Choir

Beckington Village Choir

Beckington Village Choir was formed in 1996 through the Leisure Links 'Arts in Mendip Villages Programme 2000'. These leisure links Arts programmes were set up to run for 4 years, from January 1996 to the year 2000. Their aim was to involve Mendip villages in various areas of the arts.

Leisure Links appointed Rupert Bevan as the first conductor and the choir started off with 12 members. Rupert conducted the choir for 2 years.

Ruth Phillips - former Head of Music at Frome College - who lives in the village, took over as conductor from Rupert Bevan. The choir is now conducted by David Simmonds, a local composer and conductor, who is a member of the Association of British Choral Directors. The choir is very pleased to have their former conductor Ruth Phillips as their pianist. Beckington Choir is an SATB mixed choir, with a membership of around 35 singers, of all ages and they perform two concerts a year, one in June and one in January. In addition to our two concerts we sing at carol services and at the annual Remembrance Day Service, in St. George’s Church, Beckington.

Membership of the choir is open to all singers of any ability and there are no auditions. The main requirement for membership is a love of making music in an atmosphere of relaxed fun. The choir welcomes new members of all voices, including complete beginners who have never sung before and who, perhaps, cannot read music; the choir has a voluntary programme of educational events to teach interested members how to read music and the rudiments of music theory. The choir urgently wishes to recruit more men, both tenors and basses. Those interested in joining the choir, or just coming along to have a taste of what singing with the choir is like, are invited to contact David Simmonds 01761 419367.

The choir sings a wide range of music from light (songs from the shows etc.) to the more serious classical repertoire. Christmas 2006 saw the choir give the first performance of David Simmonds' "Away in a Manger" written for the choir, as well as a fine performance of the sublime "O Magnum Mysterium" by the American composer Morten Lauridson, in St. George's Church Beckington. At Christmas 2007 the choir gave the first performance of David Simmonds' "While shepherds watched", also written for the choir.

The choir sang “The Prayer of Richard of Chichester” by Malcolm Archer and David Ogden's “We will remember them” at the Royal British Legion Remembrance Day service in St. George's Church, Beckington.

The choir sang Choral Matins in St. George’s Beckington in March 2009 and this was a new experience for most of the members and also for the congregation. To mark the occasion the Choir’s Musical Director, David Simmonds, wrote new settings of the Te Deum and Jubilate Deo, for the choir to premiere at the service. The anthem was Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks” by Herbert Howells.

The choir’s winter concert was performed to a packed Memorial Hall, in February and featured a wide range of music, including “Sure on the Shining Night” a beautiful piece by Morten Lauridson, whose music the choir loves to sing.

The choir meets on Thursday evenings in Beckington Memorial Hall, at 7.45 to 9.30 p.m. We are preparing for two performances: a guest spot in the St. George’s day concert in St. George’s Church on 23^rd April; and our Summer Concert in the Memorial Hall, on 12^th June at 7.30pm.