Praise from Venice
Over the weekend of October 12/13 2019, the choir sang two concerts in Venice, in the Pietà and Miracoli churches. Subsequently we received an email from someone who walked into the Miracoli concert, from which the following quotation is taken: It was the highlight of our week. Your music lifted our souls; I wish now I lived nearer to Swindon! Your wonderful choir is such a force for good in our wracked, confused country. Thank you!

Santa Maria dei Miracoli

Christmas at Christ Church: Britten St Nicolas

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About Us
We are a society of about one hundred and ten amateur singers who stage, on average, four choral concerts in and around Swindon each year, and in our 90 year history have performed most of the major choral repertoire, as well as a number of specially-commissioned works.

Atlantic Odyssey 2019
Our 2013 world premier of Atlantic Odyssey, played to a full house, was filmed and recorded live, and a clip of the start of the performance may be seen at Vimeo

BIG Concert
The March 2018 concert in Marlborough College Chapel was a rare chance to tackle JS Bach's glorious St Matthew Passion. Combining with Bracknell Choral Society and their conductor Greg Hallam who also conducted the final performance, we thrilled to the sound of the six professional soloists accompanied by the double orchestra Musica Poetica, as well as singing many of the chorales unaccompanied. The double choir Thundered and Lightninged with gusto and demanded the release of Barabbas with an appropriate crescendo of sound. The undoubted highlight, however, was the heart-stopping bass/cor anglais aria Make me clean. With the chorus taking up fully one third of the Chapel seating, the other two thirds were sold out to a packed audience. This was one that none of us will ever forget.

Fundraising
Like all amateur organisations, we work hard at fundraising and our efforts will be boosted when you use our EasyFundraising link for your online shopping. A very big Thank You to all who do so!

Past performances include the Passions of Bach, Requiems from Mozart to Rutter by way of Howard Goodall's Eternal Light, Britten's War Requiem, and many familiar oratorios, notably, A Child Of Our Time and The Dream of Gerontius, and most recently the first half of The Christmas Oratorio. The Armed Man, by Karl Jenkins has also featured. For a complete list of our concerts, please visit our Concerts pages.

We enjoy performing with professional orchestras and soloists. We have worked with The London Mozart Players (under Jane Glover), the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, the West Forest Sinfonia, the Chameleon Arts Orchestra and, very recently, the Reading Symphony Orchestra.

The Society also incorporates the Swindon Chorale, an increasingly active and dedicated group providing sacred and secular music by request for weddings, funerals, fund-raising concerts for ourselves and others, together with other events.

DAILY ANTI-VIRAL:

Daily Limerick (02/06), by Anna Quarendon
The R's a significant letter
The lower the number the better
But if boffins find R
Has crept up too far
We'll all be a great deal upsetter

Daily Limerick (01/06), by Anna Quarendon
This week a relaxing of rules
Sees children returning to schools
You can check out a car
Or an outdoor bazaar
But not yet go swimming in pools

Daily Limerick (31/05), by Anna Quarendon
We must not “tear the pants” off the guidance
As our everyday freedom now widens
When we leave our back yards
We must stay on our guards
So we keep up the rate of subsidence

Daily Limerick (30/05), by Anna Quarendon
The council's decision is final
You can't use a public urinal
There's nowhere to pee
In a W.C.
You can ask but you'll get a declinal

Daily Limerick (29/05), by Anna Quarendon
Now there are fewer who sicken
Our pulses are starting to quicken
We'll soon be allowed
To meet in a “crowd”
Of six with less risk that we're stricken

Daily Limerick (28/05), by Anna Quarendon
From now on we can check who's infected
By testing when Covid's suspected
Then contacts who've been
Within feet of “19”
Will stay home to keep others protected

Daily Limerick (27/05), by Anna Quarendon
BJ's in a bit of a bind
A Minister's now resigned
Hostility's growing
With Cummings not going
And party support undermined

Daily Limerick (26/05), by Anna Quarendon
When Cummings was caught in the act
We all thought his bags would be packed
But Boris, his saviour
Excused his behaviour
So - looks like his aide won't be sacked

Daily Limerick (25/05), by Anna Quarendon
For a Welshman a trip to the beach
Is still, I'm afraid, out of reach
While north of the border
“Stay Home” 's still the order
With fines handed out if in breach

