Category Archives: Stithians Ladies Choir

Looking forward

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Well, here we are at the dawn of a new year so it’s time to look forward to what the future will bring. The Choir starts rehearsals again on January 7th and we have several concerts booked, a potential trip away and our 50th anniversary to anticipate.

New year, new beginnings and one of the most exciting happenings for us will be the arrival of our new accompanist.

RICO GERBER

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Those who are familiar with choral singing will understand that a huge part of a choir’s success is due to the accompanist. In this respect Stithians Ladies Choir has been very fortunate indeed in recent years. When our wonderful George Smith died in March 2014 we, amazingly, found his replacement right here in Stithians village. Nigel Guzek shared his pianistic talents with us until October 2015 when he relocated to Somerset. Then, luckily for us, our esteemed deputy accompanist, Kathryn Downing, held the fort over the Autumn and Christmas periods.

Rico, originally from South Africa, joins us with an enviable reputation as a pianist, composer, accompanist and conductor, both in Cornwall and further afield. We are really looking forward to spending a rewarding time with him and, once again, we are grateful to the Gods of Music who sent him our way!

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A HAPPY CORNISH NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS!

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A Stithians Tradition

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Fun at Christmas

Photocredit: John Colgate

Many Cornish villages have traditions which the community maintain with a sense of pride and belonging. Stithians has several to do with Christmas, one being a Carol service in the village hall involving three of the village musical institutions – the brass band, the men’s choir and the ladies’ choir. The hall is not huge and the atmosphere is warm and cosy by the time  the audience is shoe-horned in.

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Photocredit: Peter Asplet

The carols of Thomas Merritt feature strongly, together with performances from the band and both choirs. But one Carol features every year because the composer was born in the village. Lewis H  Pascoe wrote a version of “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night” probably between 1905 and 1910. He was the organist of Stithians Penmennor Methodist Church from 1903 to 1944 and the first accompanist of St. Stythians Male Choir 1913-26.

Occasions such as this are vital to the continuity of the Cornish choral tradition. Long may it continue!

A MERRY CORNISH CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR READERS

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Congratulations!

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this might be too small and blurry?It is always heart-warming to celebrate success and achievement, so huge congratulations to soprano JO WOOD ( pictured ) who was most successful at the Camborne Music Festival recently.

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Congratulations also to our brother choir St. Stythians Male Choir who also gained a large amount of silverware and accolades for their winning performances at Camborne.
Well done Boys!
The village of Stithians is also blessed with an excellent brass band who had a terrific win in Torquay earlier this month. Excellent news!

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Stithians is a wonderful village – A ladies choir, a men’s choir, a brass band, several churches, a school, a pub, a shop, an agricultural Show and a community centre for a flourishing community. A true Cornish village.     Read about it here and here.

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The long and short of it

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As Stithians Ladies Choir approaches its 50th year we would like to share some interesting facts about the membership. This is the first instalment.

IMG_1172Here we see two ladies from the alto section –               LEE BOWDEN ( left ) with LAUREN GARDNER.  There are many similarities between these two members but it is the differences which are most striking. Whereas Lee is one of our founder members, having been a chorister since the very beginning, Lauren has only recently joined our ranks. Without revealing the actual ages of either member, I can disclose that there is a gap of over 60 years between them. And, as you can see, the height difference is noticeable too!

Lee has been a member of the Stithians community all her life whereas Lauren, from Ponsanooth, is just embarking on her career in the field of education. Lee has loved the music and friendship of the choir for many years whereas Lauren brings her infectious youth and vitality to a brand new venture and is looking forward to learning from the more experienced members.

So … two ladies, seemingly poles apart, brought together by their love of singing and their common goal – to enhance life through music.

If you would like to join Lee and Lauren then why not come along to practice? –                 it’s on Thursday.

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Concert for Marie Curie

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On Saturday 19th September the choir gave a concert for Marie Curie Care and support through terminal illness. They were joined by the gentlemen of St Stythians Male Voice Choir, conductor Ken Downing, accompanist Kathryn Downing and the tenor soloist Andy Christophers, who also acted as compère. The surroundings, ambience and acoustic of All Saints church Falmouth were ideal for the event and the ladies surprised the audience somewhat when they started their opening number from the Lady Chapel. The three introductory choruses from The Sound of Music created an atmospheric start to an excellent concert which was well received by an enthusiastic audience. The ladies also overcame what could have been a huge obstacle – the fact that there were only 19 of them out of a choir of over 30! They sang their hearts out, displaying the grit, determination and generosity of spirit which is a defining characteristic of this remarkable group of ladies.

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A raffle was held and extra donations received and I will post the final amount raised soon as it is known. Thank you to Ken and Kathryn Downing, the gentlemen of the choir, Andy Christophers and All Saints Church, Falmouth for their support towards this wonderful cause.

The music making was joyous but tinged with sadness as it was the final concert for the choir’s accompanist, Nigel Guzek. Nigel has been an invaluable part of the choir for the last 18 months since he landed magically on our doorstep at the time of the tragic death of George Smith, our previous longstanding accompanist. Through his sensitive playing and gentle humour he has endeared himself the the choir and the community of Stithians and we will really miss him when he departs for pastures new.

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Peggy Evely, the choir Chairman and Babs Von Stein, the President, presented Nigel with a beautiful framed photograph of St Stythians church in the snow, a reminder of his time spent with the vibrant and caring community which makes up the village of Stithians.

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We now tackle the difficult job of finding another accompanist and if anyone reading this knows of any suitable person who may fit the bill then please contact any choir member or leave a message through these pages or through Facebook

Bea Geddes. MD

Photos by Peter Asplet

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