Preparation

Once the choral works are advertised, if you would prefer to prepare these in advance, then we can advise you on the musical editions to purchase/rent. You might also find it useful to listen to recordings of the choral works. We don’t advertise what the repertoire is for the chamber choirs, as we are often finalising participants and devising the best groupings later on in the year. You may have already sung some of the chamber choir works, but the week is designed to provide you with the learning space for new pieces.

Reading Music

It is beneficial if you can read music for Chester Choral Week, both for the larger choral works and for the chamber group pieces. However, we have participants who attend year after year who are not as proficient reading music as others, but rely on having prepared in advance and/or having good aural skills and can pick up the music with ease. If you are new to learning music notation and want to learn, we will support you and enable you to participate, e.g. buddying up and sitting with more confident singers.

Sightreading

Sightreading or the ability to read music with a high degree of accuracy for unknown pieces of music is not a “must” for Chester Choral Week. However, we find that people’s confidence to tackle a new piece of music is enhanced by generally singing and practising more pieces of music and worrying less when we (inevitably) make mistakes. You may find some genres of music easier than others, or the key of the music may make a difference to you.