Steventon Choral Society

Social Events

Each year the committee organises several social events for members and their partners. Patrons and their partners are also invited.

• The New Year Dinner is generally held at the beginning of January and has been held for the last few years at the Kingswell Restaurant near the local village of Harwell. The Kingswell was also the venue for the 50th anniversary dinner held on 27th February 2009 – 50 years to the day since the choral choral society was formed. 2010 saw a move to February for the annual dinner and a change of venue to the Steventon House Hotel.

• The Summer Barbeque or similar event is held in June/July. For the last few years, 50-70 members, their partners and friends have enjoyed a hog roast.

• Group bookings for sing-ins of major choral works organised by the The Really Big Chorus at the Royal Albert Hall

• A theatre trip to London or other city in the late spring or early summer organised by choir secretary Helen Pearce.

A coach party of members and friends visits the Royal Albert Hall each autumn to join The Really Big Chorus for Messiah from Scratch® – a sing-in of Handel's Messiah conducted by Sir David Wilcox. In 1995 choir members were filmed attending the event for a BBC2 documentary. A smaller party usually attends the sing-in organised by The Really Big Chorus in the spring of another major choral work.

Members have also got together to visit shows such as West Side Story and Jesus Christ Superstar at the Apollo Theatre in Oxford and performances by Swindon Gilbert & Sullivan Society. In June 2001, a coach party of members and friends enjoyed a theatre trip to see The King & I at the London Palladium. The Lion King was the choice for our theatre trip to London in July 2002, followed by Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in July 2003, Anything Goes in May 2004 and Phantom of the Opera in June 2005. Mamma Mia was the choice for 2006. Fifty lucky people went off to see The Sound of Music in July 2007. In 2008 the location changed from London with a trip to see Half A Sixpence at the Bristol Hippodrome. But it was back to London in June 2009 for Calendar Girls at the Noel Coward Theatre and again in May 2010 for Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane..