Liverpool Renaissance Singers is a friendly and welcoming chamber choir that seeks to give performances of a high quality.
The choir is made up of around 24 singers. We are currently recruiting for all voice parts – soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Baritones, counter-tenors and female tenors are also very welcome.
We usually sing without accompaniment, though we do sometimes invite other musicians and singers to perform with us.
We rehearse on Wednesday evenings from September to June, with breaks over the holidays at Christmas, Easter and the summer. Rehearsals are held in Liverpool Parish Church, from 7.15-9.15pm (with refreshment break).
Our main recitals are at Christmas, Easter and in the early summer, with other performances throughout term-times. We occasionally sing in church services to perform some choral works in their original performance context, and enhance the service for those attending.
Our central performance venue is Liverpool Parish Church, with recitals held at other locations across Merseyside (including the Wirral), North Wales, and occasionally further afield.
As a performing choir, we do expect members to attend all rehearsals, and to practice outside of rehearsals where needed. This helps us reach the performance standard we aim to achieve.
All current members are able to read music. The ability to read music to at least a basic level will enable new members to fully participate and enjoy singing in the choir. Note-learning outside of rehearsals is expected so that rehearsals are used to prepare our performances as an ensemble.
Choir members pay a membership subscription, which can be paid annually or by installments. A student concession is available. Subscriptions can be paid by bank transfer (preferred method), cash or cheque. Any members experiencing financial difficulties can discuss confidentially with the Treasurer to request a reduced fee.
Prospective members will be asked to sing to the Music Director, either in-person or via an online Zoom link. These informal auditions are short, friendly, and free of charge. The Music Director will be looking to work with the voice to find the ‘best fit’ within the choir.
New members are welcome at any point during the year.
If you are interested in joining the choir, please email our Music Director at deborah_catterall@yahoo.com including a brief description of your singing and/or choir experience, and your voice type.
Frequently Asked Questions
We hope you find answers to any questions you may have here - otherwise please email the choir at renaissancesingersliverpool@gmail.com or use the contact form
How big is the choir?
The choir is made up of around 24 singers, with the usual voice ranges of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Baritones, counter-tenors and female tenors are also very welcome.
Where and when does the choir rehearse? What about travel options and parking?
We rehearse on Wednesday evenings at Liverpool Parish Church. Rehearsals are from 7.15pm-9.15pm, with a refreshment break. The church has a beautiful acoustic for rehearsing, and we benefit from rehearsing in a venue we also perform in. As with most churches, it can be a little cold over the winter period, despite the building being heated; and equally the building can be a welcome respite during hot weather!
Rehearsals take place during term time, September to late June, with breaks over Christmas, Easter and the summer. The church is off The Strand in Liverpool City Centre and is 15-20 minutes walk from Lime Street and Central Railway Stations, and a 10 minute walk from Moorfield Railway Station and Liverpool One Bus station. Free parking is available in nearby streets, we can advise of suitable locations if needed.
Where and how often does the choir perform?
We give around 6-8 recitals per year, with our three main concerts at Christmas, Easter and in the early summer. Our main performance venue is Liverpool Parish church; we also make appearances elsewhere on Merseyside (including the Wirral), North Wales, and occasionally further afield. Choir members often group together to drive in fewer cars for performance venues at a distance.
Must I be able to sight-read music to be able to join the choir?
All current members are able to sight-read music (or read music from a score) to at least a basic level. Concerts are given each term after around 10-12 rehearsals, so being able to read music helps to make the most of rehearsal time together. Some members of the choir meet up outside of rehearsals to practice together. Other methods to help learn the music may be useful e.g. listening to CDs or recordings online, playing the part on piano or another instrument. Focusing on learning rhythms alone can be a very beneficial approach. If you are not sure whether your music-reading skills are good enough, joining the choir would be a great way to improve! Much of the singing is unaccompanied, though sometimes we practice with support from a piano to help learn notes together. To find out more about the music we sing, please visit our music page or review our past concerts.
Would I have to audition?
Prospective members are asked to sing to the Music Director, either via a Zoom link or in person, whichever is easier. Auditions are friendly, free of charge and are a chance for the Music Director to work with your voice and to see where best you would fit within the choir.
How do I join the choir?
Please email our conductor, deborah_catterall@yahoo.com including a brief description of your singing and/or choir experience, and your voice type.
Will music scores be provided?
Most of the music is sent by email attachment prior to the first rehearsal of term - a small number of printed copies will be made available at rehearsals but members are expected to print off their own copies where possible. Occasionally published scores are used, which will be circulated at rehearsals. If you are required to buy your own published score for a choral work, you will be advised which edition to buy. Rest assured we use modern computer-produced scores/editions; we don’t sing from original edition reproductions, so the notes and words are clear and straightforward to read!
