About The Handful
"This fine choir is arguably the best secular choir in Bath" Peter King
In 2002 a group of keen singers with good sight reading skills were looking for a choir to challenge them musically, both as individuals and within a small group. A Handful of Singers was founded to fill that gap in Bath.
From the outset we have covered an eclectic repertoire, from early to contemporary composers, close harmony to larger scale classical works whilst at the same time giving individuals opportunities to perform as soloists or in very small numbers. As the choir grew in size to 24 singers, so it earned a growing local reputation for high quality performance, reflecting the intention that we should be stretched musically and do constructive vocal work. You can see our Aims and Values here and listen to excerpts of our recordings here.
We were extremely lucky to work under conductor Christopher Finch for the first 13 years, and then under the baton of Tomos Watkins for 3 years. Our journey is proving to be just as exciting, inspiring and full of adventure under the baton of the choir’s current director Vicente Chavarría.
"A masterclass in purity of tone and musical understanding"
A Word from our Musical Director Vicente Chavarría
"I'm very excited to work with The Handful, whose skill and work ethic make them one of Bath's premier ensembles. I am excited to explore new repertoire and bring some fabulous music-making to our audiences in the Bath area and hopefully beyond!
The 21-22 season has been a return to singing after a year of deprivation not only for us but for choral musicians across the country. We have revisited some old favourites while exploring new repertoire by composers old and young (and even some premières!) as we further our work to raise our profile nationally.
The future is ours to shape, and I'm grateful and giddy in equal measure to do so with The Handful!"