The weekend of December 10th saw the choir perform at the William Brookes School in a joint concert with Much Wenlock Ladies Choir at the Christmas Social.
The annual event was held for the first time in the new William Brookes School and was a great success. During the evening the choirs Chairman Mr Tony Mathers made a presentation of a gold watch and Life Membership to former accompanist Mrs Rosemary Whiteford, in acknowledgement of her many years of support for the choir.

The choir brought Christmas cheer to the residents of the Lady Forrester nursing home on Tuesday 6th December when they performed there and put on a further show at the Wheatlands Care Home on December 13th. The year was rounded off by a spectacular concert in Bridgnorth with the Porthwaen Silver Band, see below for further details.

Helen Pickett

Helen performed Lerner and Loewe’s classic ‘I could have danced all night’. George Gershwins ‘Summertime’ and an unusual arrangement of ‘Ave Maria’. The choir performed the medleys ‘Back to the Sixties’ and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and Alan treated the audience to jazz piano.

The proceeds of the concert raised money for ‘Stick n Step’, a locally based charity that provides intensive support for children with cerebral palsy. Following the concert Mrs Horan the concert organiser commented “sincere thanks to the choir for such a wonderful evening…our congregation are a very welcoming audience and they never stopped talking about what a great night they had”.

The choir joined forces with the Jackfield (Elcock Reisen) Brass Band to give a concert at the William Brookes School, Much Wenlock on Saturday 10th September, delighting the audience with a wide variety of songs including several joint pieces with the band.

The band, lead by its conductor Simon Platford, treated the audience to a new work ‘Phoenix Rising’ and an unusual arrangement of Scarborough Fair while the joint music, which included the Tom Jones favourite ‘Delilah’ and traditional piece ‘Let There Be Light’, was led by the choirs musical director Paul Kelly. The audience were also treated to solo pieces including ‘Xylophobia’, performed by Oliver James on Xylophone.

Following the concert the band travelled to Bolsover where on Sunday Mr James won the soloist trophy while performing Xylophobia, and the band gained third place in the championship section. The choir are busy rehearsing for their next performance at Alberbury on Friday 16th September, when there will be a joint concert with the Tamar Valley MVC (see concerts page for detail).

She commented on her retirement “I loved the choir and its friendship….I have had some wonderful experiences at a number of different venues, it’s been wonderful to see the reaction of audiences”. The choir’s current Musical Director, Mr Paul Kelly, praised her for her “patience and conscientiousness” over the years, during which time she missed only two concerts. A loyal and steadfast supporter, Rosemary gave freely of her time and musical ability, helping to ensure the choir’s success in learning a wide variety of songs.

The choir is seeking to make a new appointment and has engaged the services of Mr David Fisher in the interim. David is an accomplished pianist and a graduate of Trinity College of Music in London, where he gained a Fellowship Diploma in organ playing as well as teaching diplomas in piano. David conducted the Halfway House Male Voice Choir, near Shrewsbury, for many years in the 1980′s and recently retired from teaching piano and violin. If you are interested in applying to be an accompanist please contact our choir secretary Mr Geoff Draper on 01952728178 for more information.

After the service the bride said “your choir’s contribution to my wedding made it special and everybody commented on how fabulous you were. I felt that your contribution really made our service that extra bit personal and entertaining at the same time….you really were absolutely brilliant and Father John was also particularly impressed!”

The choir would be pleased to take bookings for other couples who want to make their special day that extra bit special! See the contact page for details of how to get in touch.

Members of the choir presented a concert at the Lady Forrester Nursing Home, Much Wenlock, on Sunday 24th July 2011. The concert was staged in appreciation of the high standard of care afforded to one of their members, Mr Colin Ryder. Colin suffered a stroke while on holiday in Turkey and has been convalescing at the home, following his repatriation to the UK by air ambulance. During the concert he was brought into the choir in his regular spot making a significant and most welcome contribution to the bass section. After refreshments, patients, relatives and guests joined in a programme of community singing accompanied by Nick Mitchell on piano accordion.