SOME of the most acutely affected members of the community disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic are local choirs.

Singing sends respiratory droplets through the air and deep breathing whilst singing sends these droplets deep into the lungs.

Altrincham Choral Society should have been celebrating their 75th anniversary this year.

It is a mixed choir of approximately 120 members and they rehearse every Monday evening at Altrincham Methodist Church.

They should have performed Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius at The Bridgewater Hall on July 12 but hope to sing it at the RNCM in 2021.

Julia Williamson, their publicity officer, said: “We have coped extremely well, thanks to the hard work of our musical director, Steven Roberts.

“We rehearse separate voice parts on Zoom and sing all together at our usual rehearsal time every Monday.

“We also use Zoom to have vocal workshops with our conductor during the week, and these have enabled us to listen to our own individual voices and singing techniques critically.”

Sale Male Voice Choir is 50 years old.

Its 22 members meet at Heyes Lane Congregational Church, Timperley on Thursday evenings.

They sing traditional male voice choir repertoire, mostly in four part harmony arrangements.

Their secretary, Andrew Jeffries, said: “We closed down abruptly in March and we do not see ourselves re-opening until a vaccine has been produced.

“Our young conductor, Gyan Maria, has been isolated in his flat at Charles Groves House at the College of Music, and we contact him often.

“His morale is high as he pursues his studies making Zoom and telephone calls to his family around the world.

“We have started using a song collection which enables our members to receive the sheet music and its audio track via their technology, phone tablet or computer.

“They learn the songs by following the music and listening to the words sung by a choir with their own part emphasised.”

Kathleen Foster, the honorary secretary of Urmston Choral Society had a sadder tale to tell.

“Sadly, we have had to close down completely for the foreseeable future," she said.

She added that since most of their members were over 50, their safety was vital.

“ We have no idea how long it will be before we can rehearse together again.

They hope to continue practising in the New Year,

“Nothing is certain,” said Kathleen.

*Do you have an entertainment story? Send an e-mail to robert.kelly@nqnw.co.uk