Newsletter issue 22

to uphold and continually renew a proud tradition of choral singing

Newsletter Issue 22 AUTUMN 2015

Welcome to our autumn edition of the Choral newsletter.

Inside this issue: • Our Music Director – Martyn Brabbins – discusses the decisions we have made regarding the future training of the choir.

• Alan Stephens reviews our working weekend in Harrogate.

• John Harman continues his series on the aspects of the Society’s Strategy.

• Jim Cowell previews our spring 2016 Subscription concert.

Buxton Triumph Our summer concert at the Buxton Festival was a resounding success. The main work was the Rachmaninov All Night Vigil, more commonly, but erroneously, known as Vespers. In the first half we performed music by Elgar and Parry, whilst Darius Battiwalla relished the opportunity to play organ music by Stanford.

St John’s Church was sold out for the concert where almost 130 singers squeezed onto the platform to give a performance that brought great praise from the packed audience. Robert Hugill, in his critique of the concert, was unstinting in his praise for the sound, flexibility and musicality of the choir.

Much praise must also go to Aidan Oliver, the conductor, who was working with the choir for the first, but certainly not the last, time. Aidan had arranged the performance of the Rachmaninov to be in a liturgical style, with particular reference to the Feast of the Transfiguration. A number of bible readings and prayers were included and the whole concert was totally satisfying.

Town Hall closure

Photo: Adrian Lee

Huddersfield Town Hall will be closed for urgent repairs to the roof from March to September 2016. Members and Subscribers will already be aware of the change we have had to make to our spring concert, which will now be held at the Royal Concert Hall, Harrogate on Saturday 7 May. Also affected are the Subscribers’ Ballot for the 2016/17 season, now moved to our rehearsal hall at Greenhead College on 21 June, and the Annual General Meeting rehoused in Greenhead Masonic Hall on 8 July.

The picture shows the choir on the platform ready to begin the performance.

STEPHEN BROOK, Editor.

1

Strategy Matters This is the third in a series of articles on the Society’s strategy in which John Harman gives his personal take on what it is all about.

“To uphold and continually

renew a proud tradition of choral singing”

In the spring newsletter, describing how the Society is seeking to raise its profile and communicate with a wider national audience, I wrote: However good our marketing can be made, it will only be effective if our music making is of a high standard, if the performance has power, excitement and emotional connection.

Music making is of course the heart of the strategy, and its central three sections are headed Repertoire, Performance and Musical Direction. These are, or can be made, complex issues. If opinions were trees, one could wander, lost, in this forest for ever. But we took as our reference point the uncompromising statement of intent that The Society reaffirms its commitment to be in the first rank of UK choruses.

In a way, all else follows from this. I am absolutely certain that this must be our aim, indeed I think that we would be betraying our history if we had any other, but I do remember playing devil’s advocate in the early discussions. We want to be in the first rank? Well, do we? Really? Have we thought about what this entails?

To which the answer was – yes, we do: and we will do what is necessary to achieve it.

I was reminded by these exchanges recently, when Jeremy Garside briefed the choir on the way forward following Joseph Cullen’s resignation. Our Music Director, Martyn Brabbins, was also with us that evening. The discussion naturally turned to what it is that the singing members want for the future – and their determination and ambition was undimmed, indeed it was even stronger than I had expected.

We know that we cannot rest on our laurels; we know that standards are being pushed forward by other choirs; we know that this means that we commit ourselves to perform as well as we can in a challenging and full programme. And we are up for it.

2

Of course, two years ago, when we were building the strategy, we didn’t know that we were about to lose a chorusmaster whose genius as a teacher has done so much to raise the technical standard and performance quality of the choir. But the key elements of what we meant by Musical Direction were clearly identified then, and they haven’t changed; they are the long-term development of repertoire, performance standards and choir profile.

