A fab start to 2024!

Happy New Year, everyone!  Yes, we know it's not far off the end of January now, but it still counts, right?!

It's been an action-packed start to 2024 here at More Harmony HQ, with lots going on.  We finalised our repertoire for the year ahead, with some exciting new songs heading our way over the coming months.  From classics by Barry Manilow and Bette Midler, to more modern tunes by Take That and Natasha Bedingfield, we can't wait to get cracking!  Our MD and AMD have already been busy recording teach tracks and we're looking forward to putting together longer and more diverse sets to dazzle our audiences with in 2024.

Speaking of audiences, we'll be giving our first performance of the year on Thursday February 15th, at Wadebridge Ambulance Hall.  This will be a free concert, marking the end of our Love To Sing course, which got off to a fantastic start on January 18th, with some wonderful new singers joining us.  Over the next 3 weeks, we'll be working with our amazing course attendees to learn two songs - Buddy Holly's gorgeous ballad True Love Ways and the exceptionally catchy Uptown Girl by Billy Joel - which we'll perform for family, friends and anyone who wants to come along and see us strut our stuff!  The chorus will also be performing a few extra numbers for the audience, with a particular emphasis on the songs we're hoping to enter into Wadebridge Festival of Speech & Music in a few weeks' time... Eek!

In between all the singing, it takes an awful lot of work to keep a chorus going and at our recent AGM, our Chorus Chair Emma and MD Lesley both took time to praise all of the members who volunteer as part of the More Harmony committee.  From organising our performances, to liaising with LABBS, everyone has a vital role to do, without which the wheels of the chorus would most definitely fall off, so if our committee members are reading this, THANK YOU!  This year, our bass superstar Nat, who already does a phenomenal job as Events Secretary, volunteered to step up to the role of Co-Chair alongside Emma.  It's this incredible enthusiasm, along with her friendly, helpful attitude that saw Nat voted as "Barbershopper of The Year" by our members - an award she was thrilled to receive, as you can see from the picture at the top of this article!  MD Lesley then presented the Pauline Gobbitt Award for Musicality - given each year in honour of our founder member - to our brilliant baritone, Alice.  Each week, Alice wows us with her beautiful singing and her determination to keep learning and improving as she goes, so I speak for the whole chorus when I say what a worthy winner she is!

Another important decision made at the AGM was to keep Cornwall Hospice Care as our charity of the year for 2024, so look out for fundraising events happening over the next few months!  We are also keen to fundraise for ourselves as a chorus, so we will keep you posted as to how you can support us in our efforts to raise enough money to purchase a PA system (so we can be heard properly when we sing in noisy locations!), along with other chorus necessities.  Keeping More Harmony afloat is a costly business, so you may well spot us busking around the town towards the summer months...

It really does feel like we're already off to a flying start this year, with new faces joining us, new songs to learn and new events to plan.  We are really keen to grow our membership over the next twelve months, so be on the look out for open rehearsals and courses!  That said, you never need to wait for an excuse to walk through our doors.  We are always open to new singers, regardless of previous experience.  All you need to do is turn up and bring your enthusiasm and you'll receive a very warm welcome!  If you're a woman aged 16+ and you'd like to join us, just drop us a line at contact@moreharmony.co.uk or simply pop along to a rehearsal and see what we get up to!  We meet every Thursday from 7pm at Wadebridge Ambulance Hall.