Daily Limerick (24/05), by Anna Quarendon
We can now all consider a trip
To buy plants or to go to the tip
We can exercise twice
Which is all very nice
But we can't yet completely jump ship

Daily Limerick (23/05), by Anna Quarendon
The losses from Covid are grave
We cannot invite a new wave
Our only defence
Is to use common sense
In the way that we choose to behave

Daily Limerick (22/05), by Anna Quarendon
Who knew that the prospect of drilling
A tooth could be thought of as thrilling
But the pain in her molar!
It's hard to console her
And now she just dreams of a filling

Daily Limerick (21/05), by Anna Quarendon
In her Honours the Queen will confer
The prestigious title of “Sir”
On a doughty old vet
Who's a bit of a pet
After causing a right royal stir

Daily Limerick (20/05), by Anna Quarendon
The threat posed by Covid 19
Means Chelsea this year is on screen
From back yard to estate
They've opened the gate
On gardens not otherwise seen

Daily Limerick (19/05), by Anna Quarendon
'PM' is now back in its slot
At 5 o'clock right on the dot
With death tolls and news
Political views
And ministers losing the plot

Daily Limerick (18/05), by Anna Quarendon
A home-working woman from Crawley
Woke up today feeling poorly
Oh No! she cried out
There must be some doubt
Not week number 9 of this surely.

Daily Limerick (17/05), by Anna Quarendon
“It's over”'s a bit of a platitude
And really, not quite the right attitude
So, if you're caught out
With a group, there's no doubt
The police may not give you much latitude

Daily Limerick (16/05), by Anna Quarendon
I wonder if some are now wishing
They'd thought about taking up fishing
The government's dangling
The prospect of angling
Which isn't what most have been missing

Daily Limerick (15/05), by Anna Quarendon
Be careful when choosing “the one”
To meet with now break-out's begun
You'll get the cold shoulder
Before you're much older
If friends think they're second to none

Daily Limerick (14/05), by Anna Quarendon
He stands in his tie and his suit
Prepared for the daily commute
It's all back to normal
He's looking quite formal
Tho, after two months, quite hirsute

Daily Limerick (13/05), by Anna Quarendon
So, it's back into work for a few
With things that we can and can't do
No hot desks and sharing
And contact quite sparing
With meetings restricted to two

Daily Limerick (12/05), by Anna Quarendon
From now on we're able to meet
With a friend in the park or the street
But make sure they're single
You still mustn't mingle
Or you'll be dobbed in tout de suite

Daily Limerick (11/05), by Anna Quarendon
Now we've all heard from the boss
But still, we're at rather a loss
Back to work for a few
But nothing much new
For those left at home gath'ring moss

Daily Limerick (10/05), by Anna Quarendon
Later today, so we're told
A Map of the Road will unfold
A government plan
“Who can't” and “Who can”
Just baby steps, nothing too bold

Daily Limerick (09/05), by Anna Quarendon
Said her husband “Now what will it be?”
A stiff Quarantini for me -
And make it a double
“OK then, no trouble
Tho maybe let's wait until three?”

Daily Limerick (08/05), by Anna Quarendon
The government says it's reliant
On all of us staying compliant
So “lest we forget”
It's not over yet
You may get a fine if defiant

Daily Limerick (07/05), by Anna Quarendon
Is it Thursday today? Maybe not
It doesn't much matter a lot
The days have begun
To roll into one
It's hard to remember what's what

Daily Limerick (06/05), by Anna Quarendon
Oh Doc, I don't want to complain
But I think I might have Lockdown-Brain
Intelligence rusty
Social skills dusty
Will I ever be normal again?

Daily Limerick (05/05), by Anna Quarendon
It seems that a blue tooth connection
Could help trace the spread of infection
It was trialled last night
On the Isle of Wight
To optimise Covid detection

Daily Limerick (04/05), by Anna Quarendon
In Derby a woman called Melanie
Was stopped by the police for a felony
"I do hate to ask it
But what's in your basket?
Essentials - or just a miscellany?"

Daily Limerick (03/05), by Anna Quarendon
Each week now the Archers will play
Four times, after seven each day
But there's no new recording
So those they've been hoarding
Will have to make do throughout May

Daily Limerick (02/05), by Anna Quarendon
Pub visits have lately been fewer
Which is very bad news for the brewer
This week once again
Beer's been poured down the drain
Which has made many drinkers feel bluer

Daily Limerick (01/05), by Anna Quarendon
It's bin day and Sue can't decide
Just how many bottles to hide
She won't have us thinking
She's taken to drinking -
She has - but she's still got her pride.