We are a very democratic organisation. That’s a polite way of saying that no one person can direct the Society, and quite right too. But it does make it hard to say where the artistic leadership of the Society resides. Viewed from the outside, the choir does not enjoy the easy identification or sense of momentum that derives from artistic leadership that drives its profile forward. We don’t have a Petrenko, or a Mark Elder, nor have we looked for one. In fact, within the Society, noone has been given the authority to provide that leadership, but the strategy asks that it should now be encouraged and allowed to function. The establishment of Martyn Brabbins’ role as Music Director was the first move in this direction.

When we talk about leadership we don’t mean dictatorship.

We are after all the Huddersfield Choral Society, and if there is a more independent-minded, not to mention cussed, set of choristers in the country, I have yet to meet them. Yet all art requires discipline and direction, and ours more than most.

There has to be a direction to this journey that the Society is on. A long-term plan for recording and broadcast, with an identifiable theme or quality to it; a continual upward pressure on performance standards and the responsiveness of the chorus’s sound to different stylistic demands; the development of a contemporary capability to fulfil the “….. continually renew…” bit of our mission statement; growth of our national and local audiences; and the excellence to continue to attract singers. This is what we mean by Musical Direction; and already we are seeing recording opportunities emerging, with a central theme in the British Choral tradition.

The appointment of a new Choral Director will be the key decision in taking forward our ambitions. Unwelcome though the circumstances are, they also present us with an opportunity, and maybe a change of pace. Working as we have done over these past 12 months with a range of able choral trainers and conductors on a project-by-project basis has been a valuable learning experience. The danger of fragmentation has mercifully been avoided thanks to the ongoing guidance of Darius Battiwala, the thread upon which the project work has been strung. It has shown us that we can hope to combine the benefits of technical consistency with the new insights brought by guest trainers, in a programme shaped by a Choral Director of national standing.

This is not a new direction – it is new growth, and it is growth that draws on the deep roots of the Society’s tradition; as vigorous today as it has always been.

DO YOU REMEMBER ...-40 ?

Friday 24 October 1975 Psalmus Hungaricus – Kodaly Petite Messe Solenelle - Rossini BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra Owain Arwel Hughes – Conductor Catherine Wilson – Soprano Jean Allister – Contralto Robin Leggate – Tenor Terence Sharpe – Bass Sydney Crowther reporting in the Huddersfield Examiner stated.....

It seemed evident last night that the Choral Society enjoyed what they were doing. What a magnificent unity they had in the Credo (Rossini) and how nicely they phrased their part in the Kyrie.

The tone was always brilliant and phrase values were precisely controlled.

There are two big Amens, which could become heavy going. In the second, which the composer has as ‘religioso’ one sees Rossini, with his characteristic grin, placating some of his critics. But the Choral took it all in a splendid, easy style......

Owain Arwel Hughes was the conductor, with Keith Rhodes at the organ, which made a strange noise at the end of the evening!

Ernest Bradley, for the Yorkshire Post wrote.....

It was interesting to renew acquaintance with the Society on its home ground. The newcomer to Huddersfield Town Hall, like the returning absentee, is generally overwhelmed, initially by acoustics that at best are self flattering, at worst distorting.

It was so in the singing of the National Anthem, when conductor, Owain Arwel Hughes let everything rip, and the singers and the orchestra seemed set on deafening each other at any cost.

Even so this was a performance of fine achievement, the choral fugue of Cum Sancto Spiritu, the double fugue at Et Vitam and not least the beautifully grained choral tone of the unaccompanied Sanctus reminding us that the Huddersfield choir still enjoys its claim to supremacy.

Our Music Director, Martyn Brabbins, writes from the latest stop on his world travels and gives his thoughts on our new proposals for the way that the choir will be trained.

As chance would have it, I am writing this from the splendid Hotel Metropol, next to the Kremlin walls, and opposite the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Today, October 7th, I experienced the first snowfall of the year, and tomorrow I will conduct Britten’s powerful and always timely War Requiem!

a musician with expertise in the German Baroque repertoire would be engaged to prepare the Choral for this concert. With a contemporary piece, MacMillan’s Seven Last Words say, the demand is for a different set of skills, and a musician who has prepared the piece before would be the best solution.

