Synergy – meaning that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” was abundantly evident in the concert performances at Trinity Methodist church in Mansfield Woodhouse. The Holy Trinity, the Christian doctrine which describes God as one being existing in three co-equal, co-eternal persons: God the Father (the creator), God the Son (Jesus Christ, the savior), and God the Holy Spirit (the power of God on Earth) was, together with a capacity audience, witness to a trinity of choral performances…..alright one of them was in the Greyhound pub after the concert.
Mansfield and District Male Voice Choir were on top form with an eclectic repertoire of songs for contemplation, reverence and entertainment ranging from Rachie and Gwahoddiad in Welsh and Neapolitan Trilogy (It’s Now or Never, Santa Lucia and Funiculi Funicula) to Let it Be Me, Anthem and the haunting Tell My Father, culminating in the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Medley (exclusive to the choir) which is always a crowd pleaser. Our guest Mezzo Soprano, Sarah Walster accompanied by her father David, provided a complete contrast and mesmerized everyone with the quality, sensitivity and power of her singing, particularly in the operatic arias Lascia Ch’io Pianga (Let Me Weep from Rinaldo) by G.F. Handel and O Del Mio Dolce Ardor (O Thou Beloved) by Christoph Gluck. The male voice choir standards of The Rose and You Raise Me Up were presented as joint pieces to the delight of the audience.
We were also entrained by the friendly interactions of our skilled compere Paul Bennett. His light and compelling stories and introductions guided us all through the concert which was masterfully controlled by our talented M.D. Ian Grice together with our wonderful, skilled accompanist Maureen Lockwood. Our thanks go to the team at Trinity Methodist for their preparatory work and the refreshments. Of note is Steve Cree (Baritone) and the choir Supporters’ Group members including Joyce Cree, Adele Stenton, Julie Guy and Marilyn Mansfield among others.
Reverend Stuart Ellis (Superintendent) kindly welcomed everyone to the concert, making everyone welcome and closed off the evening with a short prayer and expressed thanks to the performers.
I did mention a trinity of performances, one of which was in the Greyhound pub. Our choir usually repairs to a comfortable pub to hold an “afterglow”. The one yesterday evening was remarkable. By the end of the evening everyone in the pub had enjoyed singing along with the choir members that attended, and it made for a great closure to another event in the history of this great choir. Thanks to everyone who made the arrangements, particularly Lynden Lowe our Concert Manager who, along with the other members of our committee and all choristers made “Synergy at Trinity” a reality.
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