Sails Aloft
Wednesday 2nd July, 2014 - 12:06pm
MOUSEHOLE MALE VOICE CHOIR will sing on the quay at the opening of 'Sea, Salt and Sail' on Friday July 11.
On a rising tide and with full sails aloft the Mouseshole choir is currently enjoying one of its crowning musical occasions with its splendid Cornish and national reputation.
The recent Midsummer concert at Paul church was a celebration of this. Close ahead the special Summer Festival at St Mary's, Penzance, on Sunday August 3, will bring another annual highlight.
Under popular musical director Stephen Lawry and with skilled accompanist Annette Turton, the choir is at its strongest in repertoire and largest in membership in its 105 years ,with some 70 voices enjoying the music-making.
Television (Mousehole was the first Cornish choir to appear on a national broadcast) and radio performances, plus a regular series of CDs and a busy schedule of concerts, make huge demands on loyalty and dedication. And the choir continues to rise to the challenges with enthusiasm.
Millions around the world have heard of Mousehole through its brave lifeboatmen, its picturesque harbour........and its singing.
In 2009 members celebrated their 'Century of Song' that began when a handful of men gathered in a village netloft to sing carols together.
Down the years there have been only nine musical directors.
There is remarkable long service among the present team - Derek Harvey and Arthur Brown have been members for over 60 years. Fathers, sons and brothers have continued in the choir tradition.
It has welcomed such international guests as Ben Luxon, Dame Felicity Lott, Bryn Terfel, Cynthia Glover and Valerie Masterson and locally had enormous support from such friends as Diana Ford and John Harry.
Rev. Julyan Drew, president, Charles Law, chairman, Tim James secretary and Roger Stephens, treasurer, lead an admirable administration together and backed by members working week by week to maintain the high standards.
Many concert visits to London and other parts of the country keep the Mousehole flag flying. There have been tours in the USA and France.
As the choir sings...... 'What would I do without My Music?'.