This is an exciting time for the Choral as we contemplate a change of approach to weekly rehearsals and to the process of musical preparation. A change that can bring a new dynamism to the work of the choir, and to developments in the musical and vocal characteristics of individual members and to the choir as a whole. Today’s world is full of specialists.

Vital too to the development of HCS are musicians with an in-depth knowledge of vocal technique – we can all sing, but unquestionably, with the correct guidance, we could all sing better! So choral conductors with this set of skills will be engaged by the Choral.

One would be a little concerned if a brain surgeon was scrubbing up in preparation for a hip operation! Likewise, a 10,000 metre runner limbering up before the start of a 100 metre sprint could well appear rather foolish. A Latin teacher tasked with explaining the dark world of trigonometry would be sure to fail!

With this in mind the Choral management team have decided to explore ways of incorporating a variety of choral trainers, each with specific areas of expertise, into their rehearsal schedule.

Roughly speaking, each concert has an intensive period of rehearsals leading up to the performance date. If the Choral are preparing the B Minor Mass of Bach for instance, then

To facilitate the implementation of this concept, an overseeing Choral Director is an essential new addition. An established and respected figure with a proven track record. He or she will assess the direction and nature of the development the Choral needs to take, play an important role in this development, and make recommendations as to the most effective way to take the Choral into the future.

Undoubtedly a fresh vision, and one which, with careful implementation and a dedication from all members, subscribers, professionals and supporters, can take the Choral into a bright musical future.

Warm greetings to the whole Choral community.

MARTYN BRABBINS

3

We are the dreamers of dreams…

The final Subscribers’ concert of this season is on Saturday 7 May 2016 at 7.30pm in The Royal Hall, Harrogate, with the BBC Philharmonic conducted by David Angus. The unfamiliar venue is a consequence of the temporary closure of Huddersfield Town Hall for roof repairs during the summer of 2016.

In line with the Society’s strategy of exploring contemporary works, the programme includes Sir James MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross (1993), coupled with Elgar’s The Music Makers (1912).

Sir James MacMillan, photo by Philip Gatward.

Sir James MacMillan is one of today’s most successful composers.

His musical language is flooded with influences from his Scottish heritage, Catholic faith, social conscience and close connection with Celtic folk music, blended with influences from Far Eastern, Scandinavian and Eastern European music.

Seven Last Words from the Cross, a cantata for choir and strings, was commissioned by BBC Television and first broadcast in seven nightly episodes during Holy Week 1994.

The text is based on a compilation from all four gospels to form a sequential presentation of the last seven sentences uttered by Christ. This is amplified by selections from the traditional liturgies of Holy Week.

The Guardian said of this piece: “...probably MacMillan’s masterpiece... the maturity in this composition is astounding: the tonal structure of the seven settings, harmony which can be spare or lush without ever being overwritten, an inexorable sense of the drama in the text, the balance between voice and strings.”

Paul Spicer writes: “His conviction in this music, stemming from his deep faith, is passionately obvious. One of the great features of this work is the way MacMillan uses silence. For example, the plain-speaking (but increasingly dissonant) choral outbursts at the start of the second movement are juxtaposed with huge balancing passages of silence. There are many

FINANCIAL SUPPORT The Society is deeply grateful to all our Partners, Sponsors and Patrons for the help that they give us to support our work in bringing high quality music making to our town, our country and occasionally the world. This season we are being supported by: MEDIA PARTNER Fantastic Media

4

SPONSORS – CORPORATE Syngenta

extraordinary and powerful effects in this work: for example, the final sighs from the violins at the end of the orchestral postlude with which the work ends actually bring to life the last breaths of the dying Christ.”

The music is challenging to learn, but contains great emotional depth and is deeply satisfying. It will certainly enhance the choir’s listening and blending skills during the learning process. John Harman has produced digital learning files for each of the separate vocal lines which will greatly help to speed up the note-learning.

