New Jersey man’s transatlantic dash to hear Leamington Choir perform songs by The Kinks

Charles Silverstein, 63, had seen the debut concert of Harvey Brough’s Vox Populi community choir advertised on a fan site and decided that this was the moment he would achieve a long-time ambition and make what he called a ‘Kinks Pilgrimage to the UK’.

He joined more than 200 people at the packed Holy Trinity Church on April 5 to hear Brough’s arrangements of songs by The Kinks performed by the new choir.

Charles said: “I fell in love with the Kinks in college in the late 1970s.”

“Most of my friends were into the Beatles and the Stones, but I gravitated to the Kinks and quickly fell in love with all of the music and

lyrics and everything they stood for.”

Read our review on the show: Review: Evening of new arrangement of songs by The Kinks delighted large audience in Leamington

Charles’ daughter works for an airline so she had helped him to find a ticket.

He first headed to London and spent the day visiting many locations significant to The Kinks before travelling to Leamington for the concert, which included songs from his favourite album Village Green Preservation Society, which he had never seen performed live in the US.

Harvey’s new arrangements performed by the choir, The Orchestra of the Swan and pupils from Cubbington CofE Primary School pay homage to the originals but, as he puts it, also “bring these superb songs to new performers and a new audience”.

After the concert, Charles wrote to Harvey to say: “Your concert blew me away.

"I sat there in awe, listening to those beautiful songs come alive in such a different, yet inspired form.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“You played a major part in one of the most special days of my life, which I will certainly never forget.”

Choir member Tim Bishop said: “It’s so heart warming that even in these unsettling times, music’s still such a powerful way of connecting people across the world.”

“And it’s amazing to think our debut concert has played a part in that.”

Vox Populi’s next concert, Everything Must Change - Songs of Revolution and Redemption, takes place on July 12.

For tickets visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/everything-

must-change-tickets-1243596924879/

Open rehearsals will take place at the church on May 1 and 8 from 7-9pm