Past News
Past News
2023
Wednesday 8 March 6:25pm: AGM 2023
We held a very brief AGM before our session on Wed 8 March for the period Jan-Dec 2022. It started at 6:25pm and was kept to 10 minutes so that it didn’t encroach too much on our singing time. All relevant documents can still be found at our AGM page in the Members’ Area.
Saturday 25 February 5pm: H&I Community Wassail at the HICOP Community Orchard
The Impingtones once again joined the Histon & Impington Community Orchard Project’s annual Winter Wassail to toast the trees (with actual toast 🙂 ) and have some fun on a winter’s evening! We sang “I will Give My Love An Apple” and all joined in with traditional wassail songs that we practiced at our choir session. The orchard lies behind Somerset Road, or at the end of Saffron Road if coming from that direction on foot. Click here for HICOP Events Details. Sheet Music is available under Sheet Music, and the various audio parts can be found (with a little search) under soprano, alto and baritone.
2022
Saturday 10 Dec – Impingtones at The Boot!
We all had a great time at The Boot in support of the HI Friends weekend celebrating everything Christmas in our local community on the 10th/11th December. We arrived ready to sing at 12:00 and the music was the same as for Wednesday’s Friends and Family. It was really good fun to sing at The Boot despite the watery challenges created by the frost melting on the inside of the marquee!!
Bridget messaged afterwards: “I just wanted to say a very huge congratulations to everyone in the choir on their performances this week. The singing has been a complete joy, and I hope everyone feels proud of what we achieved.”
… we do!! 😀
Wednesday 7 Dec – Christmas Friends & Family Party!
We had such a lovely evening, all the more appreciated as it had been a long time since we were able to invite our family and friends to join us. Members invite family and/or friends to hear the choir sing, followed by drinks and mince pies 😀 . It was held on our last day of term in the Park Primary School hall. The choir (wearing something blue) warmed up from 6:30 to 6:45pm while visitors gathered in the library area, then the hall doors were opened for the audience to enter, and we sang from 7:00 to 7.30pm. The music order was:
1. California Dreamin’ 2. Simple Gifts 3. West Side Story – Something’s Coming 4. West Side Story – America 5. Gloria (Vivaldi) 6. Seasons of Love 7. Away in a Manager 8. Deck the Hall 9. Mary’s Cradle Song 10. Winter Wonderland 11. We Wish You A Merry Christmas 12. Rudolph 13. White Christmas.
Try this brief video snippet of Gloria 🙂
Friday 1 July 2022 – 5pm
The Impingtones were invited to sing at Park Primary School’s Summer Fayre on Friday 1st July at 5pm. (The event ran from 3:30 to 6pm.) We wore something blue and arrived by 4:45 ready to sing at 5pm until 5:15pm.
The music order was:
1. A Million Dreams 2. Ain’t No Mountain 3. Tonight
4. Turn! Turn! Turn! 5. Rhythm of Life
Sunday 12 June 2022 – 2pm to 3:30pm
The Impingtones sang at the Histon & Impington Open Gardens 2022 on Sunday 12 June at Lansdowne House garden – Lansdowne House, Burgoynes Road, Impington CB24 9NB. Wearing something blue we arrived at 1:45 ready to sing from 2pm – 2.30pm, took a break and then sang again 3pm – 3.30pm. Moira very kindly served refreshments for us in the break 😀 .
Here is the music we sang:
1. The Greatest Showman – A Million Dreams (p9) and Come Alive (p29)
2. Ain’t No Mountain
3. Figaro Duet
4. West Side Story – Tonight (p17) and Cool (p37)
5. Barcarolle
6. Turn! Turn! Turn!
7. The Rhythm of Life
AGM 2022: Wednesday 30 March @ 6:25pm
We held a very brief AGM before our final term session on Wed 30 March for the period Jan-Dec 2021. It took 10 mins starting at 6:25pm so that it did not encroach too much on our singing time. All relevant documents can be found at our AGM page.
2021
Sunday 12 Dec 1:30pm: HI Friends Christmas Weekend Singing!
