Family and friends can be reunited this year as Salford Choral Society perform a Christmas Concert at St Thomas Church on the 18th of December. 

All profits from the Christmas Concert will be donated to Salford Loaves And Fishes, which is a charity drop-in centre that provides a range of services including hot meals and a safe space for homeless and vulnerable people. 

Salford Choral Society was founded in 1947 by the Curator of Salford Museum and Art Gallery, as part of a movement to bring the cultural life of Salford back after the Second World War. 

Carolyn Saltmarsh, Publicity Officer and choir member  said: “We very much identify with the Salford community as a choir, but we are spread right over the whole of the Greater Manchester area.

“We are proud of our links with Salford, we also join in with any events that are going on in Salford in support.” 

Picture used with permission from Salford Choral Society

Through last year’s lockdown the Choral Society adapted to the changing restrictions and only missed out on one rehearsal.  

The Conductor Tom Newell learnt how to conduct the choir via Zoom rehearsals, the choir performed an impressive 75 rehearsals on Zoom and five online concerts. 

Despite the challenges of lockdown rehearsal’s Salford Choral Society are continuing to use online tools such as Zoom recorded rehearsals that can be accessed in their member’s zone of their website to prepare for upcoming concerts.

Carolyn revealed that the society is continuing hybrid rehearsals, which has catered to those who can’t come in person.

She said: “We’re now continuing using Zoom doing the hybrid rehearsals, which means the live rehearsals [are] all together in one room, It’s better because before you couldn’t hear everybody else in the choir as the sound wasn’t synchronised we would all have to be on mute.

“So you could only hear yourself and whatever Tom was playing or he recorded. But now, of course they can hear all the choir singing in the background.”

Conductor, Tom Newell – Permission given by Salford Choral Society

 With the concerts being on Zoom all through last year, Carolyn said it will be amazing being back in person.

“[It] will be quite an emotional experience, the main thing is, it’s a community and singing together is a fantastic experience, with the aim of putting on a good concert at the end of it.”

The Choral Society is 90 members strong and 73 people will be singing on Saturday in the Christmas Concert. The choir is inclusive for all different ages, the members have ranged from as young as 16 to up well into their 80s. 

Carolyn encourages everyone to join a choir even if they don’t have experience: “Anybody can join. It just helps if you can read music, but we have quite a few members who cannot.  We are happy for people to come along and try to learn as they go along.

“You come out of choir a completely different person. It’s something about all coming together and producing this sound.

“It’s great, a lot of friendships are made, we have even had marriages from the choir, one of them was the conductor!” 

The Salford Choral Society’s Christmas Concert will be performed at St Thomas Church, Ford Lane, Salford, M6 6PE 

Doors open at 18:00pm and the start time is 18:30pm. 

The tickets can be booked online:  https://www.wegottickets.com/event/529610 

Adults: £10

12-18s: £3

under 12s: free 

https://www.salfordchoral.org.uk/concerts

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *