Just to say I thought last Saturday’s concert was wonderful, and my guest, who had never attended a choir concert of any description before, was equally impressed. I think it was perhaps the third time I’ve heard SEMVC sing since I left a couple of years back, and it was by far the best. I thought your sound was nicely balanced, good diction and dynamics, no stray voices and, hey, even a few smiling faces!!!! Even more impressive when you consider how early in the new season this was (just two or three rehearsals?). Very special congratulations to the ‘guest’ soloists, Ross and David, who I gather had very little notice before the concert. What a lovely sound they made with the girls’ accompaniment. I really liked the new stuff which brought a good range to the repertoire for the evening.

 

And weren’t the Melody Girls lovely? I really enjoyed their repertoire, I loved the arrangements and some really tuneful singing. What an INSPIRED idea to have cello and sax accompaniment to the songs, I really thought that added a new dimension to the performances.  I do hope the two choirs keep in contact. Boys, if you get an invite back to Kiev, grab it with both hands… it’s a beautiful city, there are some great places to sing and currently, no visas required! I looked back on the original correspondence I had with the Melody Girls in May 2013, just after they started following my shop’s Twitter feed. They were a much bigger choir then, about 30 singers and a male conductor. I’m glad that the committee at the time followed up the contact after I’d made the initial introduction. Given the problems with the Ukrainian economy just now, this trip won’t have been easy for the girls to organise and fund, but I’m sure they will have been delighted by the whole experience.

 

Thanks also for the afterglow, which demonstrated that SEMVC have not forgotten how to party. I was delighted to be allowed to join in the singing (and even remembered most of the words). I can’t remember the last time I was still singing at midnight!

 

So, congratulations and thanks to all who were involved in the evening in any capacity. It was a great advert for choral singing. Mark said the Melody Girls had made a lot of old men very happy. Well, both choirs together made an audience very happy, too!

 

Well done one and all.

 

Steve Cook
(formerly first tenor section)

On Saturday 7 September a memorial concert was held at St Edmundsbury Cathedral for Robert Davies. His parents, Neil and Nettie, are working to ensure that only good emerges from his tragic suicide, a year ago. Sir Mark Waller and Sir Eldon Griffiths were among the audience, which packed the cathedral’s nave. The concert was introduced by the author Kevin Crossley-Holland and included a wide variety of music performed by the St Edmundsbury Male Voice Choir conducted by Mark Jefferson, the organist Mark Blatchly, the harp and flute duo ‘Antara’ and the Cathedral’s Lay Clerks.

 

The audience reaction to the variety and quality of music has quite overwhelmed Rob’s parents, with many people saying, ‘The concert was just amazing… a wonderful evening… beautiful and deeply moving… a privilege to be there.’ Neil added, ‘We hope that continued exposure of the silent killer will encourage more people to be vigilant and get help earlier in life, before the cycle of depression can bite too deeply.’

 

£5000 was raised for the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, a charity focussing on depression in young people. All the takings and donations from the concert have gone directly to the trust, but if readers of the Bury Free Press would like to add to this they can do so by visiting the website,cwmt.org.uk, click on Fundraising/How You Can Help/Donate or call 01635 869754.

 

Neil and Nettie Davies