Whitton Choral Society

Whitton Choral Society

It is with great regret that we announce the death of our founder and music director Ian McFarlane. He was taken ill while conducting the Good Friday concert on 10th April 2009 and was taken to hospital suffering from chest and leg pains. He died the next day in the Cardiac unit at West Middlesex Hospital.

Ian McFarlane was a former saxophone pupil at Kneller Hall and then served with The Highland Light Infantry Band for eight years in Palestine, Malta and touring Benghazi and Torbruk whilst in Egypt. Upon leaving the army he took up choral singing and conducting.

Here is the choir in March 2007 with Ian McFarlane centre front:

At an extraordinary general meeting of the choir on 6th May 2009, Neil Hawes was appointed as the new Director of Music.
The next concert is planned to be the traditional Christmas concert at Whitton Baptist Church on Saturday 12th December 2009.
Rehearsals will start on Wednesday 9th September 2009. New members welcome, please contact Neil Hawes. There are no auditions!

Whitton Choral Society is a mixed four-part choir based in Whitton, near Twickenham, in west London, UK, in the Borough of Richmond on Thames, close to the southern boundary of the Borough of Hounslow.

Rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings from 7.45pm to 9.45pm at Whitton Baptist Church in Hounslow Road, Whitton TW2 7BZ

Whitton Choral Society is affiliated to The National Federation of Music Societies

New potential members are welcome (see details). There are currently vacancies in all parts: Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass.

We normally have sung three concerts a year:

A traditional Christmas Carol concert on a Saturday before Christmas, including carols for audience participation
A Good Friday evening concert which is considered to be a church service and therefore comprises religious works
A summer evening event in June with less formal music which has sometimes included a barbeque or other refreshments

We hire professional or semi-professional soloists and accompanists, and either charge for concert tickets or take a retiring collection, but we also raise money for charities, often locally-based ones.

From 2000 to 2006 our programme was particularly varied and exciting and involved combining with other choirs and groups:

"Mostly Mozart" on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th February 2006 with the Corps of Army Music Orchestra and Kneller Hall trumpeters in St. Augustine's, Whitton. Music included "Exsultate Jubilate", the overture from "The Marriage Figaro" and "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" all by Mozart, plus "The Heavens are telling" - Haydn, "Cantique de Jean Racine" - Faure, "The Creation Hymn" - Beethoven, Poulenc's "Gloria" and Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" (see more details).
Contributing to two concerts held in the Victorian Theatre at the Langdon Down Centre, which was part of the old Normansfield Hospital in Teddington, in aid of the Down's Syndrome Association on 7th and 8th December 2005. This was a very interesting experience, Lord and Lady Rix were in the audience, Damon Hill (the ex-Formula 1 racing driver) turned the pages for our pianist (he was quoted as saying that he had turned over a few times before!), and we sung on the stage with very little light so we couldn't see our music.
"Chorus - a Classical Gala" on 5th and 6th February 2005 included well-known choruses from a number of operas, and part of "The Armed Man" by Karl Jenkins (see more details).
"Gloria! - a feast of Glorious Music" on 31st January and 1st February 2004 at St. Augustine's, Whitton with the Corp of Army Music Orchestra and Kneller Hall Trumpeters (see more details) - hear the trumpeters (311Kb wav file).
Singing "Music for a Royal Occasion" on 1st and 2nd February 2003 at St. Augustine's, Whitton as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (see more details).
Acting as the "Community Choir" in the Kneller Hall Royal Military School of Music Royal Golden Jubilee outdoor concert on 26th June 2002. This was compered by Richard Baker and an expanded choir sung Zadok the Priest by Handel with accompaniment by the massed army bands and some very loud fireworks! A CD was made and published, called "Kneller Hall Live Vol 3" (see more details).
Singing two performances of Handel's Messiah with the Army Massed Bands at St. Augustine's Church on 19th and 20th January 2002 (see more details).
Joining with the church choir at St. Augustine's Church, Whitton on 20th May 2001 to sing Choral Evensong, followed by a concert entitled "A celebration of English Music" (see more details).
Singing in Richmond Borough's Millennium 2000 concert performance of Verdi's Requiem on 11th and 12th November 2000 at the Landmark Arts Centre, Teddington (see more details).

For more information on the history of Whitton Choral Society and our recent concert performances, click here
For more information, please contact Neil Hawes.

Goto Neil Hawes home page.