Dear Fellow Choir Members,
I hope you have had a good Christmas and New Year break and are in good voice and raring to sing when we all meet up next Monday. I, for one, am very much looking forward to singing the Purcell programme.
I do want to thank you all for your part in making our Christmas concert such a success. I think many of us were a bit worried that we wouldn’t get on top of the Telemann but we did and the whole event was very enjoyable. I got lots of lovely feedback from members of the audience, including a very enthusiastic Nigel, the Vicar, and his Deacon, Lucy. Tommy Gee (our founder’s husband and our Patron’s father) was most complimentary too. Janette recorded the concert and CD’s will be available soon for you to purchase as a souvenir of a wonderful occasion.
Extra special thanks to Janette for her encouragement and expertise. She has lifted us to a further level and the fact that we have increased numbers and lots of people say how much they enjoy working with her is testament to how much she has brought to the choir. Thanks also to Karen, whose musicality, humour and rapport with Janette have been so vital to our progress. Long may their partnership with us continue.
I would also like to thank Richard Thomas, who is stepping down from the Committee for personal reasons, for all his generous and substantial support. I am hoping he will still be able to sing with us but we will very much miss him on the Committee.
This does mean that we now have four vacancies on the Committee and it would be lovely if some of you feel that you might be able contribute by joining us. I will be stepping down as Chair and Jenny Hyams as Minutes and Publicity Secretary at the next AGM in September so we do need to find replacements for our roles in the interim, the sooner the better so we can pass on our experience and knowledge of how it all works. As I hope you are aware, the choir cannot continue to exist without a Chair. I have really enjoyed my five years in the role and am very grateful to Brian and Pat, our previous Chair and Secretary, who were so helpful to me and continue to be stalwart members of the choir. However I do feel that, as with any organisation, change is necessary for healthy continuation and now that Janette is firmly established as our dynamic Conductor, it is time to pass the baton on.
Finally, and with great sadness, I have to tell you of the death of Ruth Cawcutt’s husband Peter after a long illness. Ruth has been with the choir almost since the beginning and is the mainstay of the Sopranos and she will return and sing with us when she feels ready. In the meantime, Peter’s funeral will be on the 25th January at 12.30 at Mendham Church. I will be there and I am sure many of you will want to go and support Ruth then.
Happy New Year to you all and see you on the 7th.
All the very best,
Jo