Participants will have been contacted by Sarah Urquhart and offered a refund. She’s particularly grateful to those many who have been prepared to wait until the event can go ahead, but if any have since changed their mind then don’t hesitate to contact her on 01963 33395 or at  sarah@macawberhouse.co.uk .

This unfortunately had to be cancelled owing to the coronavirus lockdown.

Organiser, Sarah Urquhart, writes: “I am looking forward to us all meeting up for this exciting tournament, as soon as the government allows us to gather in greater numbers”.

If you feel deprived now the carol-singing season is behind us, have you ever considered joining a choir and getting that shot of endorphins/tryptophans or whatever they are that give you that sense of physical and mental well-being, on a regular weekly basis?

There are all sorts of choirs out there but if you’re after something more musically substantial then a choral society is the way to go. There is no better time to join WCS.

2020 is our 30th anniversary and we intend to make our next concert on May 17th a very special one.  It may not have escaped you that this year is also the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth – and our programme will centre on his Mass in C Major, in addition to which the choir will sing the final rousing chorus from his oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives, and the orchestra will kick off the event with his dramatic Coriolan Overture. Haydn’s by turns stormy and serene Insanae et Vanae Curae motet will make an interesting parallel with the overture, and Beethoven’s other great predecessor of the ‘classical’ period, Mozart, will be represented by the short, sublime – and famous – Ave Verum Corpus. Soprano soloist Stephanie Bodsworth and alto Olivia Ray, who made such an impression at our December concert, return to sing operatic duets/trios by Beethoven and Mozart with Tenor and Bass soloists.

Our concerts are always grand events, usually with a very professional orchestra and talented soloists, and filling Wincanton Leisure Centre Hall to its 500 person capacity: remarkable in a small market town.

We have other things to celebrate like the presence of our wonderful new Director of Music, Katrine Reimers, and the significant numbers of new recruits to our now-84-strong membership, which comes from as far afield as Crewkerne and Gilingham. The choir’s first concert under Katrine’s direction in early December was generally pronounced an outstanding success. Katrine has that rare combination of top-notch knowledge of musical theory, history and rehearsal technique with the human warmth and patience to forgive us our trespasses and ensure the most artistic as well as technically excellent performance of which we’re capable.

Weekly Rehearsals have just started but it’s by no means too late to join us. A certain amount of commitment is desirable, and obviously enjoying the repertoire – though it does grow on you –  but before you know it it will have become an essential part of your week. If not, save the date and come and listen to us on May 17th.

Benedict Critchley