Annual Concert 2009
On Saturday 25th July we gave our Annual Concert in our home village. The venue was the Cathedral of the Peak, more properly the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Tideswell.
The weather was set fair and warm, and all three choirs arrived in good time (well, I did notice a few stragglers). The audience were keen too, as all the best seats had been occupied by seven o’clock – still half an hour to go!
Once we’d filed into position, Malcolm Bennison gave a brief welcome and announced those members of our Music Team who would be present.
We sang our introductory piece, God’s Choir (very suitable for the setting), with Mary Cobbold at the organ. After that Christopher Ellis accompanied the remaining pieces of all three choirs.
The programme was performed by, first, TMVC, then the two Stockport St Peter’s church choirs (the adult choir and the junior choir on stage together), and finally TMVC rounded the evening off with a medley of songs from Les Miserables.
During St Peter’s choirs’ section Eileen Rigg, their Musical Director, described something of their work, from which it was clear that they were more accustomed to performing in church than on stage. They didn’t need to worry, though, as that’s where they were! And their sound was just beautiful and the applause enthusiastic.
The Front of House team were out in force in uniforms to match ours, ensuring the smooth running of the concert – which they did with their usual unobtrusive efficiency – and making sure Dennis didn’t forget anything!
Here is the complete programme:
- TMVC: God’s Choir (arr. Simmons)
- TMVC: New York, New York and My Way(arr. Humphries
- TMVC: Let It Be Me (arr. Simmons)
- TMVC: Softly As I Leave You
- TMVC: Vive l’Amour
- TMVC: The Lord Is My Shepherd (arr. Goodall)
- St Peter’s Adult: Ching-a-Ring Chaw (Copland)
- St Peter’s Junior: Every Time I Feel the Spirit (arr. Unterseher)
- St Peter’s Adult: Down by the Sally Gardens (arr. Deale)
- St Peter’s Junior: Silver Trumpet (arr. Gregory)
- St Peter’s Adult: Amazing Grace (arr. Rutter)
- St Peter’s Junior: Didn’t It Rain (arr. Neaum)
- Interval
- St Peter’s both: For the Beauty of the Earth (Rutter)
- St Peter’s Junior: Cantate Domino (Althouse)
- St Peter’s Junior: Irish Blessing (Chilcott)
- St Peter’s Adult: Ave Verum Corpus (Mozart)
- St Peter’s Junior: Tales from the Vienna Woods (Strauss)
- St Peter’s Adult: Rogers and Hammerstein on Broadway (arr. Huff)
- TMVC: I Dreamed a Dream (arr. Arch)
- TMVC: Empty Chairs and Empty Tables (soloist Tyler Cooper)
- TMVC: Bring Him Home (soloist Maurice Hargreaves, arr. Leavitt)
- TMVC: Stars (soloist Tyler Cooper)
- TMVC: Do You Hear the People Sing? (arr. Lojeski)
- TMVC: When the Saints Go Marching In
Afterwards the local inn was full of happy concert-goers and performers, with plenty of humour and conversation. Not to mention hot air!
See you next year!
PRH 26/7/09