Daily Limerick (29/04), by Anna Quarendon
A round of applause and Hooray!
Colonel Tom is one hundred today
He captured our hearts
And is now in the charts
With a number one song. Get away!

Daily Limerick (30/04), by Anna Quarendon
Women are wild with despair
Six weeks and they've not cut their hair
So out with the snippers
And DIY clippers
For the bolder among them who dare

Daily Limerick (28/04), by Anna Quarendon
Our loved ones are “not a statistic”
Yours could be next so why risk it
Tho' lock-down seems long
We need to stay strong
To flout and go out takes the biscuit

Daily Limerick (27/04), by Anna Quarendon
There once was a nurse named Jenny
Like Luis, she's one of so many
Who are trying their best
To combat this pest
Which struck the PM same as any

Daily Limerick (26/04), by Anna Quarendon
In every village and town
Covid has locked people down
But in Ambridge they meet
In the pub and the street
And no mention of mask or of gown

Daily Limerick (25/04), by Anna Quarendon
When Trump came up with a wheeze
That Dettol could cure the disease
With a few hearty slugs
To kill off the bugs
He said he was kidding guys, Jeez!

Daily Limerick (24/04), by Anna Quarendon
In gardening shorts and a vest
No make-up and hair like a nest
She feels there's some doubt
That when she's let out
She'll remember quite how to get dressed

Daily Limerick (23/04), by Anna Quarendon
Stitchers are forming new hubs
Machinists uniting in clubs
All round the land
And sometimes by hand
They're making the nurses new scrubs

Daily Limerick (22/04), by Anna Quarendon
It's time for The News - let me see
What will today's headlines be?
Word on the street ...
Could be a repeat
"We've not got enough PPE"

Daily Limerick (21/04), by Anna Quarendon
It's term time and working Mum, Lottie,
Is faced with a problem quite knotty
If cooped up indoors
With the kids and the chores
And teaching as well - she'll go dotty

Daily Limerick (20/04), by Anna Quarendon
In lockdown a girl with a leaning
To spend her time madly spring cleaning
Has gone off the boil
After four weeks of toil
As the shine's rather gone off the sheening

Daily Limerick (19/04), by Anna Quarendon
During this long month of Sundays
A woman who yearned for more fun days
Said - who would have guessed
I'd get so depressed
I'd start looking forward to Mondays

Daily Limerick (18/04), by Anna Quarendon
At home with a lot less to do
She found that her appetite grew
Now former Miss Twiggy
Is more like Miss Piggy
After three weeks of eating for two

Daily Limerick (17/04), by Anna Quarendon
Captain Tom has won over the nation
Support him and take inspiration
He's walking the walk
Not talking the talk
Let's give him a standing ovation

Daily Limerick (16/04), by Anna Quarendon
Covid has gripped the UK
We hoped we had nipped it - but nay
The cases are mounting
And now we're left counting
The number of deaths every day

Daily Limerick (15/04), by Anna Quarendon
In the past we all thought PPE
Was a three-subject type of degree
But now it's a noun
That describes mask and gown
To keep nurses and carers bug-free

Daily Limerick (14/04), by Anna Quarendon
Let's have a round of applause
For those who've been locked up indoors
Nose pressed to the pane
And going insane
At the prospect of sorting more drawers

Daily Limerick (13/04), by Anna Quarendon
The PM was badly infected
But at Easter the man resurrected
And now our BJ's
Not wearing PJ's
But a suit and a tie as expected

Daily Limerick (Easter Day 12/04), by Anna Quarendon
Though Easter this year's a bit rotten
It's not that the bunny's forgotten
He's done all his shopping
But sadly his hopping
Along with much else is verboten

Daily Limerick (11/04), by Anna Quarendon
It's Easter and really quite hot
But whether we like it or not
The whole of the nation
Is on a staycaction
Let's hope we don't all lose the plot

Daily Limerick (10/04), by Anna Quarendon
If you're caught over stretching your legs
You might be brought down a few pegs
But it's better that way
Than to wake up one day
With a fever and feeling the dregs

Daily Limerick (09/04), by Anna Quarendon
Can't sleep and your mind's in a mess
With lock-down beginning to stress?
A book or a soap
Might help you to cope
And maybe watch News Headlines less ...

