23 March   Callington Concert

Callington is perched on a hill with narrow streets.  The bus is parked up New Street and we walk down to St. Mary’s.  It is a beautiful old church with a Celtic cross, baskets of early flowers and stones out front. The Callington Singers are arriving at the same time.  The interior is wonderful, but no heat. The left naïve is festively decorated and has been set-up with tables full of desserts, goodies and wine glasses ready to be filled.  They let us practice first then they follow-up and then we all re-position for the double choir rehearsal.  We will be singing two original pieces written for the concert—Song of Hope by composer/director Andrew Wilson, Musical Memories (Dr. Heald), Rutter’s Gaelic Blessing and Handel’s Zadok the Priest (in honor of Charles’ coronation in May).  The rehearsal goes well.  Wilson is obviously classically trained conductor—he has been with the group for less than a year.  Their keyboardist is amazing.  He plays on a very high-end Yamaha keyboard--too cold to tune pianos and organs in here.  He tells me the keyboard cost him £21,000.  He looks young, but he was probably in his late 40's. 

There are posters and flags put up to remind us this is a benefit concert for Ukrainian relief.  The choir gives us Daffodil lapel pins to wear.

The programme has a field of bright sunflowers and blue sky on it--the Ukrainian flag.  The audience starts to enter and keeps coming.  It gets full.  Excellent turn out.  After a talk 'Cornwall & Devon Sending Love to Ukraine', the Portreeve (Mayor) and an award-winning Towne Crier, we sing. We mainly do Dr. Heald’s music, plus Praise ye the Lord of Hosts (Saint-Saens), a few of the Twelve Canticles (Thompson), and a Moses Hogan arrangement of spiritual You Better Min’ How You Talk—soloist Tara Henry.  Both Donna and Debra Gaddis share accompaniment duties.  The Callington Singers are up next.  Their repertoire is mainly Traditional English pieces and high-end church

—Vaughn Williams, Bach, Villers Stanford, Elgar and O Thou the Central Orb—Charles Wood.  Next the choirs combine and we sing together.  The Handel goes surprisingly well.  It gave me goose-bumps—a real peak choral experience. Both groups are astounded by the performance as was the audience—who stood and cheered.   

We finally get to eat (local traditional goodies), pay for our wine and share talk with the Callington Singers.  The biggest take away is 'you're staying a St. Austell, why on earth?' The concert brings in £770 for Ukraine.  I had hoped to talk with Andrew Wilson, after following his Face Book page and corresponding briefly about the two pieces and a sharing a rehearsal of his 'Song of Hope', but MaryRuth is in deep conversation with him, so I never do get to talk to him.

We only get to stay about 25 minutes.  Sue herds us back to the coach so we can get back to St. Austell while the driver is on the clock.  The ride back is very dark and smelly, but we are laughing and talking the whole way.  At the Travelodge we find we are locked out.  Our key cards aren’t working.  We finally figure it out how to work the electronic lock and we are in.  CarolLyn and Paul, our ‘caned’ singers are in obvious pain.  

                                     Courtesy of Callington Singers