The Music Makers is scored for contralto soloist, chorus and orchestra. Elgar wrote it to fulfil a commission for the 1912 Birmingham Triennial Festival, although he had almost certainly been thinking about such a work for some years.

He frequently wrote down scraps of themes and ideas in notebooks, and he had obtained permission in 1908 to set Arthur O’Shaughnessy’s Ode (from his collection Music and Moonlight, published 1874). In this case, many of the quotations are from his own earlier compositions – the Enigma Variations, The Dream of Gerontius, Sea Pictures, the violin concerto and the two symphonies. Elgar clearly felt a strong affinity with the words of the poem, identifying himself with the ‘dreamers of dreams’ in the first line. The piece was dedicated to Nicholas Kilburn, an amateur musician and close friend, and first performed on 1 October 1912 in Birmingham Town Hall with Elgar conducting. In the same concert, Jean Sibelius conducted the British première of his Fourth Symphony – two new works for the audience in a single evening.

The Music Makers (Op. 69) is a relatively late composition: the only major works to follow were Falstaff, the string quartet, violin sonata, piano quintet and the cello concerto – all completed by 1919. So don’t expect to hear themes from these works!

It was first performed by the Society in 1935 (the year after Elgar’s death), and was also sung during the visit to Boston, USA in 1965 at the invitation of the Handel and Haydn Society.

It was last given at a Subscribers’ concert in November 1994 – coincidentally also with the BBC Philharmonic – under Jane Glover. The choir last sang it in 2014 at the closing concert of the Mrs Sunderland Music Festival when the orchestral parts were brilliantly transcribed and played on the organ by Darius Battiwalla.

Jim Cowell October 2015

The Greenbank Group Country Classics (J.Gledhill & Sons) Inclusive Technology Ltd. Investec Wealth and Investment Ltd. SPONSORS – PERSONAL W. Currie & Friends Helen Marshall Jean Parker PATRONS – CORPORATE Wilkinson Building Supplies Baxter Caulfield SS Components

PATRONS - PERSONAL Elizabeth Crowther - OBE Mrs. Diana Franklin J. Donald Haywood - DL Gerald and Christina Sutton Jane and Alan Pridmore Mrs. Betty Webb PATRONS - HONORARY Joanne Harris - MBE Dr. Ingrid Roscoe - FSA Alan Titchmarsh - MBE

Junior Choirs News Summer Concert and Awards July & ‘Picnic & Proms’ October - 2015

Huddersfield Choral Young Voices

Young Voices Awards presented to Rheanna & Freya – Ashleigh – Nicole

Huddersfield Choral Youth Choir

Lyndon Wilkinson Award 2015 A special award in memory of Lyndon Presented to Alana Sharples

Young Voices Soloists at our Summer Concert Rosanna Megan Ruby

Best Concert Performer in the Youth Choir presented to Colin Shires

Youth Choir Soloists at ‘Picnic & Proms’ Molly Jordan

Youth Choir Members perform at ‘Picnic and Proms’ North Light Gallery

October 2015

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Concert Dates in our 29th Season Sat 28th Nov 2015 Christ the King – 7.30 pm Battyeford – Mirfield – WF14 9QD Fri 11th Dec Guests of Huddersfield Choral Society 7.30 pm Huddersfield Town Hall

Sat 5th March 2016 – 7 pm - Mayor’s Charity

Last Night at the Hall - Singing Through the Years with Gledholt Male Voice & Honley Ladies Choirs Huddersfield Town Hall Tickets from Kirklees Box Offices

Sat 9th July 2016 - 7pm

Let’s Celebrate Again!

Junior Choirs 30th Anniversary Concert Holy Trinity Church – Huddersfield - HD1 4DT th Sat 19 March 2016 7.15pm Golcar Providence Church th Sun 8 May 2016 3pm St Barnabas, Crosland Moor Tickets on the door or contact 01484 548602 Please look online for up to date information www.huddersfieldchoral.com / Junior Choirs

5

Harrogate

Rehearsal Weekend

Our open session guests with society officials. Photo by David Ward

The Saturday afternoon session took the form of an open rehearsal and choral members were augmented by some 12 singers from other choirs. We received very positive feedback from the non-members who attended the open rehearsal, all saying that they thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon!

