Patrons concert triumph for choir

A packed Whitgift audience enjoyed the Croydon choir in peak form at the annual Patrons Concert on Saturday October 29.  The choir treated its supporters to a rich selection from its current repertoire and there were stunning performances from piano duettists Lana Bode and Richard Hoyle, playing together in public for the first time.

The choir sang 17 pieces, most of them new to the patrons audience, ranging from the alluring Eriskay Love Lilt to the stirring Battle Hymn of the Republic, with a solo from choir baritone Stewart Robinson.  Especially well received were the classic Welsh hymn Llanfair and the encore, When the Saints Go Marching In.

For their two interlude performances, choir accompanist Lana Bode and musical director Richard Hoyle played eight pieces, testing themselves in particular with Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance in G minor and Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 6.  All were accomplished with aplomb and there was thunderous applause, led by the choir members themselves.

In his address to the audience, Richard thanked the patrons for their continuing support over the past year.  He noted that the choir was now 70 strong, having doubled in size since he first joined the choir 20 years ago.  The audience laughed when Richard joked that the recent recruitment of a 13-year-old bass singer had reduced the choir’s average age from 81 to 79.

The audience included Croydon’s mayor Graham Bass, attending in a personal capacity, and choir president Della Jones, the acclaimed mezzo-soprano.  During the concert interval Della told choir members they were giving a “wonderful, fantastic” performance that could rival any by choirs in her native Wales.  “I am very very proud of you,” she said.

Sadly, Della revealed that she had decided to retire from concert performing, although that would enable her to devote more time to her role as choir president.

After the concert, choir members repaired to the traditional après venue of the Royal Standard in central Croydon (prop: M. Perkins, CMVC tenor section), where the carousing was sustained long into the night.