ABOUT US
Cherwell Choral Society is one of North Oxfordshire's longest established choral societies, with around 50 regular members. Formed in 1972, the choir now boasts singers from five counties. We rehearse on Tuesday evenings in Bodicote, a village on the southern edge of Banbury, in the new Longford Park Community Centre, which is just off the main Banbury-Oxford road, and has lots of car parking very close by.
We have acquired a reputation for producing high quality performances, with a mixed repertoire of traditional and contemporary works, led by our professional musical director and our accompanist, and supported by local orchestras and soloists.
We are a warm and friendly choir, with regular social activites for members, including a summer evening get-together in a local pub garden, and a Christmas get together with carol singing, mulled wine and mincepies.
We offer group coaching in music theory and sight reading, a couple of times a term, at no extra charge, for any members who are interested in developing their skills.
The choir's performances are mainly held in The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Deddington and occasionally at St. Mary's Church, Bloxham.
HISTORY
The choir was originally formed in 1972 from staff and pupils at the Warriner School in Blox
ham, performing under the name of the Warriner Choral Society until November 2019. Links with the school gradually decreased, although rehearsals continued to be held in the school's lecture theatre until 2020.
Many of the best-loved choral works have been sung by Cherwell Choral Society, ranging from the Requiems of Fauré, Mozart and Duruflé to Vivaldi's Gloria, Bach's St John Passion and, of course, Handel's Messiah. A full list of all concerts can be found on our 'past concerts' page.
The choir has occasionally joined other singers in the area for special events including a Millennium Concert at St Mary's Church in Banbury, and combining with Banbury Choral Society to celebrate their 40th Anniversary with a 'Last night of the Proms' style concert, and performing in the Banbury Rotary Club's Six of the Best charity concert. We have also held several "Come and Sing" events over the years.
In 2020 we said a sad farewell to Martin Quinn, our longest serving Musical Director, who led the choir through over 50 concerts in 16 years, and then welcomed our new Musical Director, Dr Paul Hedley. During the Covid pandemic Paul led the choir in a series of 'Zoom' sessions, then we enjoyed a summer term of outdoor rehearsals, culminating in a 'performance' in the garden of one of our members.
We started normal rehearsals again in September 2021 in our new rehearsal venue, the Longford Park Community Centre in Bodicote, near Banbury, and since then we have welcomed a good number of new members and have performed a stimulating mix of traditional and lesser known works. We have included some exciting contemporary repertoire, such as Ian Venables' Requiem, Paul Mealor's Stabat Mater and Will Todd's Mass in Blue, together with well known favourites such as the Bach Christmas Oratorio, the Poulenc Gloria, and the Mozart Requiem.
