ARE YOU READY TO JOIN US?
Following successful performances of their ‘light’ concerts for this year, the Bathurst Allegri Singers choir is taking a week off before commencing rehearsals for their final major work of the year.
Handel’s masterpiece, ‘Messiah’, has long been a favourite with music lovers around the world, and our region is no exception.
Performances by Allegri Singers and friends in previous years have seen churches and cathedrals packed to the rafters.
Performances of this wonderful work are most often presented at or around Easter and Christmas. As a celebration of the Advent of Christ, either festival can be seen as an appropriate time for the re-telling of the story, in musical form or ‘oratorio’.
Allegri Singers have traditionally chosen the approach of Christmas for their performances, and this year November 15 & 16 are the dates to remember. Orange: Saturday 15 November, and Bathurst Sunday 16 November 2025.
In order to retain its freshness, the choir chooses to present this work every two or three years, despite requests for more frequent performances! This also gives the ensemble the opportunity to offer a variety of major works in the intervening years. 2026 also promises to have some wonderful musical treats in store for audiences’ delight; details will be revealed as plans progress!
Meanwhile, works on the scale of ‘Messiah’ require a lot of planning. Apart from preparing the choral components, the director has to call on all his resources to secure professional vocal soloists, and to assemble a highly proficient orchestra, comprising a mix of amateur and professional players.
This also means a very substantial budget – while the choir is largely self-funded from member subscriptions and concert earnings, it does require additional funding by way of private and government grants. These have so far helped to keep the choir ‘afloat’ but, in recent times, many financial belts have been tightened, so that audience and membership support is even more vital. Members’ fees are kept to a very reasonable $75 per term (4 per year), reviewed each year by the committee.
The choir at the moment has around 40 active members, but always welcomes new faces (and voices!). For performances of ‘Messiah’, these numbers will be boosted with friends from Willoughby and Orange, and, we hope, by members whom we haven’t seen for a while.
More details of venues, solo singers, tickets, etc. will be published later in the year.
Meanwhile, if you’d like to join us or want further information, contact us by our CONTACT PAGE on this website or send an email to [email protected] and we will get back to as soon as we can (usually within 24 hours) otherwise just drop in to our first rehearsal: 6.30pm on Tuesday July 22 at the Walshaw Hall, next to All Saints’ Cathedral, Church St., Bathurst.
