Concordia is a Chamber Choir associated with St Mary’s, where they rehearse and perform. Here their conductor, Alison Phillips, explains how the choir formed during the pandemic:

“During the summer of 2020, a small group decided to meet outside in a garden to sing together for fun. We put up gazebos to shelter from the sun and had a good supply of clothes pegs to secure the music when it was breezy, as well as plenty of coffee and cake for refreshment! The music, singing, fresh air and company (socially distanced of course) had such an immediate positive effect on us all that we decided to make our musical garden gatherings a regular event.

At first there were only six of us but as the restrictions eased, our little chamber group grew to twelve. We knew that we loved singing together, so decided to carry on after the first Lockdown, but on a slightly more formal basis. We all agreed that any future concerts or performances would primarily be given to help St Mary’s Church raise some much-needed funds. We also decided on a name for the group and so Concordia … music for a while was born!

As summer faded into autumn, a warmer place was needed for rehearsal. Fortunately, Mark (Rector) kindly agreed that we could use the chancel on Saturday mornings so that is where you will find us. We have given two Saturday afternoon concerts so far with our friend and accompanist John Gough and are planning our next appearance at St Mary’s for a concert of Christmas music on the afternoon of Saturday December 4th. Admission is free but donations are gratefully received on exit! Do join us if you can.”