Neil Heywood, one our basses and writer of notes for our concert programmes, choses and writes about his desert island discs.

The Royston Choral Society took place just before Christmas in the St James Academy senior school and lived up to its billing as a traditional Christmas concert of carols and seasonal music.

We commenced the concert with the traditional solo of the first verse of Once in Royal David’s City which was followed by the choir and finally with audience members joining in (as best we could).

We were then treated to three pieces by the choir which were sung with hushed tones that gave the the emotion and reverence required to encapsulate the true meaning of the lyrics.

John Crosher, one of the basses shares his desert island disc choice.

I joined RCS as a bass in 1998 when David Boarder was choir master. I served on the committee for a few years, handling publicity and the presentation and printing of concert programmes. After taking a break of several years I rejoined in 2016 to sing Messiah, and was so impressed with Andrew that I have stayed ever since.

The track I inherited:
When I was a toddler, my mother used to keep me entertained (and quiet) by playing the piano. I was brought up on a wide range of music from Flanagan & Allen ‘Hometown’ to Rossini overtures. I can remember dancing around the patterns on the carpet to ‘Orpheus in the underworld’, but I think my favourite was ‘William Tell’.

Ann (soprano) and Nick Keep (tenor) have each been singing with the Royston Choral Society for around 25 years. We asked what singing with the RCS meant for them.

Did music play an important part in bringing you together?
We were both interested in music when we met. Nick used to play the trumpet a lot and then the singing took over. We have similar tastes in music although they differ a bit. We listen to each other’s music and express our opinions freely.

Cynthia says she’s been singing with the Royston Choral Society “on and off for about 8 years”. In an earlier conversation, I learnt that it’s her 30-year association with Richard Prince to which she attributes her interest in classical music.

In this musical TED Talk, Tania de Jong explains how singing is a survival mechanism, how it makes our hearts beat together and can help heal strokes and depression. With singing, and the potential she believes it has, Tania dedicates herself to enhancing and promoting ingenuity and founded Creativity Australia and Creative Universe to do so. As a leading Australian soprano and through 'With One Voice', Tania works with disadvantaged communities.

Lindsay Dew, one of the basses with RCS, lists his Desert Island Discs

Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard

Beethoven Symphony No. 6 (Pastorale) - 1st Movement 'Happy Arrival'

JS Bach - 'Air on a G string' Jacques Lousier

Wanted – musical men!

When a group of tenors and basses were asked why they enjoyed singing in the choir (apart from the obvious reason that they liked music and singing…) their answers were surprisingly diverse.

‘To have a break from the kids’
‘To de-stress after a busy day’
‘The pint in the pub afterwards’.

Desert Island Discs - Carole Kaszak, soprano

Mozart Clarinet Concerto – the perfect composition for clarinet by my favourite composer. The music expresses sheer joy, contemplation, peace, and finally, triumphant acceptance, and I performed it as part of my Graduate and Licentiate degrees which were the foundation for my music career in London for over 35 years.