The Impingtones sang in the marquee at The Boot on Sunday 12th. We sang some of the recent music we had learnt plus some Christmas carols in two 20 minutes sessions with an interval between. Bridget conducted and Ralph Woodward gave us his usual brilliant accompaniment on the keyboard. We sang:
1. Deck the Hall
2. Away in a Manger
3. Rudolf, the Red-nosed Reindeer
4. A Million Dreams
5. We Wish you a Merry Christmas
6. White Christmas
7.The Rhythm of Life
8. Winter Wonderland
It was great fun for all, as you can see for yourself if you click on the image above, or follow this link:
Impingtones Christmas 2021.
Enjoy !!
2020
Friday 18 Dec 6-7pm Mini-Choir Carol Singing!
Six of our intrepid choir members sang Christmas carols in a socially distanced way on the High St starting somewhere near Tescos.
Many thanks to those who came along to support them!
Saturday 17 October, 6.30pm (doors open 6.15pm, recital ends 7.15pm)
The Golden Shows of Spring
Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte and English pastoral songs
with Bridget Hardy (mezzo-soprano) and Ralph Woodward (piano)
at the Unitarian Church, Emmanuel Road, CB1 1JW.
Tickets (£10, £5 students) in advance from ralphwoodwardtickets@live.co.uk
All was carefully planned to meet COVID regulations in liaison with the venue – with reduced numbers and tickets purchased in advance, all present were socially distanced, no group larger than six allowed and other sensible measures were taken (ventilation, care over access, risk assessment, etc.) to keep us all safe and enjoy some live music-making 😀
Wednesday 7 October at 6:30pm – Impingtones AGM
We all found out about The Impingtones 2020 Vision 😀 ! Our first annual AGM was held briefly at the start of the session which was for combined voices. Full details and documents for the AGM can be found on the AGM page. Any questions or comments can be sent via the Feedback page or by email to impingtones@gmail.com
Sunday 19 January 2020 at 4pm – H&I Orchard Wassail 😀
The Impingtones gave voice again at the Histon & Impington Community Orchard Project’s annual Winter Wassail to toast the trees (with actual toast 🙂 ) and have some fun on a winter’s evening!. Everyone had a great time with something out of the ordinary. We sang a couple of songs which, of course, included “I will Give My Love An Apple”! The orchard lies behind Somerset Road, or at the end of Saffron Road if coming from that direction on foot.
Click here for HICOP Wassail Programme.
See www.hicop.info
2019
Wednesday 11 Dec – Christmas Friends & Family Party!
We made merry at the last session of 2019 with friends & family invited. The format was similar to our enjoyable summer event, singing in the Pavilion then retiring to room E16 in the Music Block for drinks, mince pies and some of Jill’s legendary cakes 😀 . Bridget commented “Very well done on Wednesday evening! It was a fitting end to a great term of singing and it’s been wonderful to welcome so many new members. Your increased confidence in performing was very much in evidence, and I’m looking forward to some more great singing next term.” All credit to Bridget who has done a truly marvellous job of bringing us along during the year and making it such fun too. For the record, our running order was:
1. California Dreamin’
2. Lloyd Webber medley (finishing after “Memory”)
3. Mary’s Cradle Song
4. New Year Carol
5. Away in a Manger
6. Boar’s Head Carol
7. Winter Wonderland
Wednesday 17 July – Family & Friends Evening
Another hugely successful Friends & Family evening was held on the last choir session of the term. It was a great opportunity for members to invite friends and family along to see what we get up to on Wednesday evenings! There was no charge for members or guests for the evening and the format was the same as before: a quick rehearsal from 6.30pm with our guests joining us at 7pm for a half hour performance followed by drinks and snacks, finishing about 8pm. See the Gallery page for a short video from 2018. The running order was:
1. I have a song to sing, o!
2. The Lion King, omitting “The Lioness Hunt” and finishing after “I just can’t wait to be King”
3. Ave Maria
4. O Waly Waly medley
5. Queen medley
We were in the Pavilion building, followed by refreshments in E16 – see our IVC Site Plan if you’re in any doubt!
