Press Release February 2018

From:  Bill Hill, Press Officer   

Mobile: 07972 013 614               E-Mail: ROTMalevoicechoir@outlook.com

About the Choir

The choir start their 35^th year of performing in 2018, ending 2017 with their yearly Christmas celebration with Christmas concerts at St Mary’s Church in Radcliffe, where not only the choir sings but guests also perform; once again the Radcliffe Junior School Choir charmed the audience and the Newstead Brass Band delighted them with their excellent playing and enthusiastic performance.  It is one of the basic tenets of the choir that new and upcoming talent should be given an opportunity and a platform to shine, as well as joining forces with established choirs and musical ensembles.  In 2017 the choir performed with guitarist Adam Watson, soprano Alicia Hill, mezzo-soprano Olivia Caputa, flautist and multi-instrumentalist Chris Hill and clarinettist Matt Glendenning plus the Norwich Phoenix Choir and the Beaufort (Ebbw Vale) Choir. Every year the choir seeks to expand the number of soloists that join them.

Since they were founded the choir has raised an estimated £400,000 plus for charity, fund-raining being a principal objective of the choir by assisting and supporting charitable institutions; in addition to studying and practicing choral music to foster public knowledge and appreciation of such music by public performance.

Future Activities

In 2018 the choir will be as busy as ever, performing locally on Saturday 3rd February at Bingham Methodist Church, starting at 7.30 with the young soloist the Flautist Katie Miller from Toot Hill School. This will be followed by a workshop, details which will be available soon, from the choir, followed by a March engagement on Saturday 3rd March at The Crossing, Worksop starting at .7.30 with a young soloist from Worksop College. The choir is then then further afield at Ely Cathedral and Godmanchester around Easter.

 

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Our final performances in 2017 comprised our dual Charity Christmas Concerts held in the afternoon and evening of  December 16.  At each  we welcomed the NEWSTEAD BRASS, a very well known  Nottinghamshire band, under its Director John Davis.  For the Matinee we were very pleased to again welcome, for the 15^th successive year, the Radcliffe on Trent Junior School Choir. The Matinee was delightfully compered by Clare Allsopp, now Head Teacher but formerly, in 2003, the first Music Leader.

The evening Concert was to have been compered  by Radio Nottingham’s Colin Slater but he had to withdraw due to suffering an accident.  However we were very fortunate to have our Choir President and local MP Ken Clarke step into the breach at very short notice.  (As he mentioned  – it made a great change from endless discussions of Brexit!)

Each year we choose a Charity to support with proceeds from these Concerts. These may be National or local. This year the Chosen recipient of the proceeds is the Friary Drop-in Centre in West Bridgeford.

Since taking up the baton in September 2017 our Choir’s new MD, Michael Bonshor, had  previously conducted us in two Concerts and, on 15th November 2017, at a Service celebrating the life of Richard Cumberland, one of our long standing members. Richard’s  recent death was a great loss to us as well as to his family and friends to whom we express our condolences.

The Choir sang at at Keyworth in October   at a concert in support of RNLI which raised over £1,700 for that worthy charity.  On November 18th, together with our guests from the Land of Song, the Beaufort Male Choir, we performed at a well attended concert in Grantham as a result of which  the Christchurch community Project benefited by over £2,500.00.