Talented Singers hit right note for church upkeep
In a lovely setting that is St Nicholas Church, Copnor, Fine Voice Chorus put on a showcase for its students to raise funds (over £300) for the upkeep of the church, a very valued part of the Copnor community.
Fine Voice chorus is made up of professional singers (Musical Director, Simon Long and vocalist, Karen Barnett), who separately perform as Tesoro ("Treasure"), a duo of musical theatre, classical crossover and operatic songs, students of all ages coached by Simon to improve their singing abilities but also confidence and health (eg improve breathing) augmented by the non-students, who simply come along to sing and perform as a supporting group, every person together valued to create the overall sound and level of performance
The large audience were treated to a complete mix of musical styles from musicals to modern pop to older pop to classical/opera to blues/rock with students taking in turns, solo or duets, to perform specific songs, some accompanied by the chorus. Indeed, for two (Sandra and Pam) it was their first solo performance in public
Songs included Somewhere Only We Know (all), Chasing Cars (soloist Rob), oom pah pah (Pam),
Sull'aria (Elaine), One Moment In Time (Sandra), Empty Chairs and Empty Tables (Paul), In The Arms Of An Angel (Yvonne), Vanilla Ice Cream (Val), Turn The Page (Ken, accompanied by Andrew on alto saxophone), Skyfall (Karen), Diamonds (all), The Prayer (Tesoro), Deh Vieni al Finestra/Don Giavanni (Andrew), with the two halves ending with the rousing World In Union before the break and then Brindisi/La Traviata, the drinking song, at the end.
The whole evening was knitted together by Simon, alternating classical with mainstream, to the delight of the audience, linked by compere (and soloist) Ken, explaining the meaning of most of the songs, especially the classical, although his pronunciation of some of the song titles raised a few smiles
The raffle, expertly managed by Yvonne (soloist) and then her husband, Ian, sold out all the tickets and raised a lot of money. The Rev Sam Duddles called the evening "stupendous" whilst Simon commented "I was extremely happy with the performances and took great pleasure from both listening to them and hearing the very positive feedback"
A thoroughly enjoyable evening for all, please give St Nicholas ( www.portsmouth.anglican.org/acny/church/89/) a visit if you can, and come and see Fine Voice ( www.finevoice.co.uk) and Tesoro (www.tesoroduo.co.uk) when you get chance, you will not be disappointed