+ Amici [Taunton]

Founded 1994: 'The goal of the choir now, as then, is to give the best possible performances of all types of music, and especially to bring new composers and their works to public notice. That is why mixed in with the well established choral repertoire, Amici have performed several premier performances and we have had works composed for us. We are a chamber choir, and although we will still happily perform larger-scale works with orchestral accompaniment, our focus is on the huge body of music available for smaller ensembles, with minimal accompaniment and often a cappella. This means that at our rehearsals we keep "note-bashing" to a minimum, concentrating on phrasing, dynamics, balance and line. It is expected therefore that members will already have a good sight-reading capability and be prepared to work at home on learning the notes before coming to the rehearsals.'