Soprano Helena (and others from NCS) ventured out on a soggy Sunday for an uplifting afternoon…
Rufus the swan is well-known to social media followers of Sir John Rutter. An affectionate ‘Ah’ came from hundreds of singers when John pulled a cuddly Rufus out of a bag! John has run workshops in the city for many years, always in support of the Nottingham Refuge Forum. We heard a moving account of the Forum’s work from someone who, as a refugee, had found welcome, sanctuary and recovery in Nottingham.
Singers travelled miles to participate. We thought Exeter far away until the US claimed top spot! After 55 years of enjoying his music, this singer has now ticked off her bucket list ‘Singing with and meeting Sir John Rutter’.
His anecdotes entertained us and gave us an insight into the commissioning process. David Attenborough happily gave him flexibility for a work to mark the 70th anniversary of the Council for the Protection of Rural England. This led to Look at the World. The duration of a gap in a BBC Singers’ programme for a Proms concert gave John a restricted timeframe to fill – timing is everything with live radio! This resulted in Bird Songs. We enjoyed three excerpts from that and two from his folksong influenced Dancing Tree. And given Rufus (who we hope lives a long life), we also sang Gibbons’ sublime The Silver Swan.
Those of us there from NCS were delighted to see on the back of the booklet mention of one of our conductors, who also rehearses the Drivetime Choir. ‘The choir is open to all, and you’ll receive expert coaching from our inspirational music director, Angela Kay MBE’.
John has been a great supporter of Music for Everyone, even making us encouraging videos during the pandemic. No-one can deny his vast contribution to the perpetuation of choral music, with compositions suited to a wide range of abilities and an array of occasions. He has also written in support of saving music degree courses at the University of Nottingham and with hope for the future of music in education. Thank you, Sir John!
Images © Helena Durham
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