One of our sopranos, Sally, has written a brilliant account of Saints'  Singers 2024 concert - Songs from Stage and Screen. 

It was Saturday, 13th July, and as I walked into Winterton Church to take part in our final rehearsal before the evening's concert - Songs from Stage and Screen - I looked around. Cameras were being set up, microphones tested, the raised podium and musical stand height adjusted. Spirits were high. It felt good. 

I took out my lyric sheets—worth having a final run-through of the words…just in case! I was fairly confident I knew them. I really ought to—our concert tunes had been the sole playlist allowed in the car for at least the last two months—well, that and our teachtracks! If I didn’t know the words, the rest of my family definitely did. 

The camaraderie of a group of women with a shared passion, mutual respect, and a sense of purpose is formidable. I was glad to be part of this group. As our truly outstanding musical director blew into her trademark pitchpipe, we took our places. We were ready. Ready to rehearse, ready to remember the lyrics, ready to reach the stars with song. 

I had expected the rehearsal to feel a little fraught, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Elisabeth reminded us of how hard we had worked, how as individuals we were amazing, but how as a collective we were unstoppable. As we relaxed into the music, accompanied by Jean, the most talented and accommodating pianist this side of the moon, the true purpose of a community choir became clear to me. It wasn’t just about making great music but was about feeling connected, having fun, and belonging. It was about synergy. 

And that was just the rehearsal … 

Elisabeth’s consistent, supportive, and motivating teaching had paid dividends, and the actual concert was wonderful. Singing to a packed audience, we raised the roof. I’m not sure I’ve ever been part of a performance with standing room only before! 

Each of our songs received exceptional introductions from various choir members, adding depth, context, and a touch of humour! This set the stage for the diverse array of songs from stage and screen that we delivered. Who would have thought we’d be able to conquer the three-part harmonies to produce the sinister sounds of Skyfall, or create the uplifting tone that reached the sky in Let’s Go Fly a Kite? Contrast this with the power and poignancy of Stephen Schwartz’s Beautiful City, focusing on community and redemption, and the hope captured in the richness of the crescendos and decrescendos of Somewhere—you can see that we had a heady mix. We certainly didn’t feel blue as we sang Super Trouper; we delighted in the sound we made and relished the additional depth our fantastic guest musicians, Toby Jacklin and Lisa Oliver on bass guitar and drums, created. 

And what a lot of compliments we received! From the understated “Wow, I didn’t expect that” from one of our singer's sons as he grinned from ear to ear, to the “You sounded really good” (praise indeed from another singer’s dad—a man of few words), to the numerous enthusiastic “You all absolutely smashed it!”—we loved them all! And then there was the pensive and thoughtful man at the back of the hall: “I’ve never been before, but I’ll be back.” Could he have been a talent scout from the X Factor?! 

Elisabeth perhaps doesn’t know this, but when she is particularly pleased with something we’ve done, she gives an almost imperceptible extra-half smile; it shows in her eyes as much as her mouth. Elisabeth smiled a lot. And, as we sang For Good, it felt good to have made both her and our supporters in the audience proud. The youngsters would say it was ‘Wicked’. 

Inevitably, all good things must come to an end, and our concert was no exception. Yet, as we wrapped up with a heartwarming encore of Let’s Go Fly a Kite, with Mary leading the charge and actually flying a kite herself, we remembered our performance of Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head and tried not to feel too blue. 

Each song in our concert carried its own powerful narrative, and our community choir collectively wove its own unique and compelling story. It was a narrative of all that is hopeful, regenerative and uplifting. Leo Tolstoy once said, “Music is the shorthand of emotion.” Our summer concert performance was a testament to that fact.

As we take our summer break, we have much to be thankful for at Saints’ Singers. Not only Elisabeth and Jean, but also one another, our audience and our choir committee, Gwenifer and Robin Shawyer and our sponsors last year (ASDA Foundation, Winterton and District Lions, Winterton Town Council and Winterton 2022). Following our concert, I feel truly rejuvenated, and I’m sure I’m not alone in relishing the shared experiences of it. However, I’m also looking ahead and I can’t wait to regroup with the fabulous Saints' Singers and looking forward to more fabulous harmonising together in September. I think my family will be very pleased when they are able to add some different tunes and teachtracks to our car playlist!