For our last concert of a busy year, we sang at Chawley Grove care home, Cumnor. The residents are always very pleased to see an hear us, and are clearly moved by our music. This year we managed to get everyone together in the spacious ground floor area, and the atmosphere was excellent. 

Traditional and modern pieces, carols with full choir and quartets and solos were all well received. 

And we were introduced as the most popular planned event of the year, which is an absolute privilege!

OWMVC have sung in St Mary the Virgin, Abberbury, a number of times, and it still gives that great first impression each time we arrive in the church. St Mary’s is a truly beautiful building and brings a wonderful sense of occasion to any gathering.

Our programme was a mixture of our traditional and modern songs, with carols added in, sung  by the full choir with quartets for some of the verses.  One audience member – known to have had a career in London orchestras – commented very positively on the professionalism of our presentation and delivery, achieved by Helen and her level of control as we sing off-score.   

And our five excellent soloists each brought a special piece of their own. Variety provided by a rendering of ‘The Chapel Roof is Missing,’ can we say it brought the house down?   

Our first Christmas event of 2023 was at Loose Cannon in Abingdon. Our ‘open rehearsals’ seem to have gained an enthusiastic following, and the house was packed.

We entertained with a mix of our traditional concert pieces and a selection of carols sung by choir, quartets and soloists.  It was a great evening, and appreciation was shown with free beer and generous donations in the collection afterwards.

And as the beer went down, we transitioned into the ‘Afterglow’ singing without even needing to change venue…. ! 

Our 2023 concert in Leamington Hastings follows on from a number of similar visits in the last few years – we’re proud to say that we feature on the ‘hall of fame’ on the noticeboards around the hall. And we have a few members living in and around the village.

This year felt extra special – the village hall is not a big venue, but it has a feeling of intimacy and the warmth of the audience. And we had a few milestone moments – we’ve been carefully introducing our arrangement of ‘All of Me’ over the last year, and felt that this concert was the time it first really beat our expectations – at least the audience reaction seemed to say so. And in a sentimental moment, we added a duet for ‘Suo Gan’ on request. And it’s not often that a small choir forms from the audience and sings a few numbers to all present – and so very well too.  

And talking of audience reactions, our motley crew of sea-shanty singers added a little audience participation…. the tale of the great whale was taken right into the crowd, and just as they thought it was safe, two drunken revellers went in search of willing maidens.  Thank you for enjoying that, Leamington Hastings, nowhere in this county is safe any more… 

St Thomas in Goring-on-Thames has gradually become our ‘home from home’ in the south of Oxfordshire. As well as our history of performing concerts, we have a number of active members in and around the village. And we recorded our last CD here, taking advantage of its excellent acoustic. 

As well as our Welsh choir standards, we got a particularly good reaction to our rendering of ‘Llef’ and ‘Yn Y Man’ brought from our concert with the Welsh National Opera. Just like the Opera itself, it combines deeply soulful singing with the musical chaos of the pit-head baths. We just have to let ourselves go… !

And that acoustic was the perfect environment for our piano soloist, Jon French, where his rendering of ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ made full use of it, delighting audience and choir too. 

Sure we’ll see you again!   

The Sheldonian Theatre has provided grandeur for musical performances in Oxford since the 17th century, and OWMVC were determined to do full justice to this wonderful setting. Performing our annual gala concert alone – without a visiting choir – for the first time in many years, we planned and rehearsed up to the last moment, and our audience tell us that we met their highest expectations. 

The programme included a broad mix, with traditional classics such as ‘Calon Lan’ and ‘Llanfair’, contemporary arrangements of well-loved songs such as ‘All of Me’ and ‘Hallelujah,’ and the particular crowd pleaser that gets feet tapping and hands jiving – ‘Rhythm of Life’. 

The event ended with many of our fabulous audience of over 300 on their feet with shouts of encore echoing from the Romanesque Corded ceiling. A proud moment as we continue to grow and add to our repertoire. 

September brought OWMVC a great new partnership and a new venue with a distinctive history. The church of SS Peter and Paul in Olney was home to the well-loved hymn ‘Amazing Grace,’ written by John Newton in 1772, and reflects his troubled life as a slave trader who later became an active abolitionist. 

And what an enjoyable combination we made with Olney Brass. Their clear, bright sound and modern repertoire were a delight in their own performance and very complementary to our chosen programme. 

The evening brought new experiences to both our audiences, and felt constantly varied and interesting. 

We were honoured to be invited by the Welsh National Opera to support their highly acclaimed production Blaze of Glory in Milton Keynes.