Whilst practising the Vespers, members were both surprised and impressed by a ‘mystery’ voice singing the tenor solo, which proved to be our accompanist, Daniel Gordon, demonstrating that not only could he play beautifully but that he also has an excellent voice. In fact one singing member of the Alto section advised that they were so surprised that they completely missed their next entry!

The non-singing highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly the dinner and dance which was held on Saturday evening.

After an enjoyable meal, we settled back to enjoy the music entertainment provided by the Anchor Swing Band and their vocalist, all of whom seemed to enjoy themselves every bit as much as the diners! This was due in no small measure to the efforts of the Choral’s very own ‘Strictly’ star – Anton du ‘Ward’ who left no stone, chair or table unturned in his efforts to get everyone on the dance floor. With cries of ‘who’s next’ coupled with a winning smile and some interesting footwork, he quickly succeeded in filling the dance floor.

Our first residential workshop for around 12 years was held over the weekend of the 26th/28th June 2015 and one of the oldest hotels in Harrogate, the Crown Hotel, provided a splendid venue. Whilst some members and their guests made their own way, most travelled on the coach, which picked us up from the Town Hall in Huddersfield. In spite of a somewhat delayed departure we arrived safely in a warm and sunny Harrogate, where members were welcomed by the President and other committee members. In addition to the singing members, 9 guests also enjoyed the weekend.

The Crown Hotel is very well placed in the centre of Harrogate, being close to the shops and adjacent to Valley Gardens and many of us took advantage of the glorious weather to do a bit of shopping or wander through the gardens which were looking beautiful and at their best in the June sunshine. The Crown was built in the early 17th century and has welcomed visitors from all over the world, who came variously seeking improved health, fortune, wealth or perhaps even just a good ‘sing’.

Over the years the hotel has enjoyed an eventful history – in 1806 Lord Byron stayed there, in 1840 the hotel acquired the nick-name ‘The Hospital’, we are reliably informed that this had nothing to do with the quality of the food but was due to the proximity of the health giving spa waters! In 1912 Edward Elgar visited and in 1939 H.M. Government requisitioned the hotel for use during the Second World War by the Air Ministry who finally moved out in 1959 (did no one tell them it was over?).

Our singing workload for the weekend was based mainly on the programme for the upcoming Buxton Concert (Parry and Rachmaninov) and concentrated mainly on the Rachmaninov Vespers (‘All Night Vigil’). Darius also took the opportunity to introduce us to the new MacMillan cantata, ‘Seven Last Words from the Cross’.

The rehearsals were divided into 4 sessions over the three days; the first on Friday evening, followed by two sessions on Saturday and finally, Sunday morning.

6

Enjoying the Saturday evening festivities. Photo by David Ward

Sunday morning began slowly with a leisurely breakfast and was followed by the final singing session. It was observed that one or two of our singing members were a little bleary eyed, perhaps the previous night’s dinner and dance had something to do with it? Over the three days, we managed to get through a lot of very useful work and thoroughly enjoy ourselves at the same time. Huge thanks are due in particular to Hilary McLean and Liz Hill for organising the Workshop and particularly to Darius Battiwalla and Daniel Gordon who led us superbly throughout the weekend.

Alan Stephens

DO YOU REMEMBER...

– 25?

Simon Cargill - always an enjoyable read in the Yorkshire Post - wrote....

If the mention of Huddersfield Choral Society brings to mind a goodly throng of aged crones warbling Handel’s Messiah at tempos unlikely to disturb the pacemaker, then frankly you need your head examining.