Wednesday 10 July – in the Red Lion, Histon
We had a lovely members evening get together in the Red Lion after the penultimate session of the term, to welcome our recent new members!
Sunday 30 June – Feast Festival featuring The Impingtones 😎
The High Street was closed for the day for the Feast Festival – this year featuring The Impingtones on centre stage! (well, that is, the stage that’s half way along the High Street 😀 ). The sun shone and we had a really enjoyable time singing some of our favourite songs in 2 sessions (Queen medley, Somethin’ Stupid, Lion King medley, O Waly Waly (The Water is Wide) and Chattanooga Choo Choo … woo woo!). Bridget said “I just wanted to say how well everyone sang at The Feast today. Events like that can be really challenging – strange acoustics, background noise, distractions, spacing etc. – but you all coped brilliantly and performed with great aplomb. I was really proud!”
Saturday 4 May 10:30-1pm – H&I Wellbeing Week stall at St Andrew’s Centre
We held a stall at the Histon & Impington Wellbeing Fair on Saturday 4th May at the St Andrew’s Centre between 10.30 and 1pm, as part of the Village Wellbeing Week from 4th to 12th May. Many thanks to the members who helped talk to visitors to the stall about the fun of belonging to a community choir – no singing involved! Members of the Impingtones committee were there throughout.
Saturday 27 April at 6:30 for 7pm – “Die schöne Müllerin” at Little St Mary’s Church
Bridget performed “Die schöne Müllerin” (The Lovely Mill-Maiden) by Franz Schubert at Little St Mary’s Church, Cambridge with Bridget Hardy (mezzo soprano) and Ralph Woodward (piano). Sparkling wine (included in ticket price) was served from 6.30pm.
Wed 13 March 08:45 – Histon & Impington Infant School Workshop
We were invited to take part in a singing workshop assembly at the Infant School to introduce the children to the fun of being in a choir! We all enjoyed doing our warm-ups and singing Early One Morning, Can You Feel the Love Tonight and Chattanooga Choo Choo, which we sang again as they filed out. A very heart-warming experience!
Saturday 26 January 2019 at 4:30pm – H&I Orchard Wassail 😀
The Impingtones gave voice at the Histon & Impington Community Orchard Project’s annual Winter Wassail in January 2019 to toast the trees (with actual toast 🙂 and have some fun on a winter’s evening!). Everyone had a great time with something out of the ordinary. We sang a couple of songs which, of course, included “I will Give My Love An Apple”! The orchard lies behind Somerset Road, or at the end of Saffron Road if coming from that direction on foot.
Click here for music: Wassail Songs and HICOP Wassail Programme.
See www.hicop.info
2018
Wednesday 12 Dec was party time!
We made merry at the last session of the year with some carol singing gathered round a real piano! We arrived at the usual time of 6:15 to sing from 6:30 but this time in the Music Room at the back of the IVC (E18) for a special Christmas singsong followed by drinks and mince pies, finishing slightly later at 7.45pm.
The Impingtones Survey!!
In order to help the committee make the right decisions to improve everyone’s enjoyment of the choir, we put together a simple (short!) survey to capture your views. Many thanks to those who responded.
7:30pm Monday 10 December – Singing Allowed’s Winter Concert
Singing Allowed (Bridget’s Monday Choir) held a very enjoyable free concert of songs from their varied repertoire in their new location at Storey’s Field Centre in Eddington, CB3 1AA. Marvellous refreshments were provided! For more info see: cambridge-singing.weebly.com
7:30pm on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th November Only – ‘WW1 Voices’
A remarkable storytelling of local people involved in the First World War from actual recordings and letter readings, including: going over the top at the Somme; the horrors of gas; the bizarre events on the Eastern Front in the Italian mountains; and so much more. And, of course, featuring some of our finest singers (errr .. The Impingtones Baritones that is!) providing musical links to the narrative!
