Members

Current members: Jo Briddock, Ros Hobson, Georgina Hulse, Helen Kirk and Rachel Mallaband.

Key responsibility: to ensure that events and concerts are planned efficiently and effectively, and in good time.Terms and Conditions for SPC Trustee sub-groups

Membership of Event Planning Group (EPG) is open to SPC professionals and members of the Chorus but must include at least two trustees including the Concert Planning Officer and Contracts Officer. It is useful for the Secretary and Rehearsals and Events Officer to be involved. Membership can change at any time, and may involve more people eg when planning trips overseas.

Terms and Conditions

• A member of EPG can resign at any time, giving at least three months’ notice wherever possible to enable timely replacement.
• Overall responsibility for issues delegated to EPG lies with the Chorus Trustees.
• EPG is responsible for allocating actions to individuals and ensuring that these actions are progressed.
• EPG must keep a record of their meetings and report their decisions and actions to trustees.
• Some decisions about Sheffield International Concert Series (SICS) concerts may fall outside the remit of SPC, its trustees, RPG and EPG, and will be determined by the Halle Concert Society in conjunction with the Chorus MD.
• Trustees will review these terms and Conditions every three years.

Current members Darius Battiwalla, Jo Briddock, Victor Brooks, Russell Eagling, Marianne Grayson, Ros Hobson and Stephen Vickers

Key responsibility: to explore potential events and repertoire for those events, and for SICS concerts in conjunction with the Halle Concert Society, in line with SPC’s strategic aims.

Membership of the Repertoire Planning Group (RPG) is open to professionals and members of the Chorus but must include the Music Director (MD), who shall lead the group, and at least two trustees and two members from the Chorus. The Chorus participants shall serve for two consecutive years on an alternating basis.

Terms and Conditions

• A member of RPG can resign at any time, giving at least three months’ notice wherever possible to enable timely replacement.
• Overall responsibility for issues delegated to RPG lies with the Chorus Trustees.
• RPG is responsible for allocating actions to individuals and ensuring that these actions are progressed.
• RPG must keep a record of group meetings and report their decisions and actions to trustees.
• Some decisions about Sheffield International Concert season (SICS) concerts may fall outside the remit of SPC, its trustees and RPG, and will be determined by the Halle Concert Society in conjunction with the Chorus MD.
• Trustees will review these Terms and Conditions every three years.

How the Chorus music programme is organised

Sheffield International Concert Season (SICS)

• Organised by the Halle Concert Society (HCS) and Sheffield City Hall, which is run by ASM Global.
• HCS is the over-arching organisation that deals with the affairs of the Halle orchestra and chorus and all the associated subsidiary groups.
• ASM Global took over the running of the City Hall in 2024; it was previously run by a social enterprise (Sheffield City Trust).
• Darius has discussions with the Halle Concert Society about works that could form part of the International Concert Season, including works suggested by the Repertoire Planning Group and by chorus members.
• For example, we have gradually sung most of the works that were suggested by chorus members via a survey that was conducted some years ago, and we have recently conducted another survey which Darius will use to feed into the discussions with the Halle Concert Society.
• Detailed discussions between Darius and HCS focus on practical musical issues such as the size of the orchestra required, likely rehearsal requirements, availability of particular instrumentalists or soloists, availability of conductors and where they – and the orchestra – are working immediately before and after the proposed concert in Sheffield etc.
• Darius says ‘Putting together the whole season is very much a jigsaw and by the time all the various factors have been taken into account the actual choice of repertoire is quite constrained‘.
• Costs obviously play a part in deciding what the annual programme is able to be. The costs are such that at least two thirds of the 2,270 tickets must be sold for an orchestral concert to break even, and more if the orchestra is large and the soloists expensive.
• Choral concerts are more expensive, because of the costs involved in erecting the choir risers, expanding the stage so an orchestra still fits, and removing the seats in the stalls. This means that at least three quarters of the 2,270 tickets must be sold for a choral concert to break even.
• In fact, choral concerts sales are usually around 1,000 (less than half capacity), and sometimes fall below even that figure. For example:
  • Creation June 2025 = 790
  • Mahler 2 March 2023 = 1,355 (sales led by the four organisations planning the concert)
  • Music in Common Time January 2023 = 424
• This has affected the number of choral concerts that the City Hall and the Halle Concert Society have felt able to support in Sheffield over the last few years, especially since ticket sales clearly show that choral concerts have unfortunately generated smaller audiences.
• The income and costs of SICS choral concerts are shared between the partners; SPC pays soloist fees and gets a proportion of ticket sales in accordance with a formula which is designed to offset the fees if ticket sales are good.
• Unfortunately sales have not reached the required capacity for many years, so all SICS concerts lead to a deficit in SPC funds.
• The Christmas concert is different; SPC pays no costs so we don’t get a share of the income.

