Full house turns out for hit Oban concert
THE Audley Male Voice Choir (AMVC) from Staffordshire, a well-established and greatly admired group within the amateur musical industry, performed to a full house at St John’s Cathedral last Friday evening.
The AMVC, who can claim the Royal Albert Hall as one of their many concert venues, chose Oban as a place to perform as part of a mini tour of Scotland, which included a visit to Iona.
Due to a friendship with a local Rotarian, the concert on Friday evening was organised by Oban Rotary Club, which arranged the venue, pre-event publicity including posters, programmes, tickets and liaising with The Oban Times and Oban FM. This resulted in a full house, where the audience was treated to a cross-section of songs emanating from many countries with loud applause for the choir’s rendition of Bonnie Mary of Argyll.
The AMVC were ably supported by North Lorn’s Sequence ladies choir, members of Oban High School Pipe Band and Rotary’s Young Musician of the Year Katie Houston, who played the flute to much applause.
Audience participation was evident throughout the concert but no more so than at the end when all concerned sang Amazing Grace to the sound of the bagpipes. The concert was unique in that AMVC, although choosing Oban as a venue, not only covered their own expenses but those of their traveling support, as 24 of their followers paid to get in.
All proceeds from the concert will be donated to Mary’s Meals, one of Oban Rotary’s favourite local charities.
It was generally agreed that this was a special event in Oban’s calendar and it is to be hoped that the AMVC will come again.
The evening was brought to a close by a generous vote of thanks from Bill Clifford from Mary’s Meals and Tommy McQuade, president of Oban Rotary Club.