Barley Rye Choir

Latest news

For more latest info, including public performances, take a look at our Facebook Page

Click here to see our public performance calendar

Click here to listen to audio samples of Barley Rye Choir

Keith's diary:

Wassail info for 2022:

We'll be singing traditional wassail songs and hopefully performing our mummers musical puppet play at both these events. All money collected will go to Gt Western Air Ambulance:

Saturday Jan 15th, Ring o'Bells pub, Nailsea. 4.30 for 5pm start. Free family event. Food and drink available.

Monday Jan 17th, Burrington Village Hall. Procession to orchard starts 7pm

December 2021 we managed 3 public carol events - at Nailsea Folk Club, Tout's store in Nailsea, and Dyrham House (NT). People gave generously to our charity collection, which will go to Great Western Air Ambulance

19th December 2019. Well the Dyrham concerts were great - lovely singing with musicians again! See the photos page for evidence. And we collected over £130 for our charity (BRACE).

This Saturday (21st) we sing at Nailsea Farmers Market (weather permitting) at midday and at 1pm, and at Hawthorns Care Home in the afternoon. We finish our December singing at the Prince of Wales PH in Winford on the 22nd, starting about 7pm. Last year a raucous time was had by all!

15th December 2019 coming up! Highlight of our winter season (probably), 2 concerts in the church at Dyrham, starting at 11.30am and 1.30pm.

11th December 2019

A crowded George and Dragon Tearoom at Felton (by Bristol Airport), hosting a craft market, and the choir sang 2 x 30mins of our local and folky winter songs and carols.

1st December 2019

Rehearsal at Winford church with our (sometime) musicians Michael (piano accordion) and Katie (flute)

30th November 2019

The choir is always pleased to support St Peters Hospice, and we sang for the queues waiting to get into the Christmas Market at Ashton Court House this morning.

16th November 2019

First public sing of the winter season, and a first sing at Court House Farm's farmers market in historic surroundings and clement weather, in Portishead. Singing with retail opportunities is one of the choir's favourite pastimes!

After this we travelled to Backwell Village Hall to celebrate the life of Margaret Partington, a choir member for 5 years, who died recently. A lovely evocation of her life, in words, music and photos.

22nd November 2017

Currently practising hard for our pre-Christmas gigs - this Saturday (25th) is our first - at 11.30am we are singing a 30 min set at one of our favourite venues - Holy Trinity Church in Nailsea, as part of Nailsea Christmas Fair.

15th October 2017

Yesterday we sang at the Littleton Apple Day, along with Pigsty Morris. And today we have a new song for the choir to learn...

8th October 2017

We've just sung at a new venue for us - Long Ashton's Apple Day. We have 2 other apple day gigs (see the Event List for details). This is also the month that we switch to practising our winter song repertoire, so it is also a good time to join the choir. Get in touch with Keith for more details.

January 2017

The choir has sung at 3 local wassail events this month, and performed its mummers play. We are now done with winter repertoire for now, and are switching to reviving our summer songs. We start our summer song rehearsal schedule on January 22nd at our usual venue, the Ring O Bells in Nailsea, 6.30-8.30pm. If you were thinking of joining the choir, this month would be a good time to start. Get in touch with Keith to make yourself known.

October 2016

Although we are performing our summer songs up till 5th Nov, we are starting our winter song rehearsal schedule on October 2nd at our usual venue, the Ring O Bells in Nailsea. If you were thinking of joining the choir, this would be a good time to start. Get in touch with Keith to make yourself known.

January 2016

There are 2 wassail events and a private performance in January. After that, the choir starts practising its summer song repertoire, on 31st January. Click the Public Event List link for more details. We will probably not perform for a couple of months, so now is a good time to come along and see if you like singing with the choir!

October 2015

After a very busy September, the choir turns its thoughts to its winter repertoire. After the clocks go back, our practice sessions start at 6.30 at the Ring O'Bells PH in Nailsea. If you are thinking of joining the choir, this would be a good time. Contact Keith to get yourself known and on the mailing list.

July 2015

The choir has one more performance this summer - at the Charles Dickens Conference on 25th July. Then we have a short 'holiday' before preparing for some early September performances. Our winter song practices will start around the beginning of October, so if you are thinking of joining the choir, that would be the best time. Contact Keith to get yourself known and on the mailing list.

May 2015

The choir has just performed its first 2 shows of the summer season, at Upton Folk Festival and at Nailsea May fair.

January 2015

The choir is now practising its summer song repertoire. We will probably not perform for a couple of months, so now is a good time to come along and see if you like singing with the choir!

October 19th 2014

Barley Rye is today switching to its winter song repertoire, starting this evening with an open workshop, and is happy to accept new singers (especially men!). If you are interested in joining the choir, click the Contact us link, and phone or email Keith

About the Barley Rye Choir:

Barley Rye Choir was formed in 2000 as a millennium project of Nailsea Folk Club. The idea was to offer supporters of the club an opportunity to express themselves. In the intervening years, the choir has developed into a supportive group that also makes regular performances.

Barley Rye is a community choir - we do not audition, and there is no requirement to be able to read music. We learn songs mostly by ear - both together in practice sessions, or at home, from sound files that we distribute to the group.

The songs we sing:

Most of Barley Rye's songs are folk songs, although we sing some modern songs from a variety of countries, and we have been known to try out pop songs.

During the October-December period we concentrate on winter songs, which include folk carols, traditional carols, and wassail songs. We perform these in public and private venues in an intensive period during December and January.

In the January-July period we have been concentrating on local folk songs, songs with a summer theme, and 'songs that we sang as children'.

Charitable support:

We have always taken part in charitable events, but at the beginning of 2010 we decided to choose a charity that we would partner for a year. We started with BRACE, a Bristol-based charity funding research into dementia and Alzheimer's Disease. By the end of the year we had been able to donate a total of £967, as well as raising awareness by talking about BRACE to audiences at our performances, and distributing literature.

For 2015, our chosen charity is the Bridge Foundation, a counselling organisation for young people and families, based in Bristol. Click this link for more details: http://www.bridgefoundation.org.uk/

In 2014 we are supporting Wellspring Counselling, a christian-based organisation offering confidential professional support to North Somerset residents.

In 2013, we supported Weston Hospice, in Weston Super Mare. For further information about the charity, click this link: http://www.westonhospicecaregroup.org.uk/

In 2012, we supported St Peter's Hospice, which is based in Brentry, Bristol. For further information about the charity, click this link: http://www.stpetershospice.org.uk

In 2011, we supported the West of England Multiple Sclerosis Centre, which is based in Nailsea. For further information about the charity, click this link: http://www.mstherapybristol.org.uk

In 2010, we supported BRACE, a local charity supporting funding for dementia. For further information about the charity, click this link: http://www.alzheimers-brace.org/