Weekly Updates

Hope everyone is having a great summer break!  

This email shares sad news about a previous member and asks for volunteers to sing at his memorial service in Sheffield on 3 September.  

There’s an important invitation to join visitors from Bochum, and a plea for volunteers to be our Secretary, as well as links to next season’s rehearsal tracks and recordings and a reminder of our first rehearsal. 

Members Area: User Name member Password M4hler8D@rius22 

Sad news – Bill Smylie – volunteers requested to sing at his memorial service 

One of our ex members, Bill Smylie, has passed away, aged 100. Many members will have known Bill, who with a phenomenal 73 years with the Chorus was our longest-standing member. He joined the chorus in March 1947, and sang second tenor with us until the pandemic. His last concert was Christmas 2019, and his last rehearsal was for the cancelled Verdi Requiem and Mahler 8 concerts, in March 2020.  

Bill’s memorial service is at 12.45 on Wednesday 3 September 2025, at St Andrew’s United Reformed Church, Upper Hanover Street, Sheffield S3 7RQ. The Chorus has agreed to sing at the service, both to help the now extremely small church choir to lead the congregational singing, and to sing a piece by ourselves as a tribute to Bill. Darius has suggested that this be one of the following, depending on numbers and balance of voice parts: Rutter’s Gaelic Blessing, Number 6 from the Rachmaninov Vespers (as sung at Jim’s memorial service) or a piece from Faure’s Requiem. Georgina Hulse will conduct; many thanks Georgina. There will be just one rehearsal, at 11.45 on the day, in the church. 

Bill was our Chair for a decade (1980 to 1990) and his membership spanned six Chorusmasters/Directors of Music, including his first, Eva Rich. In 2010 he published a history of the Chorus, and he sang in performances conducted by Thomas Beecham, John Barbirolli, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Adrian Boult, Daniel Barenboim, Charles Groves and with Kathleen Ferrier and Janet Baker, among many, many others. He was very keen on wildlife, and conducted a series of studies of the effect of birds foot trefoil (a wildflower) on the distribution of butterflies, enlisting help from various members of the Chorus at various locations in Sheffield and the Peak District.  

Given Bill’s amazing contribution to the Chorus as a former trustee, choir historian and of course as a second tenor, it would be good to pay tribute with a well-balanced representative choir from among our members, so do please volunteer if you can sing on the day. Please email Georgina Hulse at  

Invitation to join Bochum visitors to Sheffield 10 & 11 September 2025 

A party of 26 people from Bochum, aged 50-70, are visiting Sheffield in September, and SPC has been asked if any of our members would like to join them. The itinerary to which members are invited is listed below. 

• Wednesday 10 September 2025 – Coach trip to the Peak District with tea & scones at 1pm in the Old Smithy Tea Room (£17 per head), followed at 3pm by a visit to Chatsworth (£32). No charge for the coach, which will leave from their hotel (Hampton by Hilton). 

• Thursday 11 September 2025 – farewell fish & chip meal, or vegetarian lasagne, plus Raspberry Frangipane (gluten-free and vegan) and tea or coffee, at the Hampton by Hamilton. Water on the table anyway, orange juice and blackcurrant juice can be added, all other drinks can be ordered and paid for separately at the bar. The Farewell dinner can be offered to five citizens of Sheffield for free. No details re price for everyone else.  

Please email Anne Adams as soon as possible if you are interested in attending either the day trip or the farewell dinner – or both of course. It’s possible that one or more SPC members can be included in the five citizens offer. However, Anne needs to pass on names to her contact at the council as soon as possible so that the necessary arrangements can be made. 

Chorus organisation – we urgently need a Secretary! 

We now have someone to organise the concerts, helped by a small group, but really do need someone to take over the general Secretary duties when Anne Adams steps down at the AGM.  

This is now a very much-reduced role from that undertaken by Anne and previous role holders, as many responsibilities and tasks have been allocated to others. In addition, Anne will have completed the rehearsal set-up for the coming season, and the AGM organisation and papers, so the role will be more modest in the first year of taking over. In fact, in future someone other than the Secretary could organise the AGM which is a ‘once a year’ role, leaving even less for the Secretary to do. Anne has created templates or blueprints for virtually every task, and a calendar of when they can be done, making the role very straight forward.  

If you think you might be able to take over as Secretary from October onwards, please contact any member of the committee.  

Bochum exhibition – thank you 

Thank you so much to those members who represented the Chorus at the launch of the exhibition celebrating 75 years of the twinning of Sheffield and Bochum  – Graham and Louise Dawson, archivist Penny Webster, alto Flick Goodliffe and Georgina Hulse and Anne Adams from the committee. Soprano Angela Argenzio was also there in her role as leader of the Green Party. 

Special thanks to Graham Dawson, who made a terrific speech and presented the Lord Mayor with a piece of specially-commissioned art work, which had been donated by the Bochum choir to the Chorus some years ago and will be displayed in the Town Hall from now on. Penny, Flick, Graham and Louise, and soprano Hilary Olsen all generously lent souvenirs and artifacts to go into the exhibition, which is in the Central Lending Library. 

