About The A Cappella Singers

The A Cappella Singers first met in February 1995, when it was felt there was a need for a different kind of choir in East Lancashire, one that could tackle the sort of music not normally heard from the larger choirs in the area.

We gave our first concert in Great Harwood in June 1995, and have grown from the original 15 members to 28, many of whom are founder members. We consider 28 to be our maximum optimum size, and now have a membership waiting list. For more information on membership contact our Chairman Andrea Gray on 01254 877491.

Our repertoire is extremely varied, and by no means all "a cappella"! It ranges from part songs and English folksong arrangements, church anthems and motets, through the more traditional larger-scale works such as Haydn masses and Handel’s Coronation Anthems, to modern choral works such as John Rutter’s Feel the Spirit – a particular favourite – and Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium. A fine line-up of ladies’ voices allows us to perform such gorgeous pieces as Schubert’s The Lord is My Shepherd. We have also given concert performances of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. See REPERTOIRE.

We are ably led by Andrew MacLaren, our conductor since 2003, and are fortunate to have the services of Kevin Dean as our rehearsal accompanist. We are lucky to have among our members some gifted soloists, enabling us to perform works that include solo parts without having to call on outside assistance.

We meet weekly in Wilpshire to rehearse, and aim to perform one concert each term, usually for local charities. We have sung in many churches and other venues around East Lancashire, Preston, Fylde, and West Yorkshire. See BOOKINGS.

Above all, we all thoroughly enjoy being able to sing in a group where each of us feels our voice makes a difference to the whole.

For forthcoming concerts see FORTHCOMING EVENTS.