Gallery

Summer concert 2026

Thank you for coming to celebrate the glorious summer of 2026 with us. Our audience enjoyed an uplifting mix of music from across the ages and the genres!

The concert was very well attended and the feedback was fabulous - people especially enjoyed the fun and original Carnival! by Gwyn Arch. This is a vocal romp through 'Carnival of the Animals' by Saint-Saëns and you can enjoy the original 1998 premiere performance HERE.

We also performed a glorious medley of musical numbers by Rodgers & Hammerstein and one of our happy audience recorded it for us so now you can enjoy it too. Simply click on the video below.

Rodgers & Hammerstein Video

Our chosen charity for the term was Bridge For Young People and, with your support, we raised £1000. This inspirational local charity currently has four housing projects in West Berkshire provides housing, emotional support and practical help to young people (aged 16-25) during the crucial time when they move out of care into independence.

Spring concert 2026

We are still flushed with success after our recent spring concert. We packed out the lovely bright Kennet Valley Free Church in Calcot and the audience enjoyed a fabulous programme ranging from the Easter meditation 'Stabat Mater' by baroque composer Pergolesi right through to the charming Abba number 'Chiquitita'.

As an extra treat, the brilliant Frances Jones gave us all a short talk on the history and use of the Swiss Alphorn and then played a very familiar tune we could all sing along to ...

Our charity for the term was Launchpad - a small but mighty local charity supporting individuals and families facing the prospect of, or living with, the realities of homelessness. The concert raised over £1400 - a huge thank you to all who came along to support us and this wondeful charity.

IMG_7479.MOV

Click the 'play' button to hear the alphorn.

Christmas concert 2025

Our 2025 Christmas concert was a huge success with a bigger audience than ever.

To celebrate the 80th birthday of one of Britain's most well-loved composers, John Rutter, we as performed a range of his most joyful festive and crowd-pleasing pieces. Alongside these delights were pieces by other well-known and lesser known composers and, in traditional fashion, we also enjoyed a number of carols and invited the audience to join in, which they did in full voice!

As always, all profits went to our chosen charity for the term, the Reading & West Berkshire branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. We raised a whopping £2,485 for this small but mighty local charity which provides practical and emotional support to those living with a diagnosis of MND. A huge thank you to all those who came along to support us and give so generously.

Click the button below to hear Vivace Voices singing the Christmas round, 'Noel, Noel' at their 2025 Christmas concert.

Click To Listen

Carol singing at Asda in Lower Earley

This year we pitched up at the Asda superstore community centre in Lower Earley to sing carols and raise money for our chosen charity, the Reading & West Berkshire branch of MND Association. The centre staff and local residents welcomed us enthusiastically and some even joined the choir to sing along! In just one and a half hours we raised over £450 for MND. Thank you to all those who came to support us.

Singing for the local elderly 2024

Charity work and outreach is a very important part of life for Vivace Voices and, at the end of October some of the choir visited two local elderly care homes to sing to the residents.

The pieces were selected to be a combination of arrangements of well-known songs along with some original works, and the delighted audience even joined in with a rousing rendition of Abba's 'Thank You For The Music'!

Not just a pretty voice!

Vivace Voices brings together women from many different backgrounds and with a wealth of experience, skill and expertise between them that goes way beyond their ability to produce beautiful music. Dig a little deeper during the weekly tea and cake break and you will be surprised and delighted at what you discover ...

Lion!

This vibrant piece of art was created by Ann Moore (2nd soprano). It is just one of many works she has produced in her spare time. It is a beautiful representation of the many colourful strands of music we bring together in Vivace Voices.

By Carolyn Askar (performance poet, children's writer, creativity coach & 1st soprano)

To discover more about Carolyn and her beautiful poetry books visit her website

Meet Valerie ...

One of the choir's second altos, Valerie is a keen cricket fan. Her love of leather on willow started at school when, in the summer, all the girls could play a variety of sports. Valerie joined the school cricket team and eventually became captain.

Valerie was wicket keeper and she says that the lenses in her glasses had to be changed to plastic to protect her in case she was hit in the face by a ball.

She also recalls playing a team of the fathers - the dads went in with the intention of being 'nice' to the girls but soon realised that their daughters could hit the ball just as hard and ... run a good deal faster than them!

Cake Corner

There IS more to life than cake but a slice of the sweet stuff along with a hot cup of tea can ease a myriad of woes and certainly revitalises the energy and vocal chords half-way through rehearsals! The bakers amongst us love to share our cakes AND our recipes ...

Sheila's Chocolate Cake

Ingredients (serves 8-12)

For cake:

280g soft margerine
280g soft brown sugar
5 x medium-sized eggs, beaten (or 5 flax 'eggs' for a vegan version)
215g self-raising flour
2tsp baking powder
3tbs milk (dairy or plant)
150 gms self-raising flour
65g cocoa powder

For icing:

65g caster sugar
a dollop of golden syrup
100g good dark chocolate (at least 54% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
A little milk (dairy or plant)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 190C (170C fan), Gas 5.
Cream fat and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the beaten egg or flax 'eggs'.
Add the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and combine well.
Add the milk and beat the mixture until smooth - use a spatula to keep the mixture in the middle so that you don't over-beat it.
The mixture will not be runny but will be thick enough to need a bit of spreading into your chosen, prepared tin.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes.
Allow it to cool on a rack before icing it.
To make the icing, put the sugar and golden syrup along with a couple of tablespoons of water in a small pan.
Bring to the boil and then take the pan off the heat and stir in the chocolate. Stir until completely melted. Add a little milk (dairy or plant) to make it shiny.
Let it cool a little before pouring it over the cooled cake. It will firm up in about half an hour.
ENJOY!

Fun Facts

The Very First Instrument
The voice is presumed to be the original musical instrument and there is no known culture anywhere in the world that does not sing.

Primitive human sang to invoke their gods, celebrate rites of passage, and recount stories from the day.

The oldest known song is The Hurrian Hymn 6 which dates back to approximately 14000 years BCE! Find out all about this song and listen to it HERE.

Singing Helps Ease Pain

Studies involving those suffering from chronic pain have shown that singing can alleviate their pain symptoms. The effects start immediately and can last for up to 6 months.

More than just being a mental uplift, singing also appears to reduce the amount of pain relief medication needed by those taking part in the studies. Want to deep dive? Click HERE to learn more about all the health benefits offered by singing.

'Without music life would be a blank to me!'

Jane Austen in 'Emma"

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