Self funded concerts

• It costs over £15,000 to hire the City Hall for a concert, and at least the same to hire a large, high quality orchestra; good soloists cost around £1,500 to £2,00 each.
• We would need to sell at least 1,500 tickets at £25 each (plus booking fees) to cover these and other costs (conductor fee, marketing etc) for a break-even outcome; even the Mahler 2 concert did not reach these figures
• For example, the Messiah self-funded concert with Black Dyke Band at City Hall in 2022 made £11,081 in ticket sales from 691 tickets sold, and costs were £19,978, so we lost over £8,000 from Chorus funds.
• This means that we are unlikely to be able to afford to have a self funded concert there without significant sponsorship, or spending a significant amount from our reserves. We might do this for a special occasion but could not sustain it on a regular basis.
• The Chorus has put on self-financed concerts at the City Hall, aided by generous sponsors and people donating their services for free.
• Examples include the Messiah concert sponsored by Bill Smyllie, the Vaughan Williams concert sponsored by Julie Smethurst and others, and the Britten War Requiem, which was sponsored by Steve Terry. These concerts were also supported from chorus reserves.
• This is why most of our self-financed concerts have used smaller, less expensive venues with fewer musicians rather than a full orchestra; this has given us the opportunity to sing a wider range of works that we might otherwise have been able.
• However, it’s worth pointing out that we don’t have the best record of selling tickets ourselves – for example we sold 260 tickets for the Messiah concert in the Victoria Hall in 2017, ie 10 short of a capacity sell-out, fewer than 1.5 tickets per member.  This number doesn’t make much impact at the City Hall, which holds over 2,000 people.
• We will need to continue run cost-effective self-financed concerts alongside those organised as part of the SICS, in order to secure a vibrant and exciting annual programme.

All role holders apart from professionals may stand as trustees, but only those marked MUST become trustees. However, all role holders including professionals may attend trustee meetings, either (a) when invited because they have an important contribution to make about something on the agenda or (b) as and when they wish. Only trustees can vote. Find out more about trustee responsibilities using the Trustee button below.

Role currently held by soprano Anne Adams

Summary: Maintain website content

Skills and qualities required: Excellent IT skills, excellent written communication skills, reliability  

• Upload weekly update to Member’s Area
• Upload YouTube clips and rehearsal tape links to website, maintain archive of past links
• Revise concerts listing annually – write text on new page, archive previous season
• Develop Christmas page in October each year, archive in January
• Update singing opportunities page as information comes in
• Update Chorus Rules, policies etc as they change
• Upload AGM minutes to Members Area
• Revise contact details following changes in personal, and annually after the AGM
• Upload committee meeting minutes to Members Area
• Write News items aiming for one per month
• Regular check that links still work, and correction if not
• Collect and analyse web analytics and similar data and prepare report for trustees and members, include in Annual Report
• Liaise with Webmaster(s) re website updates, security alerts etc

Role currently held by bass Matthew Morgan. Not a trustee.

Summary: Responsible for all technical aspects of SPC’s website

Skills and qualities required: Good web management skills, good communication, reliability

• Develop and maintain internet and intranet portals, forms, and structures in accordance with SPC needs; collaborating with MD, Administrator and Membership Officer
• Facilitate consistent, unified web design.
• Identify opportunities to improve search engine optimization (SEO), time on site, web traffic, and other relevant metrics
• Maintain and document ownership of SPC internet domains
• Assist members with use of SPC website
• Ensure compliance with software licenses and applicable laws and regulations including data security, privacy, and intellectual property laws
• Trouble shoot and fix issues relating to SPC website and email as required

Role currently held by soprano Anne Adams.

