Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- How do I register for online bookings?
- How can I change my address?
- Can I e-mail, telephone, IM, fax or come round and visit you?
- How do I remove myself from your mailing list?
- When will I receive my Royal Albert Hall tickets?
- How do I add to my booking?
- How do I rearrange the voices or audience categories in my booking?
- How do I reduce or cancel my booking?
- I booked by post and I have heard nothing from you.
- I booked online and I have heard nothing from you.
- Where will I sit at the Royal Albert Hall?
- Can I sit with my friend?
- I am disabled. How do I get easy access seats?
- I suffer from vertigo. How can I get a low seat?
- What shall I wear?
- Where can I change?
- Where can I eat at or near the Royal Albert Hall?
- Where can I park near the Royal Albert Hall?
- Can I travel independently on one of your excursions?
- I just happen to be going on the same cruise as TRBC which I have already booked. Can I sing with you?
- I have some musical questions.
- The parts divide in the musical score. Which part shall I sing?
1. How do I register for online bookings?
Existing TRBC/CFS members: Anyone who has received mailings or made a postal booking in recent years will be in the system under their surname and postcode. Your registration code is printed on the label of every mailing you receive from us. Simply visit our registration page and enter this code. You will be asked to check and update your details. If you are an existing member PLEASE do it this way, otherwise you may receive duplicate mailings and we will have to pay for them!
New registrations: Visit our registration page and register.
2. How can I change my address?
Edit it yourself in our online system - anyone who has received mailings or made a postal booking in recent years will be in the system under surname and postcode. Your registration code is printed on the label of every mailing you receive from us. Alternatively please write to PO Box 1667, FROME, BA11 6YE.
3. Can I e-mail, telephone, IM, fax or come round and visit you?
No, sorry, you can't. We work irregular hours and at times we might be anywhere in the world. Please read these FAQs and if you can't find the answer, please WRITE to PO Box 1667, FROME, BA11 6YE.
4. How do I remove myself from your mailing list?
You can remove yourself via our online system - anyone who has received mailings or made a postal booking in recent years will be in the system under surname and postcode. Your registration code is printed on the label of every mailing you receive from us. Alternatively please write to PO Box 1667, FROME, BA11 6YE. Alternatively return any one of our mailings to us - first make sure there are no tickets enclosed and PLEASE DO NOT obscure your address label - otherwise how on earth will we know who to remove? (Amazing how often that happens!)
5. When will I receive my Royal Albert Hall tickets?
Albert Hall tickets are sent a few weeks before the concert. This way we can balance the size of the different vocal sections. If you are expecting tickets be sure to look carefully at every letter you receive from The Really Big Chorus - people have been known to overlook their tickets thinking it is a mailshot. Sometimes people who order two tickets think they have only received one. Look carefully - they are folded together accordion style. If you do not have your tickets two weeks before the concert, please WRITE to PO Box 1667, FROME, BA11 6YE. Be sure to tell us the name and postcode of the person who actually made the booking, and passes can be issued to replace lost or missing tickets.
6. How do I add to my booking?
Simply make an additional booking. Online bookings made by the same registered person will be aggregated. If you are booking by post we will connect your booking if the surname and Postcode are the same (assuming they are legible.) To be safe, send a covering note with your second and subsequent bookings. However there are situations in which we many not be able to seat additional bookings with your earlier ones. That occurs with female voices when the early bookings have arrived early enough to be seated in the Stalls, and the request arrives after the Stalls are full. We do not consider it fair to push someone else out of the Stalls to join a later booking with an early one. We may offer you the option of moving your friend(s) out of the Stalls so they can sit with you. Surprisingly, this option is not often taken up! It also occurs in all voices when the early bookings are searted Downstairs and the downstairs is full.
7. How do I rearrange the voices or audience categories in my booking?
To do this you must write to PO Box 1667, FROME and explain your requirement. Be sure to identify the surname and full postcode of the person who made the booking. Please enclose a payment if the total price is increased. We will not normally refund any price difference, and if we do there will be an administration charge.
8. How do I reduce or cancel my booking?
Please write to PO Box 1667, FROME. We are happy to be told about reduced or cancelled bookings so we can fill gaps, but we will not normally make refunds unless your section is sold out and we are able to resell the tickets. Even for sold out events this is not always possible, particularly if you leave it to the last minute. If we do make a refund there will be an administration charge of £5.00 per seat.
9. I booked by post and I have heard nothing from you.
You should have enclosed an SAE, otherwise we assume you trust us. If you did enclose an SAE, sadly mail does go astray! However since you are reading these FAQs online, why not register and check your booking online? Anyone who has received mailings or made a postal booking in recent years will be in the system under their surname and postcode. Your registration code is printed on the label of every mailing you receive from us. Simply visit our registration page and enter this code. You will be asked to check and update yor details. If you are an existing member PLEASE do it this way, otherwise you may receive duplicate mailings and we will have to pay for them!
10. I booked online and I have heard nothing from you.
A confirmation e-mail will have been sent to your registered e-mail address. If that address is incorrect or out of date please correct it. You can login and view your booking and print a copy of it.
11. Where will I sit at the Royal Albert Hall?
Choir tickets are sold in three categories, Boxes, Downstairs and Circle. The earliest bookings always are given what we consider to be the best seats. You can view pictures of the choir at our events in our online picture gallery.