Thanks are also due to our Marketing and Publicity Officer Kirsty Christer, who was interviewed by one of the city council’s media team for a short film they are producing to celebrate the 75th anniversary. 

First rehearsal and links to recordings etc 

Our first rehearsal of the new season will be at St Andrew’s Psalter Lane Church on Tuesday 9 September 2025 at 7pm. Links relating to our next concert on 1 November are on the website at Members Area / Preparing the Music  

Contact emails 

These are all listed at Members Area / Chorus Contacts

Diary dates (dates in italics are voluntary electives; attendance expected at all others)

Confirmed concert dates and details, including piano and tutti rehearsal dates, times and locations, are posted on Chorus website as soon as they become available so that members can plan ahead, at Members Area / Diary dates 

2025-26 – all but the Come Sing date now confirmed (see below) Electives shown in italics.

• Wednesday 3 September 2025 12.45, St Andrew’s United Reformed Church, S3 7RQ. Bill Smylie’s memorial service. Hymns plus one of: Rutter’s Gaelic Blessing, Number 6 from the Rachmaninov Vespers, piece from Faure’s Requiem. Georgina Hulse will conduct. Rehearsal, at 11.45 on the day, in the church. 
• 1 November 2025, St Marie’s Cathedral, organ 150th anniversary concert. Jonathan Dove Seek Him that maketh the Seven Stars, Cassie White (second prize winner in the Young Composer Competition) for music like the sea, Stanford Blue Bird, organ solo (Darius), Coleridge Taylor Lea Shore & Summer is Gone, Balfour Gardiner Evening Hymn INTERVAL Lili Boulanger Hymne au Soleil, Durufle motets, organ solo, Jean Langlais Messe Solonnelle (double organ). Soloists from choir. Organists: Neil Taylor, James Mitchell and Darius. There will be seating for the choir when we’re not singing (and for those who need it on the altar).
• Tuesday 9 December 2025, City Hall. Halle orchestra live accompaniment to big-screen showing of the film “Home Alone”; we’ll sing the main theme and the in-film carols
• Saturday 13 December 2025, 30, City Hall (SICS) Carol concert with Black Dyke Band, BBC presenter Josie D’Arby, programme to include a carol composed by Rachel Fright
• Sunday 14 December 2025, 2pm cathedral, St Luke’s carol service – date confirmed
• Friday 6 February 2026, 19.00, City Hall (SICS) Arvo PartLament with Manchester Camerata
• Saturday in April/May – Come and Sing event – date to be confirmed
• Friday 9 May 2026, Crookes Social Club, SPC Ceilidh plus Pie and Pea supper, date confirmed
• Sunday 7 June 2026, City Hall, 16.00 (SICS) Elijahwith Halle conducted by Matthew Hamilton

*SICS = concert is part of the Sheffield International Concert Season

Darius concerts

See Darius’s website at http://www.dariusbattiwalla.com/concerts/concerts-2025.html

Reminder – what to do if locked out of the website

If you are unfortunate enough to be locked out of the website (usually due to typing in the wrong password three times), rest assured – it is set such that you can try again after just 5 minutes! The user name and password are at the top of every weekly update, including the short version that goes out by email.

Rehearsal tracks from Choraline

If you purchase rehearsal tracks from Choraline, please note that we have a discount of 20%. To claim, use code SHEFF and type ‘SINGER’ in the discount code on the basket page. If ordering by telephone, quote these when asked.

Singing opportunities

All up-coming opportunities for singing locally are on the Chorus website, along with a list of wider singing opportunities compiled by Phil Harrison and provided by John Morgan, in the Members Area, Information, Singing opportunities.

What’s On

Classical Sheffield’s website lists all local concerts: https://classicalsheffield.org.uk/events

What to do if your contact details change        

If any of your contact details change, including address, email or telephone number, please send a message to  to ensure that your details are amended on the Membership database and that you continue to receive the weekly update.

Weekly updates, Chorus & Classical Sheffield websites/passwords, WhatsApp        

If ever you don’t receive the weekly update, please read it on the website at Members Area / Weekly Updates.

The Members Area lists rehearsal details, rehearsal notes and links to recordings, concert and re-audition arrangements, as well as dates for the following season, our official stage procedure, Darius’ rehearsal schedule, how to look after your voice etc.

The Chorus WhatsApp group is at SPC Social. Please don’t post personal or music-related details about other SPC members or ex-members without their permission!

Contact emails 

These are all listed at Members Area / Chorus Contacts

SPC Update for Thursday 7 August 2025

SPC Update for Saturday 5 July 2025
SPC Update for Sunday 29 June 2025

SPC Update for Sunday22 June 2025

• Chris Wiltshire July 2025

SPC Update for Friday 13 June 2025

• Garden Entertainment – Rose Garden
• Invitation to Bochum exhibition launch

SPC Update for Sunday 8 June 2025