The Axbridge Singers is an open access community choir for anyone who enjoys singing. We do not hold auditions, and members are not required to read music or have any previous experience: only enthusiasm and a willingness to 'have a go'.

Based in Axbridge, our members come from across the local area, from Cheddar and Draycott to Winscombe, Churchill and Blagdon.

The choir sings unaccompanied, in four-part harmony. The songbook includes music from far and wide - from popular, to folk, to gospel, to show tunes, in languages from English to Basque and even Russian!

The choir performs regularly in the local area, at concerts, care homes and town events, and also takes part in regional singing festivals in Bristol and Stourhead. The choir has raised money for a number of charities.

All members are warmly invited to come for a drink at the Lamb Inn in the Square after rehearsals, and the choir also arranges occasional social get-togethers.

The Axbridge Singers are led by Musical Director Stella Moore. 

If you would like to hear us sing, you can download any or all of the following files.

‘Prelude to Peace’

Church of St John the Baptist, Axbridge 10/11/18

A procession, singing Dona Nobis Pacem, opened a bold and ambitious evening, tracing a line from the first World War to the present. The evening was a seamless tapestry of music, readings and visual images, rooted in the socio- economic contexts of past conflicts, and written by a group of Axbridge people, including our very own David Parkin. Performed in two halves by a team of volunteers from the local community, and to a full church, the first half focussed less on the devastation of war itself, but rather the aftermath – globally, nationally and locally.

The second half was a reflection and celebration of peace and peacemakers. Two songs by the choir portrayed the preciousness of peace: ‘Shalom Aleichem’, a gift from our friends, the French choir ‘Cantagarrigue’, was rewritten in English for the evening. ‘Child with Dove’, composed by our choral director, Stella Moore, ended the evening with a message about the fragility of peace, and was inspired by the Picasso painting. Participation in the evening was a great joy and it was a privilege to contribute to the message of peace – an important mission for everyone.

Til the tide comes in……

Axbridge Singers perform at Lyme Regis Folk Festival 1/9/18

‘Til the tide comes in, ‘til the tide comes in,

 We all sit upon the pier, ‘til the tide comes in……….

As the Axbridge Singers sang at the Marine Theatre and again at the Seafront stage, Lyme Regis, we enjoyed spectacular views of the sea. It was a glorious, warm sunny day – more like August than September. Our opening song was ‘Good Day Sunshine’. The audiences were hugely responsive to our repertoire, which included sea songs, and other favourites.

Our outstanding folk duo, Amanda and Jane, began with some traditional shanties from the Bristol channel, as well as folk songs by Cecil Sharp. The next performers were the Axbridge Singers, plus a fabric stuffed Herring (a rainbow trout, actually) for ‘The Herring Song’, the Unst and Mingulay boat songs, ‘Sloop John B’ and ‘She moved through the Fair’.

Later, at the Seafront Stage, the choir watched the tide come in, as we sang ‘Tea and Buns’, ‘For the Future’ (a challenging round in 4 parts plus men), ‘Til the Tide Comes in’, ‘I’m Gonna Lift my Brother Up’, ‘Santo’ and ‘One Day Like This’.

It was a joy to see and hear so many choirs, Morris dancers, and buskers performing outside at the festival; everyone enjoying themselves making and listening to music by the seaside on a fabulous summer’s day.

Thank you to Amanda Boyd for arranging this successful debut for the Axbridge Singers at the folk festival, to Sarah Kendall for her time organising transport and, of course, to Stella our wonderful choral director for conducting with a broken wrist!

The Herring he is the King of the sea

The Herring he is the Fish for me!

An invitation to return to Woodspring Priory on Sunday 3rd December for the Landmark Trust’s open day was warmly received by the Axbridge Singers.

The remote surroundings of the former Augustinian monastery were beautiful and peaceful on a bright December day and spectacular views from the tower, following the two performances, were enjoyed by many guests and singers.

Our informal programme, sung in the ruins of the c15th priory church, included the atmospheric ‘Woodspring Anthem’, along with some Christmas repertoire and sea shanties. The audience were warm and appreciative.

Many thanks for the welcome and kind hospitality of the Landmark Trust. We were delighted to sing at advent in this very special, historic place.

‘Let’s sing in the priory and remember the days, when monks, farmers and fishermen, they all had their own ways’. Woodspring Anthem (nb every Landmark Trust property has their own special anthem)

On Saturday June 24th, Axbridge Singers together with Cheddar Valley Voices created a 'joint' concert raising awareness and funds for Arthritis Research UK.

The concert took place in the Church of St John the Baptist in Axbridge.  It was unique in that it brought together choirs of all age groups from these neighbouring towns. Each choir performed a variety of their own songs from a range of genres, then all came together for renditions of 'I Sing', 'Great Day', 'Tue Tue', 'Something Inside So Strong' and a finale of 'Dem Bones' following the arthiritis theme.

We were joined by Adrian Williams of Arthritis Research UK who gave an informative talk highlighting the work of the charity and the extent of the illnesses it aims to help. We are very pleased to announce that the evening managed to raise a grand total of £635.98.

Thanks you to all who participated in the choirs, those who helped with setting up of the event (and who ran the much appreciated bar on the night!) and of course all those who came along to support us and this worthy cause. To see the full photo gallery from the night please click here.

Some audio and visual recordings were made on the night too! Click to listen:

In April we visited our fantastic French counterpart, Cantagarrigue.

We had a great time and they were fantastic hosts. There was lots of laughter, fun and games and impromptu singing in the stunning La Grotte de Clamouse. We shared a lovely joint concert in the pretty Aniane Church and the weekend culminated in an evening of traditional music from the Languedoc region. 

We look forward to welcoming them in the not too distant future!

On Saturday 25^th April 2017, we took part in the popular event called ‘The Clash of the Choirs’ at Wedmore Church, which involves choirs of all shapes, sizes and ages from the local area. This was the 5^th Clash, which is held to raise funds for the church. And the church was packed out! It was an enjoyable evening, with a good, upbeat and appreciative atmosphere for all who sang. It was well organized, and interesting to hear such varied choirs. Our performance went well: we sang And So It Goes, Santo and Keep you in Peace. There was a lovely quiet moment when we had finished Santo.

Sunday 26^th April 2017 was the Big Sing at St. George’s. Despite it being Mother’s Day, we had another good turnout of support from the Singers, and I think everyone enjoyed the day – tiring though it always is! What a splendid place to perform…..we sang Blues gan OOT(!) of the fashion, and And So It Goes. It all went well – and was worth everybody’s hard work.

I think we did ourselves proud at both events – thanks to you all!!

Click here to see the photo gallery.

If you have more photos from the weekend please could you email them to Sue Martin (Click to email!)