Friday 9 November 1990

It is easy for those outside the region to decry the tradition of Northern choralism as a relic of the feudal past, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Judas Maccabeus - Handel Engilsh Northern Philharmonia Jane Glover - Conductor

In its Choral Society Huddersfield has as disciplined and virile a cohort of voices as any in the land. And in Jane Glover they have an ideal director, one who knows how to combine the choir’s mighty weight with a flexibility that would not disgrace an ensemble half its size.

Gillian Fisher - Soprano Catherine Denley - Contralto Maldwyn Davies - Tenor John Tomlinson - Bass Malcolm Cruise reporting for the Huddersfield Examiner stated.........

Photo: Selwyn Green

.....But the laments and the final rejoicing are projected with graphic writing and here the chorus never failed to impress.

Ever alert to Dr. Glover’s demands they were rhythmic, forceful and sang with a glow which was most fetching, often ablaze with excitement.

A small section of the Society’s Youth Choir assisted with See the Conquering Hero Comes and here was an added freshness which added great zest to the proceedings.

DIARY Saturday 28 November 2015 – Christ the King, Battyeford – 7.30pm.

Junior Choirs – Christmas Concert Friday 11 December 2015 – Huddersfield Town Hall 7.30pm.

HCS Christmas Concert with HCS Junior Choirs, Black Dyke Band and Brian Kay.

Saturday 19 March 2016 – Golcar Providence Church – 7.15pm.

Junior Choirs – Spring Concert Saturday 7 May 2016 – Royal Concert Hall, Harrogate 7.30pm.

HCS Subscription Concert – Elgar, MacMillan Sunday 8 May 2016 – St. Barnabas, Crosland Moor – 3.00pm.

Junior Choirs - Concert

Tuesday 15 December 2015 – Huddersfield Town Hall 7.15pm HCS – Messiah – Public Performance

Friday, Saturday, Sunday 3,4,5 June 2016 – Rochdale Town Hall HCS – Recording of British Choral Music CD (Closed Event)

Wednesday 16 December 2015 - Huddersfield Town Hall - 7.15pm.

HCS - Messiah – Subscribers’ Performance

Tuesday 21 June 2016 – Greenhead College - 7.00pm.

HCS Subscribers’ Ballot 2016/17 Season

Saturday 5 March 2016 – Huddersfield Town Hall – 7.00pm.

Junior Choirs – Mayor’s Charity Concert with Gledholt MVC and Honley Ladies Choir

Friday 8 July 2016 – Greenhead Masonic Hall - 7.30pm.

HCS Annual General Meeting Saturday 9 July 2016 – Holy Trinity Church – 7.00pm.

Junior Choirs – 30th Anniversary Concert

Cutting down on paper and postage The Society is trying to reduce its costs, both monetarily and environmentally, by sending out fewer paper copies of the newsletter. If you would be willing to receive the newsletter by e-mail from now on, please send your name, address and category (ie Associate Member, Subscriber, Sponsor or Friend) to our editor, Stephen Brook @ stephen.brook1@ntlworld.com NB. If you have already informed us due to reading this in a previous edition, there is no need to get in touch again.

PROGRAMME SELLERS I am looking for people to help us sell programmes on concert nights. If you, or anyone you know, would like to help please let me know by contacting me at

sueturnbull2004@btinternet.com or Tel: 01422 823289 Thank you Sue Turnbull - Programme Secretary

7

IN THE LOOP

Membership News

In this section we will aim to keep everyone up to date with the many facets of the Society’s work.

New Members We welcome the following new members into the Society: Lucy Hole – 1st Soprano, Sue Colven – 2nd Soprano, Hannah Dashwood – 2nd Soprano, Leah Norton – 2nd Soprano, Catherine Wren – 1st Alto, Fiona Tewson – 1st Alto, Judith Pennington – 1st Alto, Edmund Le Brocq – 1st Tenor and Dominic Cheung – 1st Bass

CHRISTMAS CONCERT Our Annual Christmas concert will feature the same line up as last year’s highly enjoyable evening. We will share the platform with our Junior Choirs, Black Dyke Band and Conductor/Presenter, Brian Kay. With the festive mix of audience carols, music for brass and voices and the genial wit of Brian Kay it should be a memorable concert.