Saturday 20 Oct at 6pm – Bridget’s Autumn Recital at the Unitarian Church, Emmanuel Road
This year’s autumn recital with Bridget Hardy (mezzo soprano) and Ralph Woodward (piano) was at 6pm on Saturday 20 October in the Unitarian Church on Emmanuel Road. A 45-minute programme of richly emotional songs by Vaughan Williams (Five Mystical Songs), Richard Strauss and Mahler (Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen = “Songs of a Wayfarer”), with free sparkling wine served from 5.30pm.
Monday 3 Sept – in the Red Lion, Histon
We had a lovely members evening get together in the Red Lion from 6:30pm to start off the new term. The Manor Mill Morris team performed and the Red Lion laid on a Beer Festival especially for us!
Wednesday 11 July – an event with Drinks and Nibbles for Family and Friends!
What a fabulous evening we had! How fantastic to have a real audience and to receive such wonderful feedback from them! It was great fun to sing through all the songs we had been perfecting this term and to entertain our family and friends (so much more satisfying than watching the England-Croatia match!). Our thanks go to Bridget who is a fabulous director, picks great music that works for us and is so encouraging and patient. Thanks also to Colin who is an amazing pianist! Here is a message from Bridget: “I just wanted to say a very big “well done” to all the Impingtones who came and sang on Wednesday. Everyone performed brilliantly, and I felt so proud of what we achieved.”
The background was that we thought it would be lovely to turn the choir session into a social event to which family and friends were invited to hear the pieces we’ve been learning. It was a free evening for choir and guests. After our practice from 6:30 to 7pm, guests arrived at 7.05pm to take their seats. Bridget conducted the choir and we had an accompanist for the evening. The music order was:
1. Fields of Gold
2. Where’er You Walk
3. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
4. I Will Give My Love An Apple
5. Somewhere
6. Beatles Medlee
We sang from 7.15 to 7.45 after which there were drinks and nibbles afterwards 😀
Trevor Lee Photography kindly created a brief video of the event for the website, which can be found on the Performances page.
Saturday 21 April, 18:00-18:45 – I hate music! 🙂
Bridget Hardy (mezzo soprano) and Ralph Woodward (piano) will perform a short recital of delicious songs by Parry, Bernstein, Copland and McEnery at the Unitarian Hall, Emmanuel Road, CB1 1JW. Tickets: £10, £5 (students) from ralphwoodwardtickets@live.co.uk or phone 07711 384218 .
Monday 26 March 7:30pm – ‘Singing Allowed’ Easter Concert
Bridget’s Monday choir Singing Allowed performed a free concert of songs from their varied repertoire at the Castle Street Methodist Church in Cambridge to which we were all welcome (their last concert was very good!). Refreshments available after the performance and there was be a retiring collection for charity.
The story behind ‘A New Year Carol’
This was set to music by Benjamin Britten in 1934 from the words of a Walter de la Mere poem for children based on text dating back to 1849. It’s origins are from a Welsh New Year’s Day tradition of sprinkling people with water newly drawn from a well. The term “Levy Dew” is likely from the Welsh “llef y Dduw” (the ‘f’ in Welsh is pronounced ‘v’) meaning “cry to God”, though some suggest it may have French roots. The Fair Maid is possibly a reference to the Roman goddess Aurora, who bears the gold of the sun rising on her head (or possibly chin 🙂 ) and setting on her feet (and toe!) – but that might be stretching it a bit.
See: Levy Dew in Wikipedia.
Saturday 20 Jan 4.30pm – Histon & Impington Community Orchard Wassail !
Just to let you know that HICOP are planning their annual wassail on Saturday 20th January at 4.30pm at the Community Orchard. The wassail involves singing to the trees to encourage them to bare good fruit in the coming year (well, worth a try!). We are not planning to sing as a choir at this wassail but may consider it for 2019.
2017
Wednesday 13 December from 6pm
Christmas Sing-Song at The Meadows Community Centre
This was great fun last year. Please arrive by 6:15 to start singing at 6.30 and remember your music folder! Family and Friends are very welcome. Christmas hats provided! Bridget will be there to lead us and the singing will be followed by drinks and mince pies 🙂
The Meadows Community Centre is on St Catherine’s Road at the top of Arbury Road (and is part of Impington from the pre-A14 boundary).
