choruses from Mendelssohn’s Elijah. This included the much loved Blessed are the men who fear Him and He, watching over Israel, and everyone enjoyed the ‘angelic’ rendition of Lift thine eyes. Jenny Sterling, who will be our Guest Music Director next term, led us expertly in Sam Evans’ unavoidable absence. After the consumption of much tea and cake in the afternoon interval, we sang through all the pieces rehearsed to a select audience which included our Vice President Ian Caley and his wife.

Thank you to everyone involved in the organisation of this much appreciated event.

St Dominic’s Sixth Form College held its annual Autumn concert for Remembrance Week in support of the Royal British Legion.

The concert opened with a composition God moves in a Mysterious Way by the former head of maths, Patrick Miles, featuring soprano Janet Oates singing over an orchestral accompaniment and conducted by student Eva Rubin. This was followed by solo items from three second year music students : Abigail Kacki (piano), Eva Rubin (classical guitar) and Kelly Fernandes (solo).

The college choir, supported by members of HCS, then sang James Macmillan’s Be Who God Meant You To Be with student Grace Sheehan singing the soprano solo. This piece was commissioned especially for St Dom’s and Grace’s beautifully clear voice and expressive performance brought out all its poignancy. The concert ended with a performance by the choir of Schubert’s Mass in G, accompanied by string quartet and Paul Ayres on the organ. The solos were sung by Celeste Reed (soprano) and student Qaiz Rodrigues (baritone), both of whom were excellent.

It was a privilege for HCS members to be part of this event and especially memorable for the amazingly talented performances by all the students. Congratulations and best wishes to them all!

Harrow Choral Society opened its season with a Workshop at St Alban's church, North Harrow on Saturday, 6th September when guests joined choir members for an enjoyable day of singing and socialising. Music Director Sam Evans guided the singers through A Season to Sing, Joanna Forbes L'Estrange's exciting choral re-imagining of Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

“The event was really well-organised with an efficient and friendly check-in, and clear information about the venue and the timetable for the day. The colour-coded seating helped too, as did the name tags. I settled in very easily and enjoyed the hot drinks and delicious home-made cakes. It was impressive to see how many choir members were actively involved in making the day such a great experience for everyone and the way the whole choir created such a congenial atmosphere.” An enthusiastic Guest!

On Saturday 12th July 2025 some 30 choir members, plus partners and friends, travelled to Cheltenham to rehearse for a concert at St Andrew’s United Reformed Church in aid of their church tower appeal. The concert included John Rutter’s Birthday Madrigals, plus pieces from both our Autumn and Spring concerts.

We had excellent board and lodgings at St. Hilda’s House, Cheltenham Ladies’ College and rehearsed in the historic Lower Hall.

We were very fortunate that, in the unavoidable absence of our MD Sam Evans, Ben Sawyer was available to lead us through the weekend. We enjoyed our rehearsals with him and, despite the extreme heat, the final performance, accompanied by Oliver Lallament, was a great success.

At the concert we were pleased to meet up with our former MD Simon Williams who now lives in Cheltenham. 

A weekend of joyful singing, making and deepening friendships and visiting the beautiful city of Cheltenham! Many thanks to Gill Moss for her superb organisation.

What a night! A full programme of choir and audience carols interspersed with brass performances and readings was enjoyed by a full capacity audience, with wine and mince pies served in the interval. Highlights of the evening were Rutter’s All Bells in Paradise, a jazzy version of Ding Dong merrily on high arranged by Stuart Nicholson and two pieces from A Christmas Special by Alexander L’Estrange.

Guest Reader old Harrovian Simon Williams, better known for his role as Justin Elliott in BBC’s The Archers, told our Music Director Sam Evans ‘they just look so happy’ (as though that’s an unusual thing for a choral society!) and his gasp of genuine delight was to be heard at the end of Jesus Child!

So much positive feedback from audience and choir alike:

‘the concert was beautiful’

‘I very much enjoyed singing the audience carols’

‘I am privileged to have found such a wonderful choir’

‘what an amazing experience, it was such a beautiful sound and I could pick out every word'

‘friends really loved it’

Congratulations to Sam Evans and accompanist Paul Ayres, and thanks to everyone involved in the organisation of this our last concert of the year.