How the Linsdale Singers started

In 1977, four people got together in a house on Bideford Green and started to sing motets and madrigals for their own entertainment. The name, Linsdale Singers, came about after a misspelling in the programme of the choir’s first public performance in the Methodist Chapel, Wingrave, in October 1978! Our repertoire includes music from the 14th to the 21st century by composers such as Tallis, Byrd, Lassus, Palestrina, Taverner, Rutter, etc. 

Membership

The membership of the Linsdale Singers comprises a musical director and 30 people of all ages (currently between 15 and 60) split into four sections:- 10 sopranos; 10 contraltos, 4 tenors and 6 basses. Numbers fluctuate slightly as people move in and out of the town, retire from the choir, or go on to college/university.

All new members are auditioned and must be competent readers of music because of the demands of unaccompanied chamber music. There is no requirement to be a member of a religious denomination since the choir is not affiliated to any religious institution, although it performs predominantly in local churches whose acoustics enhance unaccompanied singing.

We welcome new recruits! The Linsdale Singers has vacancies in all voices from time to time, and if you are interested please contact Alan Gomersall (details below). Rehearsals take place at the Union Chapel in Wing (map), on Thursday evenings.

Where we sing

Most performances take place in the Leighton Buzzard area, Bedfordshire. There are two principal venues: All Saints church (map) and St. Barnabas church (map).

We also stage performances farther afield. Over the years, The Linsdale Singers, under its conductor, Dennis Pim, has spread its musical wings, and has performed the weekend services and given concerts in major cathedrals and minsters, including: Winchester, Hereford, Ely, Lincoln, Worcester, Peterborough, Exeter, Chichester, Gloucester, Salisbury, Sherbourne and Christchurch.

We sing abroad from time to time. In 2004, we sang at the Engelse Kerk, Amsterdam (English Church, c. 1419) and in 2006 we visited Titisee-Neustadt, the twin town of Leighton-Linslade in the southern Black Forest of Germany.