Daily Limerick (08/04), by Anna Quarendon
It's hard to remain bright and breezy
When our lives are locked-down and diseasy
With Covid out roaming
From Wales to Wyoming
And Costa del Sol to Brindisi

Daily Limerick (07/04), by Anna Quarendon
With the health of the PM now failing
And life as we know it derailing
Let's heed his insistence
To keep social distance
And stop thousands more of us ailing

Limerick from Pam Elliott (07/04)
As I walk through the park on my own
I choose different pathways to roam.
The few people I see
Keep their distance from me
But we smile as we walk on alone.

Daily Limerick (06/04), by Anna Quarendon
In a national address seldom seen
We've been urged by our dutiful Queen
To rally! Unite!
Stand together and fight
With resolve against Covid 19

Daily Limerick (05/04), by Anna Quarendon
Miss Walker's been told that no more
Can she roam round the land as before
To woodland and beach
But must stay within reach
Of her home now and that is the law

Daily Limerick (04/04), by Anna Quarendon
Calling young artists - let's draw!
To brighten each Nightingale door
Crayons out quick
To cheer up the sick
With pictures from ceiling to floor

Grateful Limerick (04/04), from Gill Ganley
A talented lady called Anna,
Writes poems that feed us like manna,
I open my mail
For another great tale,
I'd love to compete but I canna

Daily Limerick (03/04), by Anna Quarendon
It seems there's a bit too much flouting
By those who appear to be doubting
That for some who get ill
This Covid can kill
So, think twice about taking an outing

Daily Limerick (02/04), by Anna Quarendon
In order that those who're infected
With Covid are sooner detected
We need more tests quickly
To see who is sickly
And kit to keep doctors protected

Daily Limerick (01/04), by Anna Quarendon
Because of the Covid disease
Some people are stuck overseas
With everyone wary
It's really quite scary
Let's help them get home again, please

Daily Limerick (31/03), by Anna Quarendon
While we're all inside on devices
Our cat is outside catching mices
It's really quite clear
That he's got no idea
That we're all in the midst of a crisis

Daily Limerick (30/03), by Anna Quarendon
There once was an overworked nurse
Who, knowing that things will get worse,
Just can't understand
Why all round the land
The behaviour of some's so perverse

Daily Limerick (29/03), by Anna Quarendon
We're told that our leader, BJ's
Locked Downing for several days
But don't think he'll be found
Simply loafing around
With a box set and crumpled PJs

Daily Limerick (28/03), by Anna Quarendon
There once was a poorly old prince
Whose “positive” cough made him wince
It turns out he's iller
Than Duchess Camilla
Who's kept out of his way ever since

Daily Limerick (27/03), by Anna Quarendon
To help reduce some of the frowns
Much humour is doing the rounds
The video clips
The cartoons and the quips
Keep us up amid all of the downs

Daily Limerick (26/03), by Anna Quarendon
A woman considered quite old
Has been asked to do as she's told
But self-isolation
For three month's duration
Leaves her and her family cold

Daily Limerick (25/03), by Anna Quarendon
The sun's shining, “Oh what the hell”
I think I'll pop out for a spell
We can all take a walk
But don't stop and talk
So more of us keep safe and well

Daily Limerick (24/03), by Anna Quarendon
So now no more trips to the pub
The theatre, restaurant or club
No more meetings with friends
To pass time at weekends
But we can at least sing in the tub!

Daily Limerick (05/04), by Anna Quarendon
Miss Walker's been told that no more
Can she roam round the land as before
To woodland and beach
But must stay within reach
Of her home now and that is the law

Daily Limerick (20/03), by Anna Quarendon
Spare a thought for the staff under stress
Who work for the fraught NHS
Who between them are trying
To stop people dying
A round of applause please, no less.

Daily Limerick (19/03), by Anna Quarendon
So now we must shut all our doors
Stay at home, stay alone, do our chores
So that each in our way
Helps keep Covid at bay
As the PM robustly implores

Daily Limerick (18/03), by Anna Quarendon
The haul is going to be long
So, we're all going to have to stay strong
Let's try not to grouse
When confined to the house
But instead just keep singing along!