St Katherine’s Parish Church, Teversal is a 12th Century Grade 1 listed building, i.e. of “exceptional architectural international importance” which is dedicated to an Egyptian martyred princess and has been a centre of Christian worship down the centuries to the present day. The passage of time has left a treasure trove of religious art, furnishings and architecture and many visitors make special journeys to soak in the beauty of the church. The church was last restored in the Victorian era and our concert was arranged to help contribute to funds desperately needed for a roof restoration.
Parishioners have met to worship and exchange news here for centuries and in the bucolic setting for our concert this tradition was continued. Three former members of our music team were in the audience, Musical Directors Jean Ward and Meryl Chambers, and accompanist Margaret Ball. Jean, as a young Jean Tansley, sang soprano with the choir in 1953 and Estelle Ellis, nee Bacon, also in the audience and a former soloist, sang soprano and contralto with the choir between 1953 and 1972. What a pleasure to meet and talk with these ladies who represent a long history with the choir to within 9 years of its founding in 1944. Further connections occurred between audience members Jill Lowe (wife of Lynden our Concert Manager) and a Mr. Howard Rockley who were both born in the village and who met for the first time and reminisced over 70 years of joint history and experience. I’m sure there will have been other examples which are of great community value and lend dignity and a grounded history to our venerable and vibrant choir.
As is usual with our concerts the church was packed to capacity and the audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance of the choir ably led by Ian Grice MD and accompanist Maureen Lockwood. Ian Bartle kept us entertained with his Master of Ceremonies presentation to guide us through the programme. The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang medley is becoming a firm favourite and the mixture of modern, hymnal and popular songs kept the audience interested and involved. To select pieces as highlights is difficult but for me our rendering of My Lord What a Morning with such delicate soft and controlled singing is a favourite and our energetic delivery of Shine, Anthem and We Rise Again are always a pleasure. Someone from the church mentioned that our performance of Ar Hyd y Nos (All Through the Night) was beautiful – most gratifying. The GentleMen gave tight performances of five popular culture songs which were well received.
Although a small church and our staging position was both congested and unusual everyone felt comfortable and performed with their usual enthusiasm and skill making for a lovely, varied and wholesome sound. The half time refreshments of soft drinks and cakes provided by the church members was enjoyed by audience and choir alike. Overall, this was a lovely evening in a countryside setting imbued with the traditional English values of hospitality, community care and mutual support- increasingly rare in the wider population. Thanks are due to the care and welcome of the church members and of course to our music team and organisers for their work to arrange and manage the concert.
Further examples of connections – how about these. Our choir has strong associations with the Welsh association of Choirs and our recent South Wales tour was well received by the host choirs. We sang in Welsh (Ar Hyd y Nos) , sang Welsh hymns (Cwm Rhondda and Llanfair) in St Katherine’s Church which was the family church of the Earls of Carnarvon. The 5th Earl of Carnarvon in 1922 commissioned and financed the work of Howard Carter who discovered the tomb of the Egyptian King Tutankahmun and as stated above, St Katherine’s church is dedicated to an Egyptian martyred princess. Coincidences I’m sure, but interesting nevertheless.
A special mention for Phil Millns, our choir Marshal, who took extra care to set out the seating positions for the choir in what was a very tight space. Phil also records the whole concert and then prepares video files for us all watch again in our homes. Dedication and great organsiation Phil – Thank you.
Another great concert in a lovely setting.
With the confined space, we, as a choir, felt like sardines in a tin, but sang like song birds from the rooftop. ( Good job the proceeds from the evening were going towards the roof restoration)
Thoroughly enjoyable as usual.
What a beautiful evening. The sun shone, the air was warm and we found ourselves in a gorgeous setting for our concert. A well attended affair, well organised with drinks and cake at the interval and a very appreciative audience. They don’t get much better than that, and if that wasn’t enough we continued the singing at the Rufford Arms in Mansfield.
What a lovely evening, a wonderful setting in an ancient church with a capacity audience. Both choirs sang really well with wonderful accompaniment. The MD Ian Grice had the choir in the palm of his hand, consequently the singing was most enjoyable. A wide variety of music was displayed and the audience were very appreciative. All in all a great concert with great half time refreshments. We hope to return soon.
I recently returned to the choir after a short absence and what an absolute pleasure it was to be part of this concert set in a small but lovely church setting singing to an appreciative audience. Well done to all involved in organising the event.
A great evening enjoyed by all. It was a lovely programme with good singing and I enjoyed meeting old friends again. Well done to all and thanks to the organisers at the church who made us all welcome.