Coming Together Through Music
A History of the Choir
A recommendation from Howard Goodall meant we were invited to sing in Carnegie Hall by Distinguished Concerts International New York for the NYC premiere of Howard Goodall's 'Eternal Light: A Requiem'. This was a huge honour - and massively exciting! We took a group of twenty-one singers and six friends. Not only did the singers learn many new vocal techniques from the conductor, but it was a fun holiday for the choir members, and the experience of a life time to sing in such a famous venue.
Howard Goodall's 'Eternal Light' in Carnegie Hall
Bob Chilcott's Christmas Oratorio
Hook Choral Society's 30th Anniversary Concert in November 2019 was a chance to sing the brand new piece by Bob Chilcott; his Christmas Oratorio. Only the second performance of the piece after the prevue the previous August, our music director Nicholas Woods played the organ while Bob conducted the choir through the piece.
Abbey Road Studios with Karl Jenkins for 'Peacemakers'
A chance to be part of Karl Jenkin's 'Peacemakers' recording for the album was taken up by a group from HCS in 2011 who travelled to London to be part of the chorus line and sung at the iconic Abbey Road Studios.
Our Talented Singers
Just a few words from some of our members
Helen
I first joined the Choral Society in 2007 having not sung in a choir since university. I felt I wanted to get back to singing again as I had enjoyed it when younger and the fact that my “local choir” was non-auditioning was an added bonus.
I joined because I wanted to sing as part of a group again but what I didn’t expect was the camaraderie that has come with it as well as the development of my own singing technique and confidence under Nick’s direction.
When my parents moved to the area, I asked if my mother would join us as although she hadn’t sung in a formal choir since school I knew she enjoyed singing. Although slightly nervous at first and concerned how it would fit in with other commitments, she recently told me it was the best thing she had done and how glad she is to be able to sing with such an accomplished choir and conductor.
I’ve now been part of the Choral Society for 10 years and although I haven’t always been able to sing in every concert (and some might say I shouldn’t have been singing Carmena Burana whilst 8+ months’ pregnant!) I have many great experiences to recall including singing Mozart’s Requiem with the English Chamber Orchestra, evensong at Portsmouth and Southwark Cathedrals and more recently singing at Carnegie Hall, New York. Interestingly though, the experience I take most pleasure in is the development of learning a piece and hearing the harmonies all coming together successfully.
Eileen
Hi, my name is Eileen and I sing soprano in HCS. I have the honour of being a founder member. I have seen HCS change and grow into the choir it is today, which is a friendly choir that makes great music through the performance of 4 concerts every year, plus some charitable work including Christmas Carol singing in the local pubs.
I think singing in a choir is a wonderful experience and combining that with an element of social life makes it even better. I met my husband Peter in the choir and he sings bass.
Olly
The Hook Choral Society's invitation to New York to sing Howard Goodall's beautiful Requiem, Eternal Light, at Carnegie Hall was probably the greatest compliment that we have ever received. The experience was thrilling! I learned so much singing technique from the intense 4 hour rehearsal sessions with Jonathon Griffith, and was secretly petrified of him but hugely inspired! It was such an honour to have the composer at rehearsal as well, giving us insights into his reasons for each movement. I felt really moved to sing to the utmost of my ability!
​
The singing was wonderful, but the whole NYC experience was such fun. I loved the buzz of the city, and the beauty of Central Park in the sparkling November sunshine.
Six of us went on an adventure on a RHIB speedboat around the Hudson and East rivers including going to the base of The Statue of Liberty, under the Brooklyn Bridge and seeing the breathtaking skyline of Manhattan. It was a total blast!
I would love to go back to New York, but it would never be quite the same as this fabulous trip with some very special friends which I will treasure forever.
Peter
I joined the choir way back in 1996. It was a sort of a natural progression; I liked the idea of singing, but had never sung in a choir. For several very happy terms I joined a night school class called - Singing for Fun - and did just that. I met some nice people, sang mainly in unison (that's all together), not much harmonising, but plenty of rounds, some in the pub afterwards!
When that came to a natural end, my new found friend, Chris, and I joined a choir. Its helpful, but not mandatory, to join with a friend.
This was not altogether a success. I won't mention the name of the choir, but suffice to say it wasn't the most friendly. I remember being berated for not sitting on the chairs correctly, Wow. But we both learned we had reasonable bass voices, could occasionally pitch the right note and even count, not necessarily all at the same time.
We then joined Hook Choral Society and found our home, never looked back. It is so stress relieving to sing, you forget about your daily problems and concentrate on making music. Hook C. S. is a friendly, sociable choir and sings some serious stuff to a high standard with a membership encompassing all levels of musical competence, so if you feel out of your depth there's always someone to follow. Our choir master, Nick Woods, always brings out the best in people.
