My firstexperience of choirs was at grammar school when our music teacher told our form that the special choir needed altos. He chose a group of us despite our protestations that we were all sopranos. His reply was that if he thought we were good enough to sing in his choir we could sing at any level. I’ve always liked to sing and my love of music in my earlier years consisted of big bands, trad jazz, folk, blues and country. One day my wife, Margaret, in a conversation with Patsy Starbuck, mentioned that I liked to sing, could keep a tune but was no good at reading music. Patsy suggested I give it a go so you can blame her for my being imposed upon you! One thing she did say was that although there was not an audition the standard of the choir was very good and the members were welcoming and friendly. She was right about that in spades. Margaret told Patsy that I could be a tenor but I was more comfortable in a lower key; besides that, it was apparent from an early stage that it would be much more fun with the basses. Although I sang choral music as a boy and can appreciate the end result, I begin every new choral piece with a feeling that I am not going to like it. Thanks to the enthusiasm of Simon and the blessing of John Fletcher I gradually get more confident and the end result is inevitably brilliant. Zimbe, The Armed Man, The Big Sunrise and of course, Mozart’s Requiem are but a few of the many successful performances of our choir. Whilst we know that good performances are important, the spirit of friendship and support to achieve this is evident every time we meet. The next few months are going to be tough but we’ll sing our way through them thanks to Simon and others who are providing the means to do so.
Rolleston Choral Society