Concert with The Central Band of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan - Thursday November 25

The choir was delighted to be a part of this tremendous concert on Thursday evening in Cheltenham Town Hall. Billed as a Military Music Spectacular, we were promised 'a spectacular that will have your toes tapping, your fingers drumming and you begging for more'. This proved to be a very accurate description of the evening. The band's musicianship was superb, their sense of fun infectious and their overall enjoyment in making music was a delight to see. Some of the choir are already saying that they were probably the best band we have ever performed with in terms of their all round entertainment value.

Their two conductors were very entertaining to watch and the way they handled all sections of the band was very impressive. One of the conductors showed an amazing skill as a trombonist. Even when playing such tunes as Blue Bells of Scotland at an amazing speed he still managed to clown around with other band members as they came up to see if he had any breath left at the end of a long passage.

The trumpet section also was superb and some of the six trumpeters seemed to be barely beyond their teens.

The band played a wide range of their music, from Kazakhstan traditional tunes, to Dixieland Jazz, from Abba songs to classical and from up-tempo numbers to sedate waltzes.

The choir in its turn sang With a voice of singing, Soldier's Chorus and African Prayer, conducted by John Blenkinsopp, and then Ralph Barnes came forward to conduct band and choir in Speed your journey.

A really thrilling night which belonged to the Central Band of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan

Churchdown Community Centre

The choir welcomed the Stevenage Ladies Choir to an excellent and happy

concert on Saturday September 19

The concert began with a performance of Sing for your Life, by both choirs conducted by Anne-Marie Chessman, the Stevenage Choir Musical Director and accompanied by Guy Clark.

It was extremely refreshing to hear a ladies choir in the Community Centre and their programme was enjoyed by everyone.. Starting with a Duke Ellington standard they really swung in It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that Swing and followed that by Sister Act and Can you hear Me, by Bob Chilcott, a former chorister at King’s College Cambridge and a singer with the Kings Singers for 12 years.

Anne - Marie then thrilled the audience with some sparkling clarinet playing of three movements of the Dance Preludes by Lutoslawski, some of the pieces she is studying as part of her Master in Performance at Kingston University

The Churchdown Choir was accompanied by pianist Pam Taverner and conducted by Deputy MD Ralph Barnes. The choir was on great form and sang some choir favourites with great gusto, including the opening song, African Prayer by Eric Sontonga. The song Nkosi Sikelel' I Afrika was regarded as the national anthem of South Africa by the oppressed and it was always sung as an act of defiance against the apartheid regime.

In the second half the ladies choir sang a lovely arrangement of Oliver, which began and ended with Consider Yourself and included many of the hit songs from the musical. Gentle arrangements of Autumn Leaves and Somewhere over the Rainbow completed their well received contribution.

Ralph Barnes then sang what he was happy to refer to as the unofficial national anthem, a stirring rendition of Jerusalem. Jeff Bourton then changed the mood and wowed all the ladies in the hall as he sang two songs based on love, Honesty and Love on the Rocks.

The local choir's second half selection included an arrangement of Songs from the 60s. House of the Rising Sun, He ain't heavy, he's my Brother, Pretty Flamingo and Silence is Golden were all remembered with affection by the audience and they were all happpily clapping along to the final song in the medley, Da, do, ron ron.

Finally both choirs joined together again for a rousing version of Rhythm of Life, conducted by Ralph Barnes.