I don’t know anything about Renaissance or Early music, why should I be interested and how will I know whether I want to sing it?
A lot of our members are not familiar with music from this period when they join, so it can be a wonderfully rich musical journey to begin.
Music from this period can vary from straightforward homophony (singing chords, moving together at the same time) to the more complex polyphony (singing separate lines at different note-lengths and spacings which interweave to create a web of beautiful moving harmonies). If you want variety in a choir singing experience, Early music will give you this: it can be quite ‘free’, sometimes even sounding like jazz or modern music with interesting rhythms and clashes of harmony. If you are interested in music-writing techniques, singing these works together brings the music to life and highlights elements that might be missed from studying the score alone. The structure of the music and the techniques used by composers can be revealed by the use of choral techniques like word-painting, phrase-shaping, and balancing of parts. We are always thinking of how best to perform the music, and choral techniques like these enhance the appreciation of the music for audience and choir members alike.
To find out more about the music we sing, please visit our music page page or past concerts page to see the names of composers and works we have performed.
The Renaissance music I’ve heard sounds really complex / I’m worried it may be too hard for me to sing / I’m not used to singing without accompaniment
The music may sound much more complicated overall than it is for the individual parts to sing – the complexity often comes from the weaving together of the separate lines of music. Of course this is part of the challenge, knowing and singing your own line amidst the complexity of multiple lines of music, which can be very enjoyable and musically satisfying. Other pieces are simpler in terms of note/rhythm/harmonic complexity, and then the challenge is more about unified singing and making a beautiful sound together.
Singing without accompaniment can be daunting if you’re not used to it – however you are never singing on your own, as there are multiple singers per part. We also sing ‘a capella’ as we find it easier to tune to each other as a group rather than to a piano, for example. We do also perform with small groups of instrumentalists on occasion.
I haven’t sung in a choir for a long time / my confidence is low / I’ve had bad experiences in choirs in the past
LRS is a very welcoming choir, the rehearsal atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. We are not criticised for every tiny mistake we make in rehearsal – we find criticism is counterproductive, as it can deter people from singing out, and decreases their confidence.
We are very fortunate that our Music Director is an experienced voice teacher and is able to help us take care of our voices individually, within the group, which helps us produce our best sound. Being relaxed enables good voice production, and Deborah’s approach is that our whole bodies (and minds) are our vocal instruments; rehearsals always start with a gentle warm-up to ease us into the practice time.
If you’ve not sung for a long time and you’re perhaps worried about your voice tiring easily, or that the range might be taxing on your voice, Early music is a ‘kind’ choice for singers in general. The music tends to be written in comfortable ranges for the separate voice parts: later composers can be less understanding of the capabilities of the voice-parts, and the need to breathe! We are encouraged to take breaths in general whenever we need them (with a few key exceptions) and we do rest our voices during rehearsal.
How much is the subscription?
The current subscription is £125 per year (student concession £10 per term) which can be paid as a one-off payment or in two payments. If the amount would deter you from joining the choir, this can be discussed confidentially with the choir Treasurer.
What are the choir bank details, to pay subscriptions?
The preferred method of payment of the subscription is by bank transfer (BACS). When making a bank transfer please use a reference that identifies your name which is sufficiently unique, and if possible include “LRSSubs” in the reference.
The BACS details are: Account name: Liverpool Renaissance Singers Sort Code: 60-23-17 Account number: 77708393
Subscription can be paid by cash or cheque if you prefer, to be given to the Treasurer at choir rehearsal. Cheques should be made payable to Liverpool Renaissance Singers.
If you pay sufficient tax to be eligible for Gift Aid the Treasurer will send you a Gift Aid Declaration form to complete and return so that the choir can claim Gift Aid on your subscription.
How can I find out more about joining the choir?
Please submit the email form on our contact page.
Is the choir a registered charity?
Yes. The choir is registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales. The charity number is: 1189084.
The objects of the choir are "to advance, improve, develop and maintain public education in, and appreciation of, the art and science of music in all its aspects by any means the trustees see fit, including through the presentation of public concerts and recitals".
What is the best way to make a donation to the choir?
As a charity, any financial support given to the choir is greatly appreciated. If you would like to offer your financial support, please read more on our donate page.
There are other ways to support the choir of course, such as helping with circulating concert flyers, sharing concert links on social media, or telling family and friends about the choir that might want to join or come to a concert.
I’m looking to collaborate with the choir, would you be interested?
As an amateur choir, our availability for events outside of the scheduled concerts and recitals is dependent upon the availability of our choir members: many pieces require a minimum number of voices per section for whole songs to be viable for performance. We would only be able to sing music from our usual repertoire period (or not straying too far), and most likely of music already in our repertoire.
Absolutely! Do contact us using the email form on our contact page with more details of how you would like to collaborate with the choir.