MESSIAH This year’s Messiah performances will be conducted by Tecwyn Evans. Many members and subscribers will recall Tecwyn’s previous visit when he conducted a stunning performance of Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony last year. The orchestra will be the wonderful Royal Northern Sinfonia.

CD RECORDING In early June next year the choir will be returning to the recording studio, in this case Rochdale Town Hall (Huddersfield not being available), to record a CD of British choral music with either organ accompaniment or a capella. The conductor for this will be Aidan Oliver, who led the choir in its performance of the Rachmaninov Vespers at the Buxton Festival in July. There will be a mix of well loved, well known pieces and some less familiar, making an essential addition to your CD collections when it becomes available. More news nearer the time.

Photo: Dave Ward

PICNIC AND PROMS Many thanks are due to Jenny Lockwood for organising another money raising Picnic and Proms on 17 October.

A wonderful evening was enjoyed as patrons were entertained Picnickers enjoying the entertainment. over their own suppers by our Junior Choirs and a group of highly talented singers from HCS, organised and accompanied by Martin Kettlewell. The evening is expected to raise around £1800 for the tours and recordings fund.

8

FUTURE PLANS There are exciting plans for future of the choir. In addition to our usual concert season and the recording mentioned above, we are in negotiation with concert promoters regarding concerts in London and elsewhere in the UK. Also we are currently finalising details for a concert tour to Canada around spring bank holiday 2017. More news on these and other items in future issues.

Sad Farewells We have lost three Associate Members since the previous edition of this newsletter. Nancy Tompkins died in June, Anne Lindley in July and Trevor Walshaw in October. All had been long standing choir members and very popular in their sections. Through our Welfare Secretary, Jean Parker, acknowledgements were sent to their families and friends.

Retirement Notable among recent retirements was Sheila Baker, who had been a singing member for 47 years. Sheila’s commitment to the Society was shown in that for many years she had driven down from her home in Northallerton, North Yorkshire to be at rehearsal every Friday and also on many occasions midweek for extra rehearsals. Thank you, Sheila, for your devotion to duty.

Long Service Two long service badges have been presented.

Around the time of publication of this edition Soprano, Anne Lockwood will receive her 25 year service badge and a few weeks ago Tenor member, Stephen Brook (yes, the Editor) was presented with a badge to acknowledge 40 years’ service.

Photo: Dave Ward

CHOIR TRAINING Following on from Joseph Cullen’s resignation the Society is looking at the way the choir is trained. Our Deputy Chorus Master, Darius Battiwalla, has done and continues to do a fabulous job and gives a continuity which is necessary for the members.

Alongside him over the past twelve months we have used a number of guest chorus masters and we feel that this variety of approach has been very good for the choir. We hope to continue to work in this way, but have decided to look for an overall Choral Director who will be expected to have the experience and knowledge to guide the Society in its ambition to be amongst the top rank of British choirs. Watch this space.

We wish them all great success and enjoyment with the Society and we hope that their stay with us will be a long and happy one.

The Society is deeply grateful to all those members who give of their talents over such long periods of time. They provide a firm foundation onto which those that are able to join us for only a few years can add their valuable contributions.

Committee There have been two resignations from Committee: Liz Hill, who in a change of career, has gone back to University on a two year course of study - fortunately she remains a member of the choir - and Lucy Pople who has had to resign from Committee in order to take up a paid position as a part time administrator for the Society. She will be helping the senior officers with their ever increasing workload, as the Society takes on more and more work in pursuit of its strategy’s aim to be in the top rank of British choirs.

Taneli Clark In the previous edition there was a short article about the musical talents and successes of our Bass member Taneli Clark. Last autumn, Taneli started work on an arrangement of Ding Dong Merrily on High for chorus and brass band.

The Society were delighted with the resulting piece and following discussions with Brian Kay, who will conduct and present this year’s Christmas concert, it has been agreed to feature the piece in the programme.