Twyford Singers, started 60 years ago, are celebrating their anniversary with a concert titled Hope! Joy and Celebration! this Saturday at 3pm.
Tickets, which include homemade cake and tea or coffee, are still available for the afternoon at Loddon Hall, Twyford.
The singers will perform three songs shortlisted for the choir’s anniversary composition competition.
A distinguished panel of judges will decide the winner.
The audience can also vote for the song they like the best. The concert will include some of the choir’s favourite music, sacred, secular, operatic, musical and folk.
Last Friday the choir held a celebration dinner at Sonning Golf Club.
Members and guests enjoyed browsing through a display of past concert programmes and other memorabilia.
Chair Ann Pearce reminded everyone that the choir had started in Ann’s Pantry [a café] in Twyford. Ann’s husband Ray Jones was the first musical director.
She added: “Our current musical director, Helen Styles, has served us for a wonderful 11 years. She is just the 12th person doing that job. Our longest serving MD, for 17 years, was Chris Brown.
“The first concert, in 1963, was Handel’s Messiah. Last autumn we escaped lockdown to sing the Messiah together as a choir at last and with a full orchestra, organised by Helen. It was absolutely wonderful.
“Twyford Singers isn’t only about singing, it’s about friendships which our members make.”
She thanked Margaret Jackson, Gillian Matthews and many others for organising the dinner. Naomi Bassett arranged the table flowers, Margaret and Pat Walsh created the display, Danny Walsh had collated material over ten years and Fiona Rollason ran a royalty quiz.
Concert tickets are available by phoning 07762 738384 or visiting www.ticketsource.co.uk/twyford-singers
