Ember Choral Society
December 2011
Arrangements for the concert on Saturday 10 December at St Andrew’s Church, Surbiton

BEFOREHAND: The stage building team/volunteers please be at the Hall for 10.00am. We will be using the new St
Andrew’s staging plus some imported from Holy Trinity. The new staging is excellent, but different, so it may take
us longer to erect it this first time. We will be using some of our own choir chairs but Steve Midson will contact
those people he needs to bring them (and take them home!). Steve is in charge of setting up, please help him.

IN ADDITION, there will be quite a lot of moving other church furniture, pews etc. around to arrange the audience
seating, so we need as many helpers as possible on Saturday morning – there is a lot to do. There are also 34
music stands to put up.

AFTER THE CONCERT: Everyone is asked to help clear up, even if only in a small way. Please make sure you place
your hired music in the marked boxes provided. Also we need you to fold your chair – either a blue St Andrew’s
one or one of our own black ones - and place it on the relevant trolley. The staging comes apart easily but needs
to be carried back to the storage room behind the altar, where someone from St Andrew’s will supervise its
repacking. The music stands need to be folded up – please only do this if you know how! If the staging team and
other volunteers will stay behind, we can do the clearing and resetting of the church in record time.

REHEARSAL AND CONCERT: Choir members should be in the Hall by 1.30pm. Please note that some river roads
near the church have no parking restriction on Saturday, but others do, so read the signs carefully.
The seating will be worked out according to the numbers who have been attending regular rehearsals and have
indicated that they are singing in the concert. If you do not intend to sing in the concert please let us know and
make sure you hand in your music before the concert.
The rehearsal will start at 2pm and finish by 5.00pm. You can stay at the church between the rehearsal and
performance and use the kitchen.
It will be very helpful if choir members pre-order interval drinks, which will then be provided in the back room, in
order to reduce the crush at the audience drinks area. Please sign the list at the last rehearsal, pay and keep the
ticket with what you’ve ordered as a reminder!
Dress will be DJs for the men and black with sleeves for the ladies.

As you are all aware, this concert is sold out, which means the church will be very full. It would be a good idea to
go to your seat in good time and perhaps we could respectfully suggest that, unless you have an urgent desire to
move in the interval, (for whatever reason!), choir members stay in the choir area, unless you’re helping in any
way.
 It is vital that we get help with the following:
Taking tickets (and turning away those without a ticket )
Giving out programmes – suggested donation £1.
Taking orders and money for interval drinks.
Directing people to seats and to the drinks table in the interval – we hope to have a system!
Serving drinks at the interval and clearing/packing the glasses afterwards.
If you or your family member/partner etc can help in any way, please come forward and volunteer. If we
spread the load, everyone can get home in reasonable time without feeling tired out.

Finally, this is the last reminder to bring lots of goodies for the hampers. We will be selling raffle tickets for the
hamper draw on Wednesday and at the Saturday rehearsal, and the raffle will take place at that rehearsal. Please
support your choirs in this valuable fund raiser. That’s the end – sorry for the verbosity!
Happy Christmas! Enjoy the concert and thank you for your support this term.