Firstly, on behalf of both myself and Dan, we’d like to extend a huge thank you to all our members for your efforts as part of this choir! No matter how many rehearsals you've managed to make it to we hope you know that we value each and every one of you, your commitment doesn’t go unnoticed, and it’s greatly appreciated. From the very first rehearsals, what has struck us most is what a wonderful bunch of people we have in our membership. This was true from day one and continues to ring true as our choir grows!
A Milestone Year for The Contemporary Chorus
This year has been nothing short of phenomenal, with The Contemporary Chorus surpassing the 100-member mark! Reaching this milestone in under two years of existence is a tremendous achievement, and we owe a huge thanks to everyone who has spread the word about our choir and what we do. As directors, we gain so much joy and inspiration from running this choir, and we hope you feel that we’re building something truly special here.
Performance Highlights
In 2024, we hosted our first concert at the Empty Space in MediaCityUK. This sold-out show, complete with a live band, was a landmark moment for the choir. For many of our members, it was their first time on stage since primary school, and we couldn’t be prouder! We’re thrilled to announce that this event will return in 2025 with our show at the Lowry Theatre in the Quays Theatre space, Salford Quays. By then, we anticipate the choir will grow to an incredible 140-150 members, promising a truly phenomenal sound! The videos from this concert will be released in the new year!
Bringing Our Choirs Together
Over the summer, we hosted a workshop day that brought all four of our choirs together for the first time. This was a fantastic opportunity to meet fellow members from across Greater Manchester and celebrate our shared experiences. We’re keen to create more opportunities like this in the future and are already planning to expand on this event next year.
Recording Success
Another highlight was our recording day at the RNCM, which was a roaring success. The recordings sound absolutely incredible and are now available on our website. If you haven’t heard them yet, you can find them here: Recording Day Donation.
Exciting Plans for 2025
The next 12 months promise to be transformative for our choir. We’re in the process of hiring two new choir directors to join our team as we prepare to open four new choirs across Greater Manchester in April 2025. These new choirs will be based in Wigan, Sale, Salford, and Wilmslow. If you have friends or family in these areas, please let them know that we’re coming their way!
A Personal Thank You
As we approach the new year, we'd just like to say that it’s been a joy to get to know you all and see the community of singers we’re building grow across the region. I'd also like to say a personal thank you to Dan for directing all four of our choirs through the final term of this year. I’m sure you’ll agree that he’s worked tirelessly to keep everything running smoothly. Dan has shared how uplifting it has been to lead the choirs, despite the busy months, so congratulations and well done, Dan!
Looking Ahead to the New Year
Finally, thank you for your incredible efforts at our Christmas performances. Whether you took part or cheered us on, your support means the world. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and can’t wait to dive back into the music in the New Year!
All the best,
Joe & Dan
My wife and I joined in Jan 24 and our daughter in June and we've loved every minute. It's a bit like an extended family that you see every week and sometimes in Tesco in the veg aisle, we're all local to each other, which is nice. I just love this choir, the skill, the emotion and most important our leader, Dan. Life-changing is a term much over-used these days but for me, personally, it really has been exactly that. Love it
Best wishes to all the members of the Contemporary Choir’s and hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year . I may not always be at the rehearsals through il health but will be there when I can. Looking forward to all the new songs and the forthcoming events Merry Christmas xx🎅🎅. Maddy xx