Summary: Ensure Chorus gains the full benefit of Classical Sheffield (CS) membership

Skills and qualities required: Good organisation, IT skills, reliability

• Upload concert details to Classical Sheffield website prior to start of each season
• Revise SPC page on Classical Sheffield website, when required
• Receive Classical Sheffield weekly email updates and pass on relevant details to trustees, Chorus members, MD etc as appropriate
• Submit SPC numbers to Classical Sheffield Coordinator in January each year, to enable invoicing
• Pass Classical Sheffield invoice to Finance Officer for payment
• Attend Classical Sheffield AGM, publicise AGM to Chorus, ensuring SPC rep attends and votes as appropriate (NB Anne Adams unable to attend Classical Sheffield AGM as SPC rep, as she is a trustee of Classical Sheffield)
• Represent SPC at Classical Sheffield events as appropriate
• Liaise with Classical Sheffield re SPC involvement in Classical Sheffield events, especially festivals

Summary: support the Membership Officer, and members, through close knowledge of members of each voice section

Skills and qualities required: good interpersonal skills, tact, reliability, empathy

• liaise between members and the Membership Officer / MD
• explain to members about to fall off the singing list for a concert, that they can put their case to the MD via the Membership Officer otherwise will not be able to take part in the concert
• remind members of the attendance requirement as set out in the Chorus Rules
• get to know each member of the section from the moment they pass their initial audition and are sent the ‘welcome to the Chorus’ email (Voice Rep is copied in)
• be the conduit for information about the Chorus or for access to any Chorus official to resolve any problem which might arise
• check the singing list / MAR sheet on a regular basis, to note any member whose attendance is falling
• warn members whose attendance is close to the 75% minimum
• inform Membership Officer of any errors in the attendance record highlighted by members
• inform the Membership Officer of factors that may affect member attendance, eg pending surgery, maternity leave etc
• advise members of any breaches of the dress code

Role currently held by soprano Boo Spurgeon. Not a trustee.

Summary: Ensure equality diversity and inclusion (EDI) is considered in all Chorus decision-making

Skills and qualities required: Knowledge of EDI landscape and legislative requirements, good communication

Main duties are to

• alert trustees to changes in EDI legislation
• help review and update the EDI policy every two years
• be alert to barriers to inclusion, raising these with trustees
• proactively seek to reduce barriers to membership

Role currently held by bass Paul Duffield, who is also a trustee

Summary: Organise coaches for tours and away rehearsals

Skills and qualities required: Good organisation and communication

• Clarify the times relating to each event requiring transport.
• Seek quotes from coach companies if necessary and advise on costs.
• Confirm hire with coach firm agreed by trustees and liaise re arrangements.
• Organise pick up points and times subject to the advice of the chosen coach company.
• Advise the chorus members of the arrangements and ask them to clarify where they wish to be picked up and returned.
• Advise re parking close to pick-up points
• Check that members are eligible to sing.
• Engage helpers if coaches are departing from different places.
• On the day check that members are on the correct coaches.
• Advise travellers re health and safety on coaches.
• Ensure that no one is left behind after the event.
• Advise the coach company where to send the invoice.
• Make appropriate announcements and reply to queries from members.
• Seek and brief on-the-day substitute if not attending concert or travelling by coach

Role currently held by soprano Sally Turnbull, who is also a trustee.

Summary: provide a welcome to prospective members and guide them through the joining process

Skills and qualities required: excellent interpersonal skills, good communication, organisation and reliability

• First point of contact for potential visitors, usually made by them via phone, messaging or email
• Reply promptly, answering their specific questions, welcoming them to a rehearsal, providing information about when, where and what music to be brought if relevant etc. A standard letter won’t do – it is personal every time
• Produce a signing in sheet for attendance weekly for all visitors to sign
• Welcome them at the first rehearsal, provide music and collect it back that evening. Try to introduce them to someone in their voice part for support the first week.
• Meet them after the rehearsal for feedback and music return
• Provide an audition sheet after two rehearsals for the visitor to return completed asap
• Arrange initial audition dates with Music Director, Accompanist and Vocal Coach, then offer the date(s) to prospective members
• Attend and encourage on the day of the audition, being the link between the audition” panel” and the person auditioning
• Introduce them to the Membership Officer who will then take over, and to their voice rep at next rehearsal
• Provide the Membership Officer with the dates that the successful candidate has attended rehearsals, for the attendance data base (needed for singing lists for concerts)
• Provide folders for new members to purchase, along with any other uniform if relevant
• Revise Application Form and send to Chair or Seceretary ready for review by trustees