"Bridgwater Choral Society’s ‘Harmonia Choir’ took it’s music further afield to St Mary’s Parish Church, Cannington in June, following earlier performances with a Singing Day and Bridgwater concert.  The beautiful church of St Mary’s Cannington was a perfect setting for their varied summer programme, which was well received by a full audience on June 7th.

Conducted by Jackie Ayres and accompanied by Kath Sugden, the choir sang pieces by Mozart, Faure, Seiber, Alan Bullard and Fanny Hensel, preceded by that traditional welcoming of summer in the mediaeval ‘Summer is i cumen in’, complete with cuckoos.

Soloists Mary Morgan (soprano), Sophie Baker and Celia Smith (flutes), Elizabeth Lapwood (oboe) and Kate Ayres- Baker (Cello) were individually and collectively impressive in a variety of music by Boulanger, Rachmaninov, Faure and Poulenc.

After an interval for refreshments Harmonia performed Rutter’s ‘Feel the Spirit’, a moving cycle of spirituals, including ‘Steal away’, Deep River and concluding with the lively ‘When the saints go marching in’. Soloists Mary Morgan, Steve Lodge, and Ann Philcox’s contributions were particularly powerful, aided by Kath Sugden on piano and Elizabeth Lathwood on oboe."

Review by audience member Paul Smith.

"Particular highlights were pieces from Handel’s ‘Messiah’, including the scene-setting Pastoral played by oboe, flutes, cello and continuo; J.S. Bach’s ‘Minuet’ played by Celia Smith on flute; and Bob Chilcott’s ‘Shepherd’s Carol’, sung by Mary Morgan. This latter piece of breathtaking beauty was followed, appropriately, by a moment of magical, transcendent silence. 

A Spanish visitor was heard to comment that he had expected a good overall performance but that it had been altogether on another level -‘estupendo’ - ‘wonderful’ and indeed it was.

Refreshments following the concert were accompanied by a number of young musicians performing perhaps for the first time to a large audience.  Thanks must also be given to those ‘older’ musicians accompanying throughout the concert on piano, oboe, flute and clarinet, which added so much to the occasion. " 

Concert review by audience member Paul Smith.