The Charlton Kings Choral Society are to take to the stage at St Andrew’s Church in Cheltenham on Saturday evening when they will be performing two pieces of work by acclaimed English composer John Rutter.

The choir will spend the first half of the concert singing Rutter’s ‘Requiem’, while the second half will be filled with English folk songs from his ‘The Sprig of Thyme’ suite. Sue Crownshaw, who sings in the choir as well as working as its Publicity Manager, says Saturday’s performance is one the whole choir can’t wait to perform. “We’ve been working towards this performance from the moment we finished our most recent concert last Christmas,” said Sue. “We’ve put a lot of effort into our weekly practice sessions which are held at St Edward’s School in Cheltenham. We had our final rehearsal last night, so it’s all systems go for Saturday evening now,” she added.

The concert will be split into two halves, with John Rutter’s 1985 masterpiece ‘Requiem’ kicking the concert off. Continued Sue: “It’s a challenging recital, but one we’re all looking forward to performing. Many people will know several of the songs that feature in the piece, including ‘The Lord is my Shephard’ and ‘Pie Jesu’.

“We’ll be covering songs from Rutter’s famous ‘The Sprig of Thyme’ in the second half of the concert which is a completely different vocal challenge to his ‘Requiem’. The songs from Rutter’s ‘The Sprig of Thyme’ are all folk songs, that are a real joy to sing.

“Being part of a such a welcoming and friendly choir is great. It’s often said that singing is good for the soul, I couldn’t agree more. I find getting on stage and singing a great way of relaxing. Singing, whether at weekly practice or one of our concerts, is a really uplifting experience. To share a stage with so many wonderful singers and close friends, you never tire of it.”

Sue, who lives in Winchcombe, has been a member of Charlton Kings Choral Society for over thirty years and says her enthusiasm for singing remains as strong today as it was three decades ago. “It’s a real treat to be involved in such a friendly choir. Being able to perform at historic venues like the Pittville Pump Room and Tewkesbury Abbey, as we did last year, is a real honour. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive choir, we’re always keen to welcome new faces,” she said.

The conductor in charge of the concert on Saturday evening is John Wright. A Cheltenham resident since 1982 he was for eight years Assistant Director of Music at Cheltenham Ladies’ College. In 2003 John received two awards from Cheltenham Arts Council in recognition of his contribution to music in Gloucestershire.