In the community
Outreach
Hertfordshire Chorus enjoys working with and supporting our community across Hertfordshire through our outreach programme and involvement with local charities. We raise money for local charities at our Christmas concert and enthusiastic members of Hertfordshire Chorus run, cycle, drink tea and eat cake to raise money throughout the year.
Singing with others has been proved to be as good as team sports for mental health and confidence. We are keen to bring this joyful experience to people across our local community through workshops, performance experiences and through the involvement of school and youth choirs in many of our concerts.
Young People
We are committed to broadening young people’s musical education. School and local youth choirs join us regularly in concerts. The opportunity for young people to perform in large venues like the Barbican increases confidence and teamwork.
We produce education sheets on some of the works we perform. The sheets (very informative for both adults and young people) are available as downloads.
Mozart education sheet, produced for our 2012 Sage concert
Solaris education sheet, produced for our 2010 Barbican premiere of this Hertfordshire Chorus commission
Berlioz education sheet, produced for our 2009 Sage concert
Tippett education sheet, produced for our 2009 Sage concert
Charities
The Chorus is a keen supporter of charities, particularly those concerned with children. Each year our Christmas carol concert supports a charity; recent concerts have raised significant funds for the Hertfordshire Society for the Blind, the Isabel Hospice, the Rennie Grove Hospice, The Pepper Foundation, the Teenage Cancer Trust, Hertfordshire Autistic Resource Centre and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Members of our ‘Race for Life’ team (pictured here) raised thousands of pounds for cancer research.
Hertfordshire Chorus has worked closely with the Willow Foundation for many years. This wonderful charity was set up by Bob and Megs Wilson after the death of their daughter at the age of 31. The foundation provides ’Special Days’ for young adults living with serious illnesses, building memories and providing respite. We work with Willow in various ways, performing at their annual carol service, raising money through bake sales and running the Willow 10k. In 2022 we were excited, after a 2 year gap due to lockdown, to field a team of 15 for the 10k event. Our group had a wonderful day together running and walking the course through the beautiful grounds of Hatfield House. We raised £700 to help Willow in their vital work, the largest amount for a team on the day.
Involving Adults
February 2016 saw 80 local people join Hertfordshire Chorus on stage in St Albans Cathedral to sing Mozart’s Requiem. The Sing Mozart! choir included choral novices as well as experienced singers eager to perform in such a wonderful venue. It was not easy; preparation included 5 rehearsals and a lot of homework. The final result was a great performance, new friends and some life-changing experiences. Many ignited (or re-ignited) a love of choral singing and have subsequently joined local choirs.
We are grateful for the support of local councillors, who generously used some of their localism budgets to support us.
