Choir hit right note with charity concert
Linlithgow Ladies Choir will celebrate their 15th birthday with a special concert in the historic setting of St Michael’s Parish Church.
At the anniversar y concert at 7pm on Sunday, September 29, the choir will perform a programme of iconic works including the Faure Requiem and Vivaldi Gloria.
With the choir now comprising 80 members with more on the waiting list, it is a far cry from the early days when just 15 ladies – mainly wives and partners of members of the Linlithgow Rugby Club Male Voice Choir – who came together to sing.
Known then as The Linlithgow Ladies Rugby Club Choir, they were led by Gill Ferguson, who also enlisted the aid of Joe Lavery, then musical director and conductor of the men’s choir.
The first performance, with songs arranged by Joe to include soprano and alto parts, was at the annual Rugby Club Burns Supper in January 2004.
For the first few years, the choir numbers remained largely unchanged while the ladies gradually extended their repertoire and began to perform at local events, with Gill taking on some conducting.
From 2009, there was a steady increase in new members, and some of them could not only sing, but also play musical instruments which enhanced the programmes that the choir could offer.
In 2011, the choir became independent of the rugby club, and became the Linlithgow Ladies Choir.
As numbers increased over the next few years, so did the pace and variety of the choir’s activities. Highlights included: taking part in two concert performances of music from Les Miserables at the Fringe in 2011; travelling to the Royal Albert Hall in 2012 and 2018 to sing in the Festival of Brass and Voices in aid of Cancer Research, and in the Scottish Festival at the Usher Hall in 2013; and a trip to Guyancourt in 2015 to sing at a Burns Supper with a French twist.
While the ladies of the choir embraced these adventures with enthusiasm, their focus has remained on singing for local audiences, both in Linlithgow and in other local towns.
The choir aims to offer two concerts in Linlithgow a year, often inviting other local musicians, including the Linlithgow String Orchestra, to join them.
Recent concerts have included ‘Music from Stage and Screen’ and wonderful Christmas concerts.
As well as their own concerts, the choir is happy to put together a programme for local organisations. To help with that effort, there is now a smaller choral group who are well-placed to respond to invitations, for example, to sing at St Michael’s Hospital and the Day Care Centre during the festive period.
It is a community choir which welcomes members of all abilities, from those who have musical knowledge and experience to those who have no musical background at all.
The choir’s aim is to have fun while learning and then performing interesting music.
Heather Laing, a founding member, said: “It’s all ages, all abilities. All you need is a desire to sing. It’s a true community choir.”
Each year, the choir organises fund-raising events and contributes money to a nominated local charity. Over the years, donations have gone to Cancer Research, the Caring Café, Chest, Heart and Stroke, the Day Care Centre and the First Step Café. This year’s donation will go to Linlithgow First Responders.
Kirsty Ball, who took over as musical director when Gill moved away in 2014, has continued to encourage the choir to try new styles of music.
Linlithgow Ladies Choir now has a large and varied repertoire of music, catering to all tastes: pop, folk, classical, musical theatre and film. Other languages have proved no barrier as the choir has sung in French, Italian, German and in various African languages.
For the 15th Anniversary concert, Kirsty wanted the programme to challenge the singers, and to provide an opportunity to work with other local musicians and showcase young talent.
The Linlithgow String Orchestra will join the choir in playing a special arrangement of the Faure Requiem for strings, organ and upper voices, with St Michael’s church organist Matt Edwards, and up and coming Scottish soloists Lorna Murray and Colin Murray.
Kirsty said: “It is a privilege to lead the Ladies Choir. They are a fantastic group of women who work hard at their singing, but also have a great time learning and performing together. This concert will be a real celebration of their achievements.”
Reflecting on her time with the choir, long-standing choir member, Shelagh Bell, said: “If I were to ask myself the question why I joined, my answer would be the same today as it was then. It’s the joining with like- minded people who enjoy making amazing sounds with their voices. As a group we are harmonious in more ways than one. I’m proud to be part of a choir that has grown in their abilities and are confident to take on some complex musical challenges. There’s a tingle of excitement as we look forward to our anniversary concert.”
They are a fantastic group of women who work hard at their singing, but also have a great time