The Hereford Times

Police choir prepared for judgement day

1:19pm Friday 2nd May 2008

HEREFORD Police Male Choir, nominated for the BBC’s My Favourite Choir competition, will be presenting its 51st annual concert in Hereford Shire Hall on Saturday, May 10.

The BBC has been filming and recording the choir’s recent rehearsals and the film will be viewed by adjudicators who will decide if the police choir, which celebrated its Golden Jubilee last year, goes through to a competition concert in London later this year, with a £1,000 prize for the winners.

Guest soloist at the annual concert will be Lydia Griffiths, an 18-year-old from Bartestree who won this year’s Police Choir Young Musicians Bursary of £750. Lydia, who plays the oboe, is studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and hopes to play with a top orchestra.

A former pupil at Aylestone High School, Lydia, who also plays the piano, already has plenty of orchestra experience under her belt, having played with the National Youth Chamber Orchestra among others. She will be spending most of her bursary award on buying reeds for her oboe – £500 a year – but is learning to cut her own and will also be buying a knife sharpening machine.

The six other musicians shortlised for the bursary were: Elizabeth Allen, a 16-year-old clarinettist from Cradley; Stephanie Bissell,17, of Elm Road, Hereford, a clarinettist studying at the Chetham School of Music, Manchester; Maggie Tate, 15, of Kings Acre, Hereford, a pupil at Bishops School, on percussion; John Prestage, 18 of Sutton St Nicholas, trumpet, studying at the Royal College of Music; Georgina Francis,15, of Malvern, who wants to be a singer; and Lizzie Grew, 18, of Worcester, who plays cello in the National Youth Orchestra.

Tickets for the concert in the Shire Hall on Saturday, May 10, at 7.30pm, are available from Outback, Church Street, Hereford or on the door.

l Elsewhere, the Fire Choir is in desperate need of basses to join its ranks.

If you are a bass and would be interested in joining the choir, please call Jon on 01432 266591 or email val-watson@tiscali.co.uk. You don’t need to be able to read music.