Medina Community Choir is celebrating a successful summer tour of Paris and looking ahead to the autumn season, with a call-out for new members.
Fifty members of the choir performed at three of Paris’s most stunning churches during a week-long trip to the French capital in early August. They also popped up to sing at some of the French capital’s iconic landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower and the steps of Sacré-Cœur at Montmartre.
Highlights from the trip
Choir director Hannah Brear says of the trip,
“Our choir goes on tour every two years and this year, being our 20th year of singing together, it seemed only right to celebrate in style with a tour to Paris, accompanied by our world class Orchestra of the Gods, led by James Longford.
“There were too many highlights to mention them all here but top of my list would be a five-minute standing ovation after singing to a packed church at our final concert, singing at the top of the Eiffel Tower, singing in Saint Sulpice (only 1m2 smaller than Notre Dame!) and swimming in the Seine!
“I’m always amazed at how the choir rises to the occasion, works so seamlessly together, and adapts to each new venue. They are an incredible group of people and more like a family, really. I can’t wait to start our Autumn/Winter season on 3rd September 2026 where we’re going to be trying out some brand-new arrangements for our Christmas concerts! “
Twenty years of Medina Community Choir
It’s the choir’s twentieth anniversary this year. From small beginnings as a school community ensemble it’s grown into a large whole-Island choir, with an age range from teens to seventies, performing a wide range of repertoire from pop, to classical, gospel to musical theatre.
Says Hannah,
“Many of our members don’t sight-read, but that’s not a barrier to the high standards we reach. Aside from enjoying the music, singing regularly is a fantastic way to help your breathing and memory, and being part of a community choir is very sociable, too.”
Joining for autumn
Rehearsals for the autumn term take place in Carisbrooke, Newport, ahead of this term’s December concerts.
To find out more, or to enquire about joining, visit the choir’s website.
News shared by the Medina Community Choir secretary. Ed
