LWC is back – come and join us!

Above: Some of our new members after our Concert in Blue

mur choir has a long and interesting history after being founded in 1900 following an Eisteddfod held in Liverpool. Currently with around 100 singers from across Merseyside and its perimeters we retain a small core Welsh membership, but we are essentially a large mixed soprano, alto, tenor and bass choir (SATB), open to all singers of any musical background.

During lockdown, a difficult time for choirs and all those who love to sing, we kept our members engaged through weekly zoom chats which developed into structured tutorials on future choral repertoire by our Music Director, Keith Orrell. We supported the choir to prepare and practise pieces by organising the delivery of music scores to their homes by other members living in their locality. The zoom tutorials were enhanced by the contribution of leading contemporary composers Will Todd and Robat Arwyn who discussed their music and answered questions from members.

On the resumption of in-person rehearsals last September we ran courses on vocal technique and sight reading by professionals free of charge to our members to enrich their enjoyment of singing and their contribution to the choir. We plan to repeat these courses later this season and into the 22/23 season. We all strive for continuous development and improvement.

Perhaps not surprisingly given our offering we have had an unprecedented influx of new members since last September including many residents of the Wirral. We wish to expand further and would be delighted to receive enquiries from singers in all four voice parts: soprano, alto, tenor, bass. We rehearse at the University of Liverpool off Brownlow Hill, Central Liverpool on Wednesday evenings from 6.45pm to 9pm.

The choir performs a wide range of music in 4-5 concerts each year from traditional oratorios and symphonic repertoire to lighter choral music and occasional pieces in the Welsh and other choral languages under expert leadership from a professional conductor and accompanist. We have previously performed with such notable professionals as Andrea Bocelli, Sir Bryn Terfel and Sir Willard White and been conducted by our Patron, Sir Karl Jenkins, in The Armed Man. Already this season since September we have performed pieces from Baroque to Jazz with Christmas music in between.

We sing in beautiful venues such as the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, the Cornerstone Theatre at Hope University, St Georges Hall, in both the Liverpool cathedrals and other large church venues and concert halls across Merseyside and beyond. We will be performing a concert at the Floral Pavilion in Wirral on 21st May 2022. The choir performs with orchestras, brass bands, accompanied and unaccompanied. Sometimes we take part in tours and perform with other large choirs.

The 2022/23 season is already planned with at least two concerts scheduled in the brand new state of the art Tung Auditorium in Central Liverpool.

These are exciting times to be a member of Liverpool Welsh Choral – so come and sing with us!

Alison Shead, Membership-Recruitment Outreach, LWC Executive Committee.

To find out more contact us!