Yes, we offer approximately 30% discount on our annual, monthly and Out-of-Town membership plans to those who are full-time students or receiving benefits. To receive this discount, you'll need to sign up for the free taster account, then discuss this with us over email when you organise your taster session. Discounts are at the discretion of London City Voices Ltd, and you'll have to provide evidence of full-time student status or low income status. Please do not ask for any larger discount than this - even at the non-discounted price, we already offer a lot for the price. London City Voices is our main source of income.
We do organise our year into terms, but they only vaguely follow school terms. For instance, we don't necessarily break for Easter Weekend. We'll take a break in the spring, but it's not always tied to holidays. Our terms are generally about 13 weeks long and tend to run January-April, May-August and September-December, with about a three-week break in between.
Not at all. Just come along and talk to Richard and he'll work out which part would most suit you. He'll just talk to you - you'll never have to sing anything on your own. And if, after a while, you think you'd be better in a different part, come and talk to us and we'll move you.
You can't set an actual date, but it takes about week after you set up your Go Cardless account for your bank account to be debited. This means you should be able to set up your plan so the payment leaves your account at the most convenient time.
You can begin it at any time. The money should leave your account about a week after you set up your Go Cardless account, then it will be automatically debited again a year later.
Our £5/month Pay-As-You-Go direct debit plan allows you to come to as many rehearsals as you like at £15 per session (payable by cash or card on the door). However, if you are likely to attend more than two sessions per month, you would find our standard Monthly plan better value. The Pay-As-You-Go plan does not give you access to our online rehearsals.
None whatsoever. You have the choice to join any time thereafter and we will send you a thank you email with the links to sign up. But there's no pressure to join, and if we're not the right choir for you then just let us know and we'll remove you from our database.
We use Go Cardless, the leading direct debit provider in UK. They handle all payments securely and you will receive a receipt from us via GoCardless when the mandate is set up. Your payment will be made automatically, so there's nothing for you to do, and you can cancel the direct debit any time.
We practise exactly the same material at each rehearsal, so you can come to whichever is most convenient for you that week, with no fear of missing anything. Many people come more than once a week.
No, you can sing from your folder or iPad if you wish. We may occasionally ask you to learn one or two songs off by heart if it would really benefit the performance, but we’ll give you lots of support.
They’re wrong. You can. Seriously, we can offer a lot of help and support to you if you have problems singing in tune/time. We’re an all-comers choir, with a wide range of abilities.
Neither.
Not publicly. Richard may ask you to sing a note or two when you first go an speak to him, just so that he knows if you have a low or high voice, but that won't be really audible by anyone else.
Yes of course. We have new people at almost every practice - even towards the end of a term.
We run an online rehearsal on Zoom every Tuesday evening. This is also recorded so you can watch it later if you can't be around in person. We also try to livestream one rehearsal a week - usually Wednesday.
Our terms are usually about 13 weeks long. The spring and summer terms have a break part way through - for our skiing trip and our singing holiday in Greece - but our autumn term is a solid block. However, after our Christmas concert we usually do a couple of weeks of charity singing at mainline stations.
No - everything we do is ensemble based. However, we do run regular open mic nights - usually a couple every term - if you fancy unleashing your inner diva.
Absolutely. We practise the same material at each rehearsal in a week. Once you've joined up as a member, you can come as often as you like. Many of our members come more than once a week.
Yes of course. Simply contact us and tell us when you'd like to move it to.
You can find the sheet music and recordings for our whole repertoire in our Members' Area. Once you join as a member by taking out a monthly or annual direct debit plan you'll be able to login to the members' area, which will give you access to our song vault and member-specific pages.
We offer a free taster session to all new members and then offer a range of memberships to suit all budgets so we don't offer refunds once the plan has been set up for you. If you are not sure if you can commit for the year, it is best to stick with monthly membership, and then you can cancel anytime.
If you have come to the right amount of rehearsals in a term as a pay-as-you go member (usually 6 or 7), then yes. But if you know you are going to come to more than 6 rehearsals in a term, we would advise you to join as a full member, either on a monthly or an annual plan, in order to save money.
No. Our members have very different abilities. Some are very experienced singers, who can read music and may even have perfect pitch. Some haven't sung since they were at school. Some are very nervous about their ability, and others very confident. We welcome everyone, and try to make sure everyone has a fulfilling experience.
Not at all. Obviously, it's better if you can attend the whole rehearsal including the warm-up as it's better for your voice, but we understand that people have busy lives. It's no problem if you arrive late. Just come in and find yourself a seat with as little disruption as possible.
You don't need to be able to read music. Some of our members can; many have no idea what those dots and squiggles are all about. We do supply links to the sheet music and Richard will often give tips about how to follow it as he's teaching. Even if you can't read it properly you can at least see when notes go up and down. Every so often we also offer workshops on reading music.
To become a member of London City Voices please join one of our membership plans, payable by direct debit. You can choose a monthly plan at £35 per month or an annual plan at £350 per year. The annual plan represents a £70 saving over the monthly plan. You can start these at any time. You can also cancel them at any time.