Ayr Choral Union

Christmas music with the choir and Newmilns and Galston Brass Band.

Sunday 17th December 2023

Ayr Town Hall

Tickets available;able from Members, our website, or Ayr Guitar, 62 Alloway Street, Ayr

^{Sunday October 29th– Ayr Choral Autumn Concert}

In the first concert of the season, Ayr Choral present a programme of French and English music with contrasting pieces. Requiem by Gabriel Faure and Gloria by Francis Poulenc, Five Mystical Songs by Vaughan Williams and I Was Glad by Hubert Parry. The choir will be conducted by Andrew McTaggart and joined by soloists Catriona Clark and Colin Murray and organ accompaniment by Peter Shepherd.

7.30pm

Ayr Town Hall, New Bridge St., Ayr, KA7 1SH.

Tickets available from ;

Ayr Choral members,

Ayr Guitar, 62 Alloway St., Ayr KA7 1SH or our website

Stalls £12. Balcony/gallery £16

Rehearsals for our exciting 2023-24 season start on Tuesday 22nd August 2023 at Castlehill Church, Ayr. Come and join our friendly and enthusiastic group of around 80 singers as we start learning the music for our October concert which will include works by Parry, Poulenc and Faure. If you’re interested in coming along, feel free to contact our Secretary by email (ayrchoral@outlook.com) or message us on Facebook. You are welcome to come along for a few weeks to try us out before committing!

Ayr Choral rounded off a glorious 2022-23 season with a mixed programme of choral works in the setting of Glasgow’s magnificent St Mungo’s Cathedral. In front of a great audience of family, friends and visitors to the cathedral we performed some gorgeous music, both sacred and secular, by composers from the sixteenth century to the present day. We were delighted to be joined by both Peter Shepherd and Andrew Forbes as accompanists who gave a thrilling rendition of Holst’s Jupiter for 4 hands at the organ.

We’re on a summer break now until our Come & Sing Poulenc Gloria on 12th August 2023 – if you’d like to join us for that, keep an eye on the website or our social media for more information.

Rehearsals are now fully underway for our final Town Hall concert of the season. With a good number of new members in the choir, Andy is putting us through our paces as we prepare Puccini’s Messa di Gloria which we’ll perform on the 19^th March with orchestra and soloists. We’re also learning Feel the Spirit, a cycle of seven spirituals arranged by John Rutter – the jazzy arrangements providing us with some rhythmical challenges!

With three opera choruses also to learn, there’s some gorgeous music for what will be a beautiful and uplifting concert.

Join us for an Open Rehearsal on Tuesday 10th January 2023 as we begin preparations for our next concert featuring music by Puccini and Rutter.

Led by our choral director Andy McTaggart we’ll get our voices back in shape following the festive break and start learning Puccini’s Messa di Gloria and John Rutter’s Feel the Spirit alongside some well-loved opera choruses.

This rehearsal will be free and open to all – we hope you might want to join us permanently!

Rehearsal starts at 7.30pm at Castlehill Parish Church, Old Hillfoot Road, KA7 3LW

Ayr Choral Union’s AGM marked the end of an era when a presentation was made to the choir’s long serving Accompanist Morag Walton.

Morag, who studied music at Glasgow University, and has taught many aspiring young pianists over three decades, originally joined the choir, as a singer, in 1975. She became the choir’s accompanist in 1994. During the succeeding twenty-seven years, her meticulous and conscientious approach to her role has seen her support rehearsals of many of the great choral works including the choir’s most recent performance of Bach’s St John Passion in April. She has also accompanied the choir in concerts in St Giles Cathedral Edinburgh and Paisley Abbey. Morag’s skill as an arranger has been demonstrated in performances over the years especially at Christmas. Choir members are delighted that Morag is not retiring fully as she will return to sing in the new season.