It’s not Christmas until the choir sings, and Devizes Chamber Choir intend to do precisely this by announcing their Christmas Concert, as they have done since they were founded in 1978…..
Devizes Chamber Choir is a group of around thirty singers, with a broad repertoire from acapella, through chamber works to major choral masterpieces including The Creation and Elijah. Their programme comprises of three seasonal concerts annually, a spring concert of standard classical works, a summer concert of lighter music and a seasonal Christmas concert of carols, and obviously it’s the latter which is coming up next; deck the halls!
The Devizes Chamber Choir’s Christmas Concert of Seasonal Carols and Songs will be held on Saturday 6th December 2025 at St. Andrew’s Church, Long Street, Devizes, with Music Director and Conductor, Shaun Holley.
They are a non-auditioned choir, so there is no singing test, but they do expect an ability to read music and of course an enthusiasm to sing. If you are interested in joining the choir, come along to a rehearsal to meet them. Look at them on the featured photo, it doesn’t look like they bite, (though Devizine cannot be held responsible if I’m wrong!) They rehearse on Tuesday evenings between 7:30pm and 9:30pm, at St. Andrew’s Church, Long Street, Devizes.
Review by Karen Cannings. Photography by Gail Foster.
Market Lavington Community Hall was filled with music and applause on Friday 7th July, as Lavington Community Choir presented their summer concert under the direction of Paula Boyagis…..
The choir showcased their vocal skills and versatility in a range of jazz-inspired songs, accompanied by a talented jazz ensemble featuring Tim Price on piano, Tony Jones on flute, James Monckton on double bass, Henry Liebling on Sax, Nick Kingman on percussion/drum kit and Nick Hale on miscellaneous percussion.
The first part of the concert included some classic jazz tunes such as ‘Moon River’ and ‘The Way We Were’, arranged for choir by Bernard Wight. The choir sang with rich harmonies and expressive dynamics, creating a warm and engaging atmosphere. Jessica Phillips, Soprano, charmed the audience with her sweet voice in ‘Let there be Love’, while Paula Boyagis, Mezzo Soprano, delivered a rich and expressive performance of ‘Autumn Leaves’. Jim Donovan then entertained everyone with his rendition of ‘Mack the Knife’, complete with a trilby hat!
The second half featured a jazz cantata based on Robert Browning’s poem ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’, composed by accompanist Tim Price when he was only 16 years old as a student at Dauntsey’s School. The choir, soloists and jazz ensemble brought this humorous and whimsical story to life with catchy melodies, lively rhythms and colourful narration. The original director of music at Dauntsey’s School, David Price, was present in the audience to enjoy the revival of his former pupil’s work. The conductor of the cantata was Paula Boyagis, who also sang the role of the Piper (complete with flute solos) resplendent in a colourful costume of red and yellow.
Mark Wastell, sang and acted his role as the Mayor with great conviction.
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An exciting variety of arts and performance events are being offered to Chippenham residents from Friday 11th-13th February. The line-up for this year’s Fringe Feb festival includes live comedy, dance, theatre and music performances along with a host of interactive fun and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy. There will be events popping up across Chippenham throughout the weekend, from on the high street to local venues and cafés.
Chippenham’s Fringe Feb Festival has been set up and funded by Chippenham Borough Lands Charity to champion the arts in the town and bring exciting work to Chippenham. There is a wide selection of events to choose from with some completely free and others provided at a special subsidised ticket price.
Laura Graham-May, Arts and Education Officer for CBLC said, “This is now our third year of the festival following last year’s Covid safe online event. We’re very excited to be bringing a mixture of live arts and performance events to Chippenham people. We hope there is something for everyone to enjoy and brighten up this cold and quiet time of the year”.
For comedy fans, there’s an improvised musical from The Bean Spillers, quick fire comedy from the brilliant Instant Wit, and there are two special Fringe Feb gigs from Chippenham Comedy Club – one for adults, and an afternoon one for kids and families.
Book tickets at the Cause Venue to see ‘Cult Figure: Kenneth Williams’ for an hilarious and engaging evening and then the next afternoon ‘The Mary Lou Revue’, an all-singing, all-dancing celebration of Golden Age entertainment featuring the songs of Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Peggy Lee & others.
Chippenham performer Florence Espeut-Nickless brings her hard hitting monologue, ‘Destiny’ back to her home town for one night only at The Neeld Community & Arts Centre. For a 14+ audience, follow the story of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Wiltshire Council estate after a big night out takes a turn for the worst.
‘Mama G’s Storytime’ at the Yelde Hall, is a show that will make the whole family laugh, love and think. Combining panto and the art of storytelling, this all singing, partial-dancing extravaganza is filled with stories about being who you want and loving who you are!
Boogie along and clean up the streets of Chippenham with the ‘Disco Litter Queens’ and help ‘The Dance We Made’ dancers create some new moves and watch a performance come together on the high street and then on YouTube. Expect the unexpected watching ‘A real fiction’, a hyperactive mix of dance, theatre, meme and pop culture and ‘Chippenham you’re under a vest’ with the ‘Fashion Police’ who will be rolling out the red carpet ready for the best cat walk, hop, skip and a jump!
Travel back in time at Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre with an evening of little seen silent film of the county dating back from the 1930’s to the 1980’s, accompanied by evocative live traditional west country music and song. You might also like to join the Chippenham Museum team for the premiere of its latest ‘Museum Jukebox’ piece where you can experience their latest exhibition through the music of John Noble, local saxophonist, composer and teacher.
Chippenham’s brilliant Knatty Knitters will be back again this year bringing their knitting magic to a town centre window with some surprises to look out for and a festival in Chippenham would simply not be complete without The Chippenham Town Morris Men in attendance. They have been dancing in the town and surrounding villages since 1978 and will be back by The Buttercross on Saturday lunchtime. The fantastic Chippenham Rock Choir will follow them, providing you with entertainment and classic pop songs to enjoy. There may be more to watch – so pop along and see who might be there!
You can view the work of local artists and crafters by visiting the latest Chippenham Craft Market at King Alfred Hall and blow away the winter blues with a “Sweet Soul Music Singalong” workshop with Chippenham Allsorts Community Choir.
There will be music to enjoy throughout the day in Grounded café and you can put your music knowledge to the test by taking part in “The Lyric Walk” around Chippenham. Hidden in the main streets of Chippenham will be 29 snatches of lyrics, from across the decade. Will you be able to find the most lyrics and win £50 worth of vouchers?!
Pop the 11th-13th February into your diary and get ready to be entertained in Chippenham. Visit www.chippenhamfringe.co.uk for more information and to book tickets.
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“Come and watch PSG!” she said. Being a big footie fan I thought “Great! Paris St. German are one of the great European sides at the moment. Who wouldn’t want to watch them play on a Spring afternoon?” Which just goes to show that you really do need to pay attention when someone is actually talking to you.
Before I knew it, I was in a car heading for that bastion of corporate loveliness known as Chippers. Sitting in a seat in the wonderfully-restored Neeld Community Arts Centre. Where was the big screen for the football, I began to wonder? I was shortly disabused of my fond notion when about 50 people, each bearing a PSG t-shirt wandered out on stage. It was at this point that the penny finally dropped – PSG stands for Pop – Soul – Gospel and…er…that’s exactly what they do. Very loudly.
This fund-raising concert was in aid of Andy Phillips’, the Lord Mayor of Chippenham’s, charity Alzheimer Support, an independent charity supporting people to live well with dementia in Wiltshire. The show featured a wide range of pop, soul and gospel tunes from across the decades (just what it said on the tin!)
PSG Choirs was founded in 2014 by Will Blake in the village of Derry Hill. He set up the choir with the intention of using it to bring his local community together, and now runs choirs in Devizes, Melksham, Calne and Pewsham (and shortly to be in Trowbridge also). Together, the choir(s) have performed at Longleat House Festival of Light, Calne Arts and Music Festival, and Bowood House, as well as their previous fundraising show at the Neeld in 2018.
This concert was a bit of an eye-opener for me. Not being exactly a fan of choirs, or choral music in general – probably because I can’t sing for toffee. In fact if you gave me a large bucket, I couldn’t carry a tune. Unfortunately most of the (admittedly very occasional) soloists here couldn’t do that either. Their interjections were the only slight blot on an otherwise thoroughly entertaining and uplifting performance. With Will on keyboards at the front, once the whole choir took off, the noise was absolutely incredible. In full sail, with some gentle choreography, the choir delivered an impressive array of upbeat numbers, covering a wide range of styles. And the large audience, which didn’t quite fill the venue, loved it. Lots of clapping and singing along. You get the picture.
If singing’s your thing and you’d like to join one of Will’s PSG choirs, see their website – www.psgchoirs.co.uk
Future PSG Events:
April 23rd 8pm PSG Masters Acoustic Performance (Pewsham Community Centre)
April 27th 10am to 3.30pm Calne Spring Sing (Calne Library)
May 22nd 5.30pm PSG Trowbridge – Launch Night (Paxcroft Mead Community Centre)
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