Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate. (Occam's Razor)
An enthusiastic amateur choral singer since schooldays, I have been a member of the Occam Singers, on and off, for around 20 years and continuously since 1990. The picture below (I am fifth from the right in the front row of singers) was taken on Saturday 21 Oct 1995 during a performance in Holy Trinity Church, Guildford of HANDEL's "Dixit Dominus" and J.S. BACH's "Magnificat" when I had a bad cold.
(expand)
The Occam Singers formed in 1980 from a group of friends as "a small ad hoc chamber group to sing at weddings and charity events.". From these modest beginnings, the choir's reputation spread, and now the Occam Singers regularly promote full-scale concerts of choral music with professional orchestras, as well as continuing to enjoy giving smaller-sclae performances.
The choir takes its name from the Surrey village of Ockham, where many of its earlier performances took place. Ockham is the birthplace of the renowned medieval philosopher, William of Occam, best remembered for "Occam's Razor", the philosophical principle which may be paraphrased as "don't overcomplicate" - a tenet which the choir endorses.
The choir has deliberately avoided specialisation and enjoys singing a wide repertoire, from unaccompanied sixteenth century church music and madrigals, through familiar choral works such as Fauré's Requiem and masses by Haydn and Mozart, to twenty-first century pieces; a recent concert included the premiere of In Tenebris II, written for the choir by Nicholas O'Neill.
Singers come from Guildford, London and the south east and have a wide range of musical backgrounds and "day jobs". A hallmark of the choir is the importance placed on friendship and fun, although as the choir has developed, the early "kitchen test" has been replaced by a more conventional audition.
The choir rehearses in Guildford, and concerts are most often held in Holy Trinity Church, Guildford, although the choir has visited a range of venues in Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire. In 1990 its impressive London debut raised almost £7,000 for Medical Aid for Free romania, and subsequent successful London concerts have been held at St John's Smith Square. Concerts are also held further afield - in April 2000 the choir paid its third visit to Alderney, and September that year saw its second visit to Chichester Cathedral.
From its inception the choir has aimed to raise money for local and national charities, including The St John Ambulance, Guildford Breast Cancer Appeal, local hospices, The Rainbow Trust and many others. Since 1996 an annual Christmas concert has raised money for the Mayor of Guildford's Distress Fund. In recognition of the £15,000 raised at a concert in May 1997 the St Luke's Cancer Appeal has placed a plaque outside one of its new examination rooms to record the contribution of The Occam Singers.
Whilst much of the choir's fundraising success reflects the generosity of local and national sponsors and of concert supporters, the choir enjoys its own income. this is most often achieved through singing at weddings, an appropriate reflection of the choir's roots.
If you would like a group of the Occam Singers to perform at your family wedding, business dinner or private function, please contact Stella May on (01483) 810254 or by email to sg.may@virgin.net.
David Gibson (pictured above) is our conductor, ably assisted by Nicholas O'Neill.
Click here for the Occam Singers' own website where I am in the middle of the photo.
In September 2000, the choir perfomed on-stage with the '60s group, Procol Harum, in their Millennium Concert in Stoke Park, Guildford.
As well as my activities with the Occam Singers, I also accepted the invitation to tour Spain (Barcelona, Castello d'Empuries, 1999) and Germany (Eisenach, Erfurt, Gotha, 2001) with the Guildford Chamber Choir.
Return to Keith BULLEY's home page
Last updated: 25/11/01 03:13:26