Vivace Voices Committee Meeting – 15th January 2025

• Apologies 

  • Karen was unwell.

  • Hazel had commitments and had to come late.

• Finance 

  • We currently have £1,200 in the bank. This is lower than last year at the same time - £1600 - but we have had to pay the Making Music fee of £275.15, which covers Public Liability Insurance and PRS and also the cost of the choir copies of the Stabat Mater by Pergolesi.

• Christmas Concert 

  • We had a record audience at St Mary’s, Burghfield, and they were a very appreciative audience. The tea was wonderful and the arrangements were very slick. Thanks to Carolyn for her organisation. A big plus was seeing Louis and Amy at the concert. 

  • We raised £1,596.50 from the concert, craft stall and busking but thanks to Karen and Rachel’s hard work on the Just Giving page through the QR code, we also raised an amazing £1,000 which further generated £247.50 in Gift Aid.  We have been able to pass £2,844 to SSNAP. 

  • We will be adding a QR code to the programme for future charities as it seems to be very successful.

  • We need to be sure that volunteers for jobs are not putting their names down for two jobs and are then finding that they clash.

  • Many people don’t carry cash these days so Ian asked if it was time to consider using a card reader. Jane will check up on the details, cost etc. Sum Up seems to be the reader most used by other choirs. We will start by using it for entrance money but will also remind people on the poster to bring cash (for donations and raffle.)

  • The parking was not ideal. We had people who came but couldn’t park and so went home again. Sue has spoken to Brian at the church and he suggests we find people who can act as marshals. He thinks that if the cars are parked carefully, we could get a line down the middle of the parking area. I think it was Sue who said that someone she knows has a big house on the corner where we could possibly park 10 cars - perhaps choir cars - to leave the main car park for audience.

  • Sue is now asking venues about their maximum numbers as we seem to be outgrowing some of our usual venues.

  • Suggested venues  - Sue will look into Kennet Valley, which would be £63 for the concert Hall and £38 for the kitchen and sports hall and is nicely placed in Reading with lots of parking. She will also look into Englefield, and The Abbey.

• Easter Concert 

  • This will be at English Martyrs Church in Liebenrood Road, Reading on 9th April at 12.45, with the pre-concert rehearsal on the 8th April at 1.00. This is a change from the original dates of 1st and 2nd April as Ian found it clashed with other commitments. This is an update since the meeting. Well done Sue for getting that change sorted so quickly.

  • We have so far had suggestions for three charities from choir members. We will ask the choir if anyone else has a charity which they would particularly like to support. Ann will ask for suggestions with a short presentation for the choir about the charity’s aims and then ask the choir to vote for their favourite. The others will be used at a later date.

• Summer Concert

  • Ian will be on a school trip on the 15th/16th July so it was decided that the summer concert will be on the 23rd July. 

  • Ian will find someone to cover for him on the 16th July.

• Summer Dates 

  • The last date for the Spring term is 9th April and we return for the Summer Term on the 30th April. 

  • Half term is the 28th May and the term finishes on 23rd July.

• Christmas Concert

  • We were concerned that St Mary’s Burghfield is already becoming booked up so Sue was asked if she could book the church for 16th and 17th December. She has already done this and has had the dates confirmed. Well done Sue.

• AOB 

  • St Catherine’s is now too small as a full concert venue but since they are so supportive of us, we may consider doing a concert without the food for members of the church and locals.