A wonderful night of singing

Alcester Male Voice Choir started off the evening at 7 pm with ‘Oh When the Saints’ and went through a repertoire to ‘Sine Nomine’. This showed the full gamut of male voice singing to perfection under their steely eyed conductor Judith Land and Andrew Bland, their accompanist.

Then, under the baton of Garry Jones, the Warwickshire County Boys’ Choir showed what boys can do. First we had the new ones (only five when I was mayor and not yet choristers). As Garry intimated, there are sometimes notes not put there by the composer!

The full county boys were on next with ‘Al Shlosha D’varim’ and B’endithia Di’. Finally, the full county choristers finishing the first half with ‘Pinball Wizard’. So boys do something other than play with computers and mobile phones!

After the interval, we had to evict some drunks and had the west doors wide open, to include the passers-by in a semi circle under the church tower, enjoying the second half of the Alcester men and the county boys again and the finale blew us all away. It was tremendous. We had ‘The Rose’, under Judith Land, and ‘You Raise Me Up’, under Garry Jones – because at the rehearsal, the two conductors discovered both choirs rehearsed the same songs so altogether now, and we had boys from six to men in their 80s singing their hearts out in unison. One boy was in a wheelchair and he was looked after at all times by two others. One of the men from Alcester had one leg and with his stick, stood up and sang with the rest of them.

It was a wonderful evening of superb music and singing and a sincere thank you to the staff at St Mary’s Church, the conductors Judith and Garry, and finally Dr Querishi, consultant cardiologist at Warwick Hospital, who arranged bouquets to given to Judith, Garry - and to my surprise – to me. We raised over £9,000 for the charities last year and this concert will add to the total.

Cllr Mrs Elizabeth Higgins, Warwick West Town & District Councillor