Choirs Raise £3200 for Charity

his week Christian Aid will received £3200 towards an important project in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The proceeds of a charity concert, plus support from an EU initiative, are a major contribution to this worthwhile cause.

The concert, which took place at Trinity Methodists Church in Bury St. Edmunds on Saturday evening, was a great success. Singing to a full house, the two choirs offered a thoroughly entertaining and very diverse programme.

The St. Edmundsbury Male Voice Choir opened the evening’s entertainment with a selection of songs from the traditional ‘Welsh Male Voice’ repertoire. Under the assured direction of Mark Jefferson, the choir produced a performance strong in tone and emotion which delighted the audience. As the evening progressed they were able to demonstrate a wonderful range of songs in different styles; Soloist David Sadler giving show stopping performances in ‘The African Trilogy’ and ‘Turtle Dove’. The choir’s rapport with the audience is evident and a light, intimate atmosphere prevailed for the entire concert.

The Horbury Singers, a ladies choir from Yorkshire, were the guests for the evening and they played their full part in this excellent concert. Their programme contained a selection of popular, well known songs, enabling them to engage with audience from the very start. Particularly well received were ‘All That Jazz’ from the musical ‘ Chicago’ and a wonderful arrangement of Dusty Springfield’s ‘You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me’. Cynthia Cotton directed her choir with confidence and obvious enjoyment.

The evening concluded with both choirs joining forces to great effect – over 100 voices singing together. The audience showed their appreciation with long and heartfelt applause, drawing a memorable evening, which raised so much for charity, to a close.

Stephen Cook