The Village Society hosted a musical presentation by the local quintet, Winchendon Brass, in St Mary's Church on Wednesday 12th March, and the evening proved to be very popular, with well over 100 attendees.
The quintet played a wide repertoire of pieces, with something to delight everyone – from Bach, Handel and Bruckner right through to contemporary compositions from John Lennon, Billy Joel and Leonard Cohen.
The attractive sounds of the brass instruments were beautifully emphasised by the warm acoustics of St Mary's Church, and the additional vocal delights from a sub-group of Witchert Chorale singers added yet another dimension to three of the pieces in the evening's inspiring entertainment.
As well as playing their instruments, each member of the Winchendon Brass quintet described some fascinating facts about their instruments, including their historical development and the techniques required to create the lovely sounds.
The ensemble comprised Ed Paine on trumpet, natural trumpet and flugelhorn; Marion Mayhew on trumpet and flugelhorn; Andrew Sweet on French Horn; Jim Robins on Trombone; and Guy Button on Tuba.
The Witchert Chorale were very ably represented by Jessica Ecott, Pippa Shirley, Ann Millar, John Harrad, Claire-Lise Kessler and Benedikt Kessler.
Members of the Village Society committee wish to extend their sincere thanks to Winchendon Brass and Witchert Chorale for their wonderful music; to Robyn Cook for providing the cake and refreshments; and to St Mary's Church for allowing us to enjoy a welcoming and warm space on a cold March evening.
The committee also extends its thanks to the church bellringers, who would normally have practiced their skills on a Wednesday evening, but who kindly stepped down on this occasion to avoid any competing sounds.
It was good to see a significant number of Village Society non-members in the audience and it is hoped that some will consider joining the Society to enjoy the wide range of meetings and activities that it hosts throughout the year. More details can be found on the website: www.villagesociety.org
