What is the name of your choir? We are Ledbury Community Choir and the emphasis is on Community! Not only are we a community of Ledbury people who enjoy singing but we pride ourselves on being at least one, if not two steps up from singing in the shower - but in four-part harmony and with enormous enjoyment.

How long has it been established? We were formed in 1998 by Steve Tomy, the Head of Music at the then John Masefield Community Arts College. The Community Choir is now run by Mal Hughes who took over in 2002.

Where and when do you meet? We meet at the Pavilion Rooms, Ledbury Rugby Club on Monday evenings, starting promptly at 7.30pm and finishing at 9.00.

How many people and what age are people in the choir? Our choir is currently about eighty- strong, with the age range between 30 and 85. There is an important social side to the choir and an international aspect, with visits to and from Ledbury’s twin-town of Stromstad. We have also sung at local festivals in Cheltenham and Hereford (competition winners) and in Kornelimunster, a beautiful town in Northern Germany.

What sort of songs do you sing? We sing a huge range of music from stage and screen musicals; pop music from the last seventy years; folk music; spirituals; popular choral classics from across eight hundred years of fabulous music; the Great American Songbook; world music and original music from local composers and arrangers. If it is singable, we will give it a go. If it is boring or just too difficult, then we give it a miss!

Are you looking for new members? Always! We welcome new members at any time, and being a choir of the community for the community, all we ask is that you sing in tune! (There are no formal auditions, you don’t have to read music and we welcome complete beginners).

Have you got a website or email address for people to get in touch? www.ledburycommunitychoir.co.uk

How has the pandemic affected the choir / performing? We suspended rehearsals and performances when lockdown (March 2020) began, but started up again in November 2021. We hope to hold some informal concerts this year as we rebuild the choir.

What do people get out of being a member of the choir? Our accent is on the enjoyment of singing and our conductor Mal always makes rehearsals light-hearted. Our members proudly boast that we are a big bunch of friends who also happen to enjoy singing together. Why not come along and give us a go?