For the last five years, the Newbury and District Cancer Care Trust and the Macmillan Cancer Support group have held a carol concert at the beginning of December. This year, they held their carol concert on 1 December at St Nicolas Church and it was specifically dedicated to Susannah Whittaker, a former Chairman of the Cancer Care Trust who died in 2006. I, together with Edwina Cooper, was invited to attend this year and we both were looking forward to it.
The concert began with a trumpet solo by Rosie Davies, who is an undergraduate at Jesus College, Oxford. She learnt to play the trumpet at Burghclere primary school and has continued with it ever since. Her playing of Handel’s “The Trumpet Shall Sound” was an apt way of getting the concert underway. John Miller, the former High Sheriff of Berkshire gave an introductory speech and then the choir led the audience in what is the traditional carol to begin with, "Once in Royal David’s city". The choir then sang two carols, firstly "Ding Dong Merrily on High" which according to history is a 16th century French carol, and then, "There is no rose of such virtue", a 15th century English carol. The choir was the renown Oxford Pro Musica Singers. The first reading was by Ashley Whittaker, the second son of Susannah , which was followed by the choir singing "Santa Claus is coming to town" and "Jingle Bells". We then had a sixth former of St Bartholomew’s School who played Mozart’s Oboe Concerto with great and confidence and panache. She was accompaied by Sally Goldworth and they played really well together. That was followed by Richard Ingrams who read an extract from Murder in the Cathedral. The choir then sang two more carols before we exercised our lungs prior to the interval by singing "O Come O Come Emmanuel". We were then able to stretch our legs for ten minutes or so before the second half started.
We began the second half with the carol “Unto us a child is born” and this was followed by a reading by Fiona, Countess of Carnarvon, in a very creditable Yorkshire accent, of a very amusing account by a St Swithun’s parishioner on listening to his local church choir singing Handel’s Messiah. And to follow this was the choir who sang three extracts from that very cantata. Rageh Omaar, whose prominent journalistic career began in 1990 as BBC’s man in Baghdad, read from Longfellow’s The Three Kings. George Millard, the son of Dr Paul Millard, the founder of the Cancer Care Trust, gave a splendid performance of Paul Creston’s Rapsodie for alto saxophone, ably accompanied by Sally Goldworth. He is currently a sixth former at St. Bartholomew’s School. Following on the choir’s next two carols, Philip Wroughton, the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire read the traditional last lesson from St John’s gospel which begins ‘In the beginning was the Word’. The choir then sang ‘Silent Night’ followed by Dr Paul Millard giving the Christmas Appeal on behalf of the Cancer Care Trust. We all sang ‘O Come all ye Faithful’ which ended this concert. It was a splendid concert with a touch of emotion at times. I understand that their next Christmas carol concert is on 6 December and I hope to be there.
The concert began with a trumpet solo by Rosie Davies, who is an undergraduate at Jesus College, Oxford. She learnt to play the trumpet at Burghclere primary school and has continued with it ever since. Her playing of Handel’s “The Trumpet Shall Sound” was an apt way of getting the concert underway. John Miller, the former High Sheriff of Berkshire gave an introductory speech and then the choir led the audience in what is the traditional carol to begin with, "Once in Royal David’s city". The choir then sang two carols, firstly "Ding Dong Merrily on High" which according to history is a 16th century French carol, and then, "There is no rose of such virtue", a 15th century English carol. The choir was the renown Oxford Pro Musica Singers. The first reading was by Ashley Whittaker, the second son of Susannah , which was followed by the choir singing "Santa Claus is coming to town" and "Jingle Bells". We then had a sixth former of St Bartholomew’s School who played Mozart’s Oboe Concerto with great and confidence and panache. She was accompaied by Sally Goldworth and they played really well together. That was followed by Richard Ingrams who read an extract from Murder in the Cathedral. The choir then sang two more carols before we exercised our lungs prior to the interval by singing "O Come O Come Emmanuel". We were then able to stretch our legs for ten minutes or so before the second half started.
We began the second half with the carol “Unto us a child is born” and this was followed by a reading by Fiona, Countess of Carnarvon, in a very creditable Yorkshire accent, of a very amusing account by a St Swithun’s parishioner on listening to his local church choir singing Handel’s Messiah. And to follow this was the choir who sang three extracts from that very cantata. Rageh Omaar, whose prominent journalistic career began in 1990 as BBC’s man in Baghdad, read from Longfellow’s The Three Kings. George Millard, the son of Dr Paul Millard, the founder of the Cancer Care Trust, gave a splendid performance of Paul Creston’s Rapsodie for alto saxophone, ably accompanied by Sally Goldworth. He is currently a sixth former at St. Bartholomew’s School. Following on the choir’s next two carols, Philip Wroughton, the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire read the traditional last lesson from St John’s gospel which begins ‘In the beginning was the Word’. The choir then sang ‘Silent Night’ followed by Dr Paul Millard giving the Christmas Appeal on behalf of the Cancer Care Trust. We all sang ‘O Come all ye Faithful’ which ended this concert. It was a splendid concert with a touch of emotion at times. I understand that their next Christmas carol concert is on 6 December and I hope to be there.
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