Our 80th Anniversary party
It was in 1932 that Charles Pope, a local man, founded the Society with an initial 11 members. Eighty years on, we have almost 100 singers, a living legacy of what Charles Pope set out to achieve all those years ago.
So, it was a mild autumn evening that brought us to Stoke Mandeville Community Centre on 12th October 2012, to celebrate this special
occasion. The hall looked very welcoming, with folk finding a table to enjoy the evening ahead. Raffle tickets were on sale, and the prizes were excellent: a variety of wines, sweet selections and gifts, all kindly
donated.
Our Chairman, Gus, opened the proceedings. We were delighted to have several special guests for the evening: Mayor of Aylesbury, Cllr Mrs Ranjula Takodra and her escort for the evening, Graham Webster, David and Pat Aylett (from Aylesbury Festival Choir). And, of course, our beloved conductor, Peter.
The buffet was a delight: filled rolls, prawns, goujons, dips, sausage rolls, all the usual finger food to suit all palates. It was a good time to sit down with friends, meet everyone’s partners and have a good chat.
There had been whispers at the Tuesday rehearsals as to what to expect from the hearty group of singers who had been brave enough to volunteer and do a turn at the party. We were not to be disappointed. We started with a double act of Ken and Gus, and there then followed a wide array of performances, all of which were excellently presented and performed. The full list of performers was:
Ken Orpin (and Gus) - A you're adorable and Yes we have no Bananas
Ron Francis and John Rolfe - Russian, Italian and Northumberland Folk (?!) songs
Alan Walsh - Old Man River & Summertime
Jenny Watkins - 2 folk songs
John Oliver - Poems
Colin Campbell - 2 Scottish songs
High Octane (Annabel Edwards, Liz Hoodless, Devi Clark, Pat Starr, Baz Cooper, Roger Kirk, John Driscoll, Geoffrey Pimm) - Tea for Two
John Driscoll - She's my gal
Baz Cooper - MoonRiver & I'll walk beside you
Angela Sanderson - Song for ACS 80th Anniversary
Chris Dalladay - Moonlight Sonata
High Octane - Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight
Well done everyone, it takes a bit of courage (Dutch?) to get up there and produce wonderful performances.
After the entertainment, it was time to cut the cake. It had been beautifully decorated: a four-voice sectional piece had been iced onto its top, a lovely touch. Gus and Sheelagh cut the cake, and it was then enjoyed by everyone with a cup of coffee. The cake was subsequently to make a re-appearance at Rehearsal, where it was quickly devoured.
The final flourish was a totally unrehearsed rendition of Handel’s Hallelujah chorus by all. It wasn’t quite up to scratch compared with our concert performances, but it was tremendous fun, and we got to the end without too (?) many wrong notes.
And that ended the evening. It could not have been held without the work and effort that Sheelagh, once again, had put in. Nor could the evening had been such a success without her and the army of volunteers: setting up the hall, organising and selling raffle tickets and helping serving food and coffee. Thank you.
Here's some of the memories of our evening.... (hover your mouse over the smaller picture to view single pictures, or click the play button top left of large photo!)
So, it was a mild autumn evening that brought us to Stoke Mandeville Community Centre on 12th October 2012, to celebrate this special
occasion. The hall looked very welcoming, with folk finding a table to enjoy the evening ahead. Raffle tickets were on sale, and the prizes were excellent: a variety of wines, sweet selections and gifts, all kindly
donated.
Our Chairman, Gus, opened the proceedings. We were delighted to have several special guests for the evening: Mayor of Aylesbury, Cllr Mrs Ranjula Takodra and her escort for the evening, Graham Webster, David and Pat Aylett (from Aylesbury Festival Choir). And, of course, our beloved conductor, Peter.
The buffet was a delight: filled rolls, prawns, goujons, dips, sausage rolls, all the usual finger food to suit all palates. It was a good time to sit down with friends, meet everyone’s partners and have a good chat.
There had been whispers at the Tuesday rehearsals as to what to expect from the hearty group of singers who had been brave enough to volunteer and do a turn at the party. We were not to be disappointed. We started with a double act of Ken and Gus, and there then followed a wide array of performances, all of which were excellently presented and performed. The full list of performers was:
Ken Orpin (and Gus) - A you're adorable and Yes we have no Bananas
Ron Francis and John Rolfe - Russian, Italian and Northumberland Folk (?!) songs
Alan Walsh - Old Man River & Summertime
Jenny Watkins - 2 folk songs
John Oliver - Poems
Colin Campbell - 2 Scottish songs
High Octane (Annabel Edwards, Liz Hoodless, Devi Clark, Pat Starr, Baz Cooper, Roger Kirk, John Driscoll, Geoffrey Pimm) - Tea for Two
John Driscoll - She's my gal
Baz Cooper - MoonRiver & I'll walk beside you
Angela Sanderson - Song for ACS 80th Anniversary
Chris Dalladay - Moonlight Sonata
High Octane - Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight
Well done everyone, it takes a bit of courage (Dutch?) to get up there and produce wonderful performances.
After the entertainment, it was time to cut the cake. It had been beautifully decorated: a four-voice sectional piece had been iced onto its top, a lovely touch. Gus and Sheelagh cut the cake, and it was then enjoyed by everyone with a cup of coffee. The cake was subsequently to make a re-appearance at Rehearsal, where it was quickly devoured.
The final flourish was a totally unrehearsed rendition of Handel’s Hallelujah chorus by all. It wasn’t quite up to scratch compared with our concert performances, but it was tremendous fun, and we got to the end without too (?) many wrong notes.
And that ended the evening. It could not have been held without the work and effort that Sheelagh, once again, had put in. Nor could the evening had been such a success without her and the army of volunteers: setting up the hall, organising and selling raffle tickets and helping serving food and coffee. Thank you.
Here's some of the memories of our evening.... (hover your mouse over the smaller picture to view single pictures, or click the play button top left of large photo!)