Saturday 4 Nov at 6pm – Bridget’s autumn concert at the Unitarian Hall, Emmanuel Road
(Finishing just in time to slip across to the Midsummer Common Fireworks or head back for the IVC ones!). Bridget Hardy (mezzo soprano) and Ralph Woodward (piano) create “Memories Long in Music Sleeping” – a short recital of gorgeously wistful songs for an autumn evening. Includes music by Howells, Head and Schoenberg. Free sparkling wine will be served from 5.30pm. Tickets £10 (£5 students) from ralphwoodwardtickets@live.co.uk
Monday 17 July 7:30pm for approx. 1 hour – ‘Singing Allowed’ Summer Concert
Bridget’s Monday choir Singing Allowed are performing a “free concert of songs from our varied repertoire” at the Castle Street Methodist Church in Cambridge to which we are all welcome (can’t believe they’re up to our standard but do go along and find out! 🙂 ). Refreshments available after the performance and a retiring collection will be donated to The Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity.
Saturday 15 July from 6pm onwards – Impingtones Summer BBQ 😎
Whoopee ! … it’s the Impingtones Summer BBQ on Saturday 15 July from 6pm at Sue’s house. There’s no need to bring anything … apart from your music folder as we intend to have a little sing-song! But don’t worry, Bridget will be there to guide us and there’s honestly no pressure to take part if you would rather not. Please feel free to bring a friend, relative, partner, colleague, etc if you would like.
We do need to know numbers in advance so please complete the Doodle Poll below. Please include both your name and that of anyone you are bringing (you will need to enter the poll twice to do this).
http://doodle.com/poll/xa8295t3da3pvmkt
We look forward to seeing you all there! 🙂
(Parking is limited but there should be no problem parking at the IVC.)
Saturday and Sunday 24/25 June – Impington Gardens!
Trevor and Philippa are opening their garden at 3 Cooke Walk along with gardens (and windmill !) at The Windmill and 5 The Crescent from 11am to 5pm, under the National Garden Scheme. Tasty cakes, savoury rolls, tea and coffee will be available with a fun garden trail for children, and plants on sale for avid gardeners. All profits go to charities. Full details at: https://impington-gardens.com
Tuesday 23 May at 6.30pm – Cambridge Guided Tour (1½ hours)
We have booked a tour of Cambridge for the choir, through Cambridge Tour Guides www.cambridgetourguide.co.uk. Our blue-badge guide, Tony Rodgers, will bring the city to life with stories about its past. The tour meets at the Tourist Information Centre on Pease Hill (alongside the Guildhall) at 6:30. Places are limited to 20 so please book as soon as possible via the doodle poll here. The cost is £5 per person (to be paid later). Do add your name to the list even if there are already 20 people, as we’ll keep a reserve list and organise another tour.
Sunday 21 May at 3.30pm – Bridget’s concert at the Unitarian Hall, Emmanuel Road
Bridget Hardy (mezzo soprano), Ralph Woodward (piano) and Sara Morrison (alto saxophone)
A short concert to celebrate the music of Europe (including works by R. Strauss, Schubert, Fauré and József Balogh)
£10 (£5 students/under-18s) including a glass of wine/soft drink served from 3.00pm
Available on the door or by emailing ralphwoodwardtickets@live.co.uk
Concert in aid of Disasters Emergency Committee.
Saturday 22 April at 5:30pm for 6pm – Bridget’s concert at the Unitarian Hall
Bridget is singing at the Unitarian Hall, Emmanuel Road, Cambridge in a short recital of English songs to celebrate the arrival of spring by Bridget Hardy (mezzo soprano) and Ralph Woodward (piano) with music by Britten and Vaughan Williams. Tickets £10 (includes glass of sparkling wine, served from 5.30) available on the door or by emailing ralphwoodwardtickets@live.co.uk
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The Impingtones 