On Sunday 7th October the Cappella Singers joined with the Gloucester Salvation Army to present a concert of music, contemplation & prayers.
The programme was jointly organised by Philip Colls and Philip Webb. The duo has known each other for several years, as they both joined the Cathedral Choir on the same day, one as a lay clerk and the other as a chorister.
For us it was a concert with a difference, and it made for a very enjoyable and stimulating evening. The concert got off to a rousing start with the band playing the Motivation March. This was accompanied by a PowerPoint visual presentation beamed onto a wall.
The Cappella Singers chose as their first piece Quilters Non Nobis Domine and then, in contemplative mood, Blessed are the Pure in Heart & Call to Remembrance The "Raasay Lament" then drew warm applause, and it was probably the best performance yet by the choir.
Two rousing cornet solos followed, featuring soloist Kevin Robbins. The Salvation Songsters chose the Twenty-third Psalm, and Let my People Go The latter was sung in a more contemplative version than the arrangement used by the Cappella Singers in the second half.
This concert was in aid of Teens in Crisis, an organisation that helps young people in crisis & we were told of their aims and work. A collection was taken, raising £420.
For the second part of the concert Philip Colls included traditional spirituals, much appreciated by the audience. There were further band contributions, and a second cornet solo before the Songstresses and the Singers, conducted by Philip Webb, combined to give us as a finale Oh I wish I knew how it would be to be free. Prolonged and enthusiastic applause showed that the audience, who had earlier joined in a hymn, felt like participants as well as onlookers.
Ann Bailey
The Cappella Singers: Registered Charity no 262530