The enthusiasm of interested people to sing in a community chorus, accompanied by a talented local pianist and the desire by an experienced choral leader for a new musical challenge have developed into a thriving singing group. Interest has grown over the years and still new members join as word travels of the fun and fulfilment it provides. Many new friendships have been formed and thousands of pounds raised for charity.
The musical development of the group has been enhanced thanks to the donation of £3000 by the Barton and Dunstall Key Trust to fund the purchase of a Yamaha Clavinova which is extremely beneficial with its many voices and facilities.
Everyone was greatly saddened by the death of our pianist Pam Pryce in January 2017, who will always be greatly missed and we set up student bursaries inspired by our memory of Pam. It was a very sad time for the singers, but The Bar-Tones were very lucky that Joan Thompson, who had supported Pam during holidays, became our regular accompanist. New music continues to be introduced and our repertoire is always growing.
After more than four years at the piano, Joan has now moved to Cornwall. As a token of our appreciation Joan was presented with a beautiful wooden music stand and a cash collection from the members provided a cheque for £352 - much to her surprise! We wish Joan all the best for her new life in Cornwall and she will be very much missed by us all.
Joan Thompson is pictured receiving her thank you gift.
From March 3rd 2022 we have a new permanent accompanist, Suzanne Berry.
We have met her before as she has helped out when Joan was unavailable. Suzanne lives in Alrewas but is also a member of Barton Fiddle Folk so is a very talented lady who plays more than one instrument! We are also very fortunate as, like Joan, Suzanne has said she would like to play without receiving any fee or payment and we are most grateful to her for this.
New music continues to be introduced and our repertoire is always growing.
The group now has a broader range of music, singing three and four-part arrangements in addition to occasional unisons songs. Also some members of the chorus have sung solos or duets and others have created smaller groups to sing different items.
The geographical restriction on membership of The Bar-Tones which was introduced at the beginning continues. Singers have to reside in Barton under Needwood or one of the neighbouring villages: Dunstall, Tatenhill, Walton on Trent, Wychnor or Yoxall. By far the majority live in Barton. Singers are offered a free taster session on their first visit. Some sheet music is given to members, but on occasion a small fee is charged. We do require that members have had their Covid jabs and booster, to keep each other as safe as possible.