Music News - April 2025 

The SMMA aims to bring both sacred and secular music to St Mary’s Church. Our popular Spring Coffee Concert series will, by the time you read this newsletter, have taken place from the end of February and throughout March. This started with performances by SWCHS students, followed by an organ recital by Phil Sunderland. The next three recitals, began with Krassimira Jeliazkova and Elizabeth Mucha on violin and piano, then Sarah Lamont singing soprano with Derek Scurll on piano, and concluded with Bob Goldsmith on piano.

As a separate treat, on 22 March the choir of Gonville and Caius gave an evening performance of Fauré’s Requiem, with additional pieces by Purcell and Walton. All these events are free, but donations via a retiring collection or via the QR code on programmes are always very welcome. There will be news of the Summer Lunchtime Concert series in future newsletters, as well as details of an organ recital by world-famous organist Wayne Marshall at 5pm on 12 July.

Fostering talent is also a key aim of the SMMA. On 16 February our Organ Scholar Ziyi bravely and successfully conducted