A Delightful Concert

Singing is fun!

That's the principle of Helen Swift, director of both Thame Choral Society and Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir who joined forces on Saturday 16th June at St Mary's Church in Haddenham to present The British Isles in Song, a concert organised by Churches Together in Haddenham (CTiH) to support Christian Aid.

A packed church, awaiting the choirs, was surprised and delighted as a piper, Richard Jasper — in full Highland dress — entered starting the evening by playing a variety of Scottish reels.

The music took us from Scotland, through England, Wales and Ireland and the singing of the choirs was marvellous, both as individual choirs and combined.

There was audience participation but counting goats in Welsh was not something the audience found easy!

The concert ended with both choirs singing a rousing adaption of The World in Union to music from The Planets by English composer Gustav Holst.

Thame Choral Society, formed in 1960, is a mixed-voice choir that performs a wide range of choral music from renaissance and baroque to the present day with weekly rehearsals at Haddenham Methodist Church.

The Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir was formed in 1928 by Welshmen who had come to Oxford looking for work at William Morris's car factory and Pressed Steel. Today the choir is more mixed with Welsh, members with Welsh family connections and non-Welsh who have a love of singing in the Welsh tradition in roughly equal proportions.

It was a most enjoyable concert: Helen kept everyone entertained while the choirs changed position and everyone had a wonderful evening.

A final total of £1,440 was raised for Christian Aid.

Many thanks to all those who supported this concert in so many ways.

(Photographs courtesy of Moira Kendall & Andy Price)