The choir formed in 1952 when members of the St.James Fellowship met after Sunday Evensong to sing together for their own enjoyment, and subsequently, for the enjoyment of others. The present day choir still rehearse in the Church House on Sunday evenings. The young people who first formed the choir have grown older and left for a variety of reasons. There is still one founder member who has rejoined and we have three members with over fifty years continuous service. Carol singing and other fund raising activities over the years resulted in approximately forty five thousand pounds being donated to national and local charities and other good causes. Membership has fluctuated from eighteen to over sixty voices and presently stands at forty five singing members.
The choir has been fortunate over the years with their musical directors. John Wells was the choir's first conductor for fifteen years. He was followed by Ian Piggott for a further fifteen years, then Dominic Cain, Bob Yates, Betty Gibbs, Jean Hamilton and Alan Jones. We have also had many accomplished accompanists over the years who have been a great asset to the choir. The choir is now directed by Caroline Edwards with accompanist Fay Monypenny.
The singers present two major public concerts each year and smaller concerts are performed for charitable organisations. The repertoire of the choir covers most types of choral singing, from modern pops to sacred and classical music.
The Fellowship Singers of Shirley are affiliated to Making Music (The National Federation of Music Societies).
The Fellowship Singers of Shirley are a registered Charity no: 508150.