Downstairs Sopranos are first of all seated in the Stalls, then we may put in two rows of Arena seats behind the orchestra violins, then we may put in two or more rows behind the Basses at the back of the Stage, then finally we fill the Choir East Section from front to back.
Downstairs Altos are first of all seated in the Stalls, then we may put in two or more rows behind the Basses at the back of the Stage, then finally we fill the Choir West Section from front to back.
Downstairs Tenors are usually seated on a stage extension behind the orchestra. Rows 1 and 2 in that section are farthest from the conductor, but is the most raised so we consider it to be the best position.
Downstairs Basses are seated on the Stage, from front to back.
The chairs for Tenors and Basses Downstairs are not as wide as they might be and because of the modern obsession with Health and Safety, they now have to be strapped together. The number of row end seats is limited, but if this is a problem for you, please either make a postal booking and say what you want, or write to PO Box 1667, FROME after you have made your online booking.
Circle Choir are organized into Sections by voice and according to how full the Circle is.
Any singer with a special request should either make a postal booking and specify their requirements, or write to PO Box 1667, FROME after they have made their online booking.
12. Can I sit with my friend?
Maybe. The safest thing is to book together. Alternatively write to PO Box 1667, FROME, BA11 65YE asking to be seated together. Please be sure the other person has booked, and tell us who made their booking - these requests sometimes cause much head scratching. We need to know the surnames and postcodes of the people who actually made the bookinga. However there is one situation in which we will refuse to seat you with your friend. That occurs with female voices when the first booking has arrived early enough to be seated in the Stalls, and the request arrives after the Stalls are full. We do not consider it fair to push someone out of the Stalls to join a later booking with an early one. We may offer you the option of moving your friend(s) out of the Stalls so they can sit with you. Surprisingly, this option is not often taken up!
13. I am disabled. How do I get easy access seats?
There are some seats on special platforms suitable for wheelchair access, and there are other seats that are easier to access for those not in wheelchairs. For disabled and easy access seats, and any special request of a similar nature, please book by post and explain your requirement.
14. I suffer from vertigo. How can I get a low seat?
The Albert Hall is quite steeply raked in places and we know this can be a severe problem for some people. Your best option is to book very early. If you are worried about this, please either make a postal booking and say what you want, or write to PO Box 1667, FROME after you have made your online booking.
15. What shall I wear?
The dress code varies with the weather and the formality of the occasion. For an Albert Hall event, please see the Notes for Chorus which are normally available on the website as soon as an event is open for bookings. Copies of Notes for Chorus are also sent with confirmation of postal bookings - but these are ONLY sent if a postal booking includes a stamped addressed envelope. Further copies are also sent out with tickets.
For a cruise or a trip abroad the final details sent by us a few weeks before departure will state the dress code.
16. Where can I change?
At the Royal Albert Hall there are some dressing areas but we regret they are very limited. Also they are not suitable for leaving valuables. If possible come dressed for the concert. Information about the dressing rtoom location is included in the Chorus Notes for each Albert Hall event which are available online, or send with booking confirmations to those who book by post and enclose a stamped addresses envelope. Copies of Chorus Notes are also sent with tickets.
For events outside the UK, information about changing areas is included in the final details sent out at least one week before departure.
17. Where can I eat at or near the Royal Albert Hall?
There are a number of catering outlets within the Hall, ranging from Bars to full service restaurants. If you are seated in Boxes you can also have catering in your Box. However the Hall completely forbids self catering in the Hall. See the Hall's website:
www.royalalberthall.com
In fine weather at suitable times of year Kensington Gardens is excellent for picnics. Particularly in July the steps of the Albert memorial and adjacent lawns take on a festive atmosphere between rehearsals and concert.
There is a huge choice of pubs and restaurants ranging from fast food to Michelin Stars within 15 minutes walking distance of the Hall.
18. Where can I park near the Royal Albert Hall?
Well quite apart from questions about warming the planet, why would anyone want to drive in London anyway? Quite apart from the weekday London Congestion Charge which now includes the Albert Hall, parking is expensive and heavily controlled. Local restrictions are constantly being tightened and can change without warning. A present parking is free at times on single yellow lines on some streets. We dare not give detailed advice; the two London Boroughs of Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea between them agressively control the streets surrounding the Albert Hall. On certain days the Albert Hall can arrange somewhat expensive spaces at nearby Imperial College. To find out more copy and paste this link into your browser: http//tickets.royalalberthall.com/calendar/parling.aspx
19. Can I travel independently on one of your excursions?
Normally you can if there is space in the concert venue. The cost may appear startling but please be aware that the numbers taking part in these trips are much smaller than at the Albert Hall and yet the costs are substantial. Please write to PO Box 1667, FROME, BA11 6YE. You CANNOT do this via our travel agents (that should be obvious, but somehow people keep trying).
20. I just happen to be going on the same cruise as TRBC which I have already booked. Can I sing with you?
Forgive the sarcasm, but what a coincidence! Sorry, this will not be possible.
21. I have some musical questions.
Where appropriate, we try to answer these in our Notes for Chorus.
22. The parts divide in the musical score. Which part shall I sing?
Sometimes the bookings forms give you a choice but sometimes they do not. The general advice is to learn whichever part you wish. Usually the Notes for Chorus will cover this. If not, probably we have made a mistake, so lots of people will write, and the chorus notes will be changed. Check the Notes for Chorus online, and if there is still uncertainty please write to PO Box 1667, FROME, BA11 6YE.