An interview with our concert manager Veronica

We asked our Soprano 2, committee member and concert manager Veronica Shaw to tell us all about herself and her role. Read on to find out what challenge she has taken on every year since her “retirement” and what she enjoys most about being Concert Manager for the Wayns....

So how long have you been a singer, Veronica?

I have sung in choirs since the age of 11, when I joined the school choir. I’ve moved around a bit so have sung in The City of London Choir, Bristol Choral Society, The Birmingham Bach Choir, The Phoenix Singers in Shrewsbury, The Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and, of course, The Waynflete Singers (since 2003). I also currently sing with The Winchester Fusion Choir, an inclusive community choir who sing pop and folk songs as well as musical theatre numbers – all for charity. It is a total contrast to The Wayns and great fun.

What did/do you do for a living?

For most of my career I have been in Primary Education, spending the last 15 years as headteacher of Itchen Abbas and Scantabout Primary Schools. I absolutely loved being a headteacher but decided to take early retirement in 2016 as I felt it was time to pass on the challenge to others. Since then I have volunteered at Citizens Advice in Eastleigh, a role I find both challenging and rewarding. I specialise in debt advice, but have recently become a volunteer supervisor and also train new recruits.

Tell us about your family?

I am the mother of two wonderful young adults – Fran (32) and Ben (28), who have flown the nest and live in London and Stevenage respectively. Tragically their father, Howard, died in 2001 at the ridiculously young age of 45. I moved to Winchester following Howard’s death in order to be nearer to his family who live(d) in Eastleigh and Chandlers Ford. I wanted Fran and Ben to stay close to their cousins, aunts, uncles and paternal grandparents. It was a great decision as we have all thrived in Winchester and I still love living here.

Do you find time for any hobbies other than singing?

I love walking and, together with a friend, I have undertaken a different long-distance footpath each year since my retirement. So far I’ve walked The Severn, Wye Valley, South Downs, Test, and Shropshire Ways, as well as The Norfolk Coastal Path/Peddars Way. I’m just about to start The Macmillan Way West from Castle Cary to Barnstable.

When did you become concert manager for the Wayns?

I joined the committee in November 2022 and was asked to be concert manager as David Reece was stepping down after six years in the role. I had just finished liaising between The Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and the Wayns for the Mahler 8 concert at the Royal Albert Hall and felt I had the capacity to take on a more substantial role supporting the choir.

How far in advance of concert day does work begin for you as concert manager?

I attend the programming committee meetings, so have some say in the content of our concerts.

The dates for cathedral concerts are decided by the committee, including Andy of course, to ensure he has no other commitments. I then propose the date to the cathedral, but it is often only pencilled in at the initial stage as the cathedral has a long and quite complex system for confirming dates with us.

For the summer term, when we sing elsewhere, the committee decides what sort of event they want and I put out feelers to suitable venues and get a mutually convenient date agreed.

What do you do between then and concert day (apart from singing at rehearsals with the rest of us!)?

I liaise with the orchestra/musicians who have been booked, giving them the information they need for the rehearsal/concert day.

I also liaise with the venue to ensure that we have all we need (staging, personnel, bells for the interval, timings, parking details, refreshments if applicable and so on).

As the concert day nears, I check everything is running as expected and make sure that everyone involved in the concert knows what they are doing. I confirm the final numbers of participating choir members and put together the seating plan which I run past Andy.

Occasionally there are other things to do. For example, I sourced and hired the chamber organ for the most recent concert, going on George's recommendation on this occasion.

As you know, at the final choir rehearsal I inform the choir about what they need to do on the day of the concert.

Pre-concert checks with Andy

So what happens on concert day?

For a cathedral concert I arrive around two hours before the rehearsal time. I label the seats for the choir and ensure the soloists have their chairs. I welcome the orchestra manager and show them the green rooms for before and during the concert. I ensure they have all they need and help them to arrange their music stands and seats or get anything else they require. I check with the vergers to ensure they know what is going on and ask them for anything particular we might need.

At the rehearsal break, as you know, I go through the details for the concert with the choir.

After the rehearsal I go home, but get back an hour before the concert to make sure the programmes are in the right place, with a table ready for the sellers. I check the coat rails are in situ and the seating is still all as expected. Ten minutes before the concert I line the choir up and ensure everyone is on stage at the right time.

After the concert I remove the seat labels and thank the orchestra manager before I head off home.

Last minute adjustments to the seating plan

Working out staging with the supplier of the chamber organ

You mentioned other people involved in putting on a concert. Who are they and what do they do?

Lea Holmes manages the planning committee and she books the orchestra/musicians and soloists.

Sarah Jones is in charge of publicity- producing flyers, posters, social media content. Kate Baker is the new treasurer who deals with everything financial. Sue Rees deals with buying/hiring our music, Chris Town produces the programmes, and Committee chairman Daniel Benton always steps in to help if things aren't going to plan. But there are other people who organise many other things- e.g ticket sales, flowers for the soloists, choir folders, parking, to name but a few... It really is a team effort by many choir members.

Have you had any concert day disasters to deal with?

I haven't been doing the job for very long so there haven't really been any major disasters as yet.

The worst concert day issue was in Christchurch last October. The orchestra manager arrived expecting to have more space than was allocated, which would have meant re-doing the seating plan, which had taken many hours to put together. We resolved this by moving the audience back, otherwise there would not have been enough space for the choir and I would not have relished the task of choosing who to drop at the last minute!

Finally, what do you enjoy most about being concert manager?

It is very satisfying to feel that I have been part of organising such a wonderful event. Now that I know more about how much goes into the planning and preparation, I feel great pride in knowing that I have played a part in bringing it all together.

If you would like to be involved with or contribute in any way to helping with our concerts or the running of our choir, then please contact our committee chairman Daniel Benton. The committee always welcomes additional members to help to share the workload!