Thetford Singers return to the Methodist Church for their annual Christmas concert on Wednesday 17th December. It promises to be an enjoyable evening that will be especially poignant for their members – their last concert with their Musical Director and conductor, Chris Parsons.
The Singers would like to send love and thanks to Chris for 10 years of fun, laughter, inspiration and consistently high expectations, resulting in so many memorable performances for their community choir. They wish him and his young family well in all their exciting adventures ahead and look forward to continued collaborations in future musical events.
In Chris’ words:
“It has been a complete privilege to conduct the Thetford Singers for over 10 years. Throughout that time we have sung many different pieces, performed in beautiful venues and survived a global pandemic. Above all, it has been wonderful to conduct a choir full of friendly and happy people, keen to learn, try new styles and aim for high standards when performing.
There are too many concerts to pick from (over 30), but Zimbe (2016) and Ahoy (2017) stand out—two brilliant works of African music and Sea Shanties which we did in the Carnegie with a band and lots of young singers.
Mozart’s Requiem was a real challenge that we pulled off superbly in St Cuthbert’s in 2019, and the Christmas concerts in Thetford Guildhall (Thetford’s best acoustic for choral singing) will always have a warm glow when I think of them.
Further afield projects in Ely Cathedral will always be very special to me and the Fire Songs project with Frozen Light was an incredible experience. Collaborations with the Bury Friendly Orchestra have also been highlights, as was conducting the 50th anniversary concert.
Weekly Zoom rehearsals during lockdowns kept us going and the camaraderie and determination shown by the committee and members to keep the choir going was amazing. The weekly rehearsals – the laughs, friendships built with choir members both past and present – is what I will miss the most and thank everyone for an amazing 10 years. I know our paths will cross again!”