I can almost say that I married into the choir, as that's where I met my wife Eileen......and the rest is history, as they say.
30th Anniversary Concert Review
Congratulations go to Hook Choral Society as on Saturday 23rd November, 2019 at All Saints Church, Odiham, they celebrated their 30th Anniversary with a fabulous concert.
Musical director and organist Nicholas Woods presented a programme that showcased the choir at their very best. The programme included the recently composed major choral work the ‘Christmas Oratorio’ by the English composer Bob Chilcott, and Hook Choral Society were honoured and delighted to welcome him as the conductor of his ‘Christmas Oratorio’ in the second half of the concert.
To a packed audience, the evenings’ music commenced with an Anthem by John Tavener, ‘Mother of God Here I Stand’ and is from The Veil of the Temple. This hauntingly beautiful work was sung with great balance between the vocal parts and excellent annunciation.
There followed the chorus by Mendelsohn ‘For He Shall Give His Angels Charge Over Thee’ which is taken from his oratorio Elijah. The choir produced some lovely dynamics in this uplifting piece.
Mozart wrote the ‘Laudate Dominum’ in 1780 as part of the Vesperae solennes de confessore K. 339. The choir were joined by the soprano Bethan Thomas, whose beautifully clear vocal tone was perfectly suited to the ethereal quality of the music.
The first half of the concert concluded with two more works; ‘Bogoroditse Devo’ by Rachmaninoff and ‘Only in Sleep’ by the contemporary Latvian composer Ä’riks Ešenvalds. Both works illustrated the ability of the choir to sing with well-shaped phrases, sensitive dynamics and there was a wonderful, warm sonority in the Ešenvalds that was particularly enjoyable. The choir sensitively accompanied the delicate solo soprano voice of Rebecca White.
The 30th Anniversary of the Choral Society demands a significant celebration and this celebration inspired a very special guest; the world-renowned composer Bob Chilcott.
To spontaneous applause, Nicholas Woods introduced ‘the legend that is Bob Chilcott’ who then proceeded to direct the audience in an impromptu rehearsal of the hymns that he has included in his featured work of the second half- the ‘Christmas Oratorio.’
Bob Chilcott is a warm and energizing character and after the break we were all eager to hear the performance of the Christmas Oratorio. The choir were accompanied on the flute by Rachel Smith, the harp played by Jenny Broome and the organ, played by Nicholas Woods, and the vocal soloists were Bethan Thomas, Rebecca White, Harry Ross, Meilir Jones and Guy Withers.
The oratorio is very attractive to listen to and belies the difficulties in the compositional writing. The close harmonies were never jarring but shimmered through the choir and illuminated the text. The beautiful ‘Love came down at Christmas’ for solo soprano with harp accompaniment, was simply gorgeous. Throughout the work we heard many exquisite melodies and lovely countermelodies. Hook Choral Society sang the oratorio magnificently and really rose to the occasion.
The young soloists all gave performances; the narrator Guy Withers was particularly notable for his ability to fully communicate the sentiment behind the text. Congratulations Hook Choral Society!
Singing and Socialising
We are a very social choir and enjoy a drink at the pub after rehearsal. Social evenings such as barn dances and skittles evenings are a yearly occurrence, and we have enjoyed a day out in London, singing in three central London churches - St Clement Danes, St Brides and All Hallows by the Tower. Some of us rounded the day off with a pub meal in 'The Crooked Billet', our 'local'. Another Singing Day Out is planned for May 2023, with the details yet to be confirmed - watch this space!
​
Whilst in New York to sing 'Eternal Light' at Carnegie Hall in 2016, we used our spare time wisely to sight-see, including boat trips and eating out together.
​
Singing in the Summer - Our summer concert, which is usually held in July, is a fun event with a supper included in the ticket price. An evening of light hearted music is always welcome by family and friends, with some amazing raffle prizes to try and win.
Christmas with HCS - As with many choirs, we receive lots of requests to sing at Christmas. We enjoy getting together to sing festive music, but we try and balance this with the other demands on our time at Christmas. We usually sing at one event - we've sung at fundraisers, care homes, John Lewis, garden centres - and our traditional Carol Crawl where we sing in a few local pubs with all the monies raised going to a local charity, finishing the evening at the Crooked Billet with mince pies. In future, this may include The Raven pub in Hook too, which has become another local socialising hub since lockdown.
Choir Fundraising
Fundraising for the choir couldn't be easier when you use EasyFundraising. Just follow this link before shopping online, and a small percentage of the money you spend gets given back to the choir.
