Welcome to the Summer 2011 edition of ‘In Tune’.

Well this is another year of change for the Choir. We say a fond farewell to David Lester. I think you will all join with me in wishing David and June good luck in their move to the Forest of Dean. Presumably we will team up again when he finds another Choir to get involved with. It is a great loss to our Choir, but a great gain for the one he joins. He has been a steadfast champion and leader of the Choir. David has been a member of the Choir for 17 years. Originally a member of the 2nd Tenors, he gained his ‘tighter underwear’ and moved up to the Top Tenors. Always striving for new heights! As Chairman and Vice Chairman he has proved to be a great ambassador for the Choir. He has guided it through a difficult transition period, with humour and strength of purpose. David has always led from the front, set and maintained high standards for the Choir. We must continue to sustain those standards, both in our performances and discipline on stage. We have a lot to thank David for and I am sure you all join with me in bidding him a fond ‘adieu’, until we sing again!

Having got rid of David (only joking), our leadership has been further dinted by news that Harry
Trott has decided to hang up his committee badge. I always find it fascinating what you can find out
about people and there lives. Over breakfast whilst on tour in Cornwall, Harry, Sheila and I some
how started chatting about times gone by. Sheila recalled, how Harry with his brother had run a
small holding, breeding pigs. Sheila painted this wonderful image of Harry rushing off to tend a farrowing sow, housed in an air raid shelter, before continuing onto to his full-time work. It is wonderful to find out some snippets of other choristers life stories. Going on tour is a tremendous opportunityto share in those memories and to be part of new ones. Harry has been a member of the choir for over 30 years (a stalwart of the Baritone section). In that time he has served as both Chairman
and Vice Chairman with great distinction. He and Sheila are famous for holding court on the last
night of the tour. Thank you, Harry for all you have done and continue to do for the choir. Your support for David over the last few years, I know has been greatly appreciated. Once again Harry has
been an excellent ambassador for the Choir. We all hope you enjoy a well earned rest away from
committee duties. So now you can sit back and enjoy rehearsals and performances.

All of us that went on tour to Cornwall will agree, that it was an excellent event. Very well organised
both from our own team and the overall event organisers. The coach transport was superb. The
hotel was well situated, comfortable, food was very good and the staff were attentive and friendly.
Having a total of 3 choirs in the hotel, kept them busy and highly entertained with a few ’after glow’
serenades, late nights/ early mornings. It may also have resulted in a small dent in the beer stocks.
The other 2 choirs in the hotel were a Dutch Cossack choir and the Sligo Golf Club choir (an interesting
mix). We performed with Sligo at Redruth, where they did one of the fastest renditions of
Alexander’s Ragtime Band I have ever heard. They performed Ol’ Man River (5 verses, yawn!). It
made me wish they could have heard the late Henry Wallin doing this song real justice. However
this concert did have it’s high points especially the Czech boys choir, ’Boni Pueri ’ who performed
‘Ave Maria’ whilst in the cloisters of the church. We performed well at all the events we attended.
However, I think the icing on the cake was the performance at St. Austell, where we brought the
concert to life and gave the other choirs food for thought on providing variety in your repertoire.

Have a very pleasant summer.