Newbury singers raise £2k for soup kitchen
The Cromwell Singers performed their concert 'Back to the 60s' to a full house at the Baptist church on 1st April: it was enjoyed equally by the enthusiastic audience and the choir, the latter getting in the mood with their 1960s costumes.
The choir's charity partner for this concert was Newbury Soup Kitchen and their CEO and founder Meryl Praill spoke movingly and with great eloquence about all the work the charity carries out in our local community.
The concert raised £1,040 for Newbury Soup Kitchen which will be match funded to make £2,080.
The Cromwell Singers: Back to The 60s at Newbury Baptist Church on Saturday, April 1. In partnership with Newbury Soup Kitchen. Review by DEREK ANSELL
A concert called Back to The 60s might be thought to have a prominent amount of the three Bs. Beatles, Beach Boys and Bacharach. The first two categories were well represented by medleys and a Bacharach song I Say A Little Prayer, came second on this programme, sung by the Ladies, AKA the sopranos and altos. Like the full choir that opened the show they sang with enthusiastic spirit and a good blend of voices. The 2Nd Sopremes, followed with Downtown and they knew all the 1960s hand and arm flailing as practised by the first Supremes back in the day. Nick Ashton followed with a solo performance of Georgy Girl and Steve Price sang Delilah, not in the dramatic manner of Tom Jones but concentrating on a clear reading of the lyrics. Jim Clark had fun with Lionel Bart’s Fings Ain’t Wot They Used To Be, but Bart didn’t know the half of it. If only he could see what fings are like today.
Guest singer Sarah Carley tackled Walk On By, and then Those Were The Days. Her delivery and clear voice were an accurate representation of the songs of that long bygone age.
The Mersey beat began as we returned after being refreshed with coffee and biccies. Gerry Marsden’s Ferry Cross The Mersey, was a prelude to a medley of Beatle songs, the choir in good voice throughout.
Brigitta Small then sang Wooden Heart, in the original German and recalled her mother singing it as a girl in Switzerland long before Elvis Presley got his hands on it. It sounded good too, in the original.
Sue and Bruce Burnell sang Married from the show Cabaret, dressed in costume and both wearing shiny silver CND badges. Sue admitted that she never wore one in the 1960s though.
A group from the choir called The Nylons sang It’s in his Kiss with a further demonstration of 60s pop presentation. Arms, hands and body twirls. They sang well too. That left us with a medley of Beach Boys which the choir sang with gusto suggesting this music was a favourite.
MD Trevor Defferd linked everything neatly and with humour and Jevan Johnson Booth accompanied smoothly on piano. The concert ended on a bright note with The Rhythm Of Life.
