The Rawstorne Singers

The Rawstorne Singers perform local concerts in the Preston and South Ribble area and also specialise in Cathedral services throughout the year.  We often organise week-long residential choral courses based in Cathedral cities. We have now sung in over 50 Cathedrals nationwide, including Salisbury, Durham and Wells.  We cater for beginners as well as experienced singers, no experience necessary, just the ability to sing in tune and a sense of humour. No audition is required, just the willingness to learn! Our 2012 Cathedral holiday is to Llandaff Cathedral near Cardiff from 6th - 12th August.

Our Cathedral holidays are fairly relaxed, with a morning rehearsal followed by free time in order to fit in visits to gardens and stately homes and local tourist attractions such as breweries and steam trains. A new visit this year is to the Welsh Whisky distillery, which should do wonders for our low notes! We sing Evensong before returning to our accommodation, often in University Halls of residence. We usually cater for ourselves on choir holidays but those who prefer not to cook can have evening meals prepared for them. Other Cathedral visits take place at weekends and these are usually day visits rather than residential. Our most recent visit was to Blackburn Cathedral on Sunday 30th October 2011 where we performed the Messe Solenelle by Vierne and led the morning and evening choral services.

Our membership fees are currently around £40 a year. Music is provided from our own stocks, or hired from the Lancashire Library Service.  Our typical members are those who enjoy singing Church type music rather than modern pop songs or items from recent musicals. We have sung all the major Requiems such as those by Mozart and Verdi, plus Vivaldi's 'Gloria' and Karl Jenkins 'Mass for the Armed Man'.

Our Spring concert will be take place at 7:30pm on Sunday 25th March 2012 at St Silas Church in Blackburn.  We will be singing the Haydn 'St Nicholas Mass', Bach's 'Jesu meine Freude' and 'Nanie' by Brahms. Our Summer concert is in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and we have selected a superb programme of regal anthems and ceremonial music and this will be on Saturday July 14th at St Ambrose Church, Moss Lane, Leyland.

We are particularly in need of tenors, basses and sopranos at the moment and would be delighted to welcome new singers. Altos too can join us, but might be asked to sing second soprano or even tenor should the need arise! Rehearsals are held mainly at St Saviours Church in Bamber Bridge at 7:30pm on most Wednesday evenings. Ring 01772 462202 or visit our websites www.rawstornesingers.btck.co.uk and www.myspace.com/rawstornesingers for further information. Our email address is rawstornesingers@yahoo.co.uk,