Our history

Neville and Tina Moon, joint founders of the Village Singers, came to Great Ellingham in 2001, bringing with them a lifetime of varied musical experience, lifetime organist and church choirmaster, MD for Dereham Operatic Christmas pantos (Neville), and extensive choral experience in a variety of choirs in London and Norfolk culminating in founding the Wymondham Choral Society in 1980.(Tina)

In 2004 they joined the congregation of St James’ Church Great Ellingham, as Musical Director and choir member respectively.  In 2007 and 2008 two concerts were performed by the church choir, which became (although we didn’t know it at the time) the precursors of the future Village Singers.  Subsequently, in response to suggestions that some village people wished to sing but in a secular choir, the decision was taken to sound out locally whether this was a viable proposition. 

In March 2009 a meeting was called and it was decided that there was sufficient interest to found a new choir.  A letter was later sent out laying out the first informal ‘constitution’, naming the choir The Village Singers, and advising of the rehearsal night, fees, attendance requirements, objectives etc, the first rehearsal being held on 21^st April 2009 at St James’s Church, with Neville as MD leading from the keyboard, and Tina as producer, choosing each programme. Following on, the 1^st Committee meeting was held on 19 July 2010, in order to spread the workload.  Colin Thomas (tenor member) has latterly assisted with some of the tenor/bass rehearsals.  Soloists/other instrumentalists are generally drawn from the choir with occasional exceptions.

Initially, the choir’s members were almost exclusively personal friends, with members of the church choir forming the core.  We believe that these early days of a band of friends did much to foster the ‘family feel’ of the organisation which continues to this day.  There was an immediate increase in numbers as the word spread, and the fact that we didn’t hold auditions has undoubtedly helped, loyal and consistent attendance combining to uphold standards. The majority of the members join without the ability to read music, but that is no barrier to learning, and VS quickly went from being a unison choir, to a choir performing in four parts, with two full main concerts being held each year, and a very varied repertoire, from the 14^th Century to modern and in many genres.      

The annual Christmas concert has become a main village fixture, when the choir is pleased to be joined by the Great Ellingham Primary School who sing parts of the concert with the main choir as well as doing a couple of items themselves.   It is a real privilege to give these youngsters a public platform and an introduction to the world of adult music – which often converts to giving a lifetime’s pleasure in music in all its forms.

Like all organisations it has waxed and waned, and the Covid pandemic had big repercussions, with many members choosing not to return to the weekly rehearsals after the lockdowns.  However, led by those intrepid souls who did return, the recruitment process now continues to bring new members who quickly become part of the Village Singers family, with member numbers in the 30s, and all four parts intact.

The main thing is that through music we do serious work, and we produce some seriously good music!  But we also enjoy our rehearsals and several social events each year, with time often given to discussing the amusing events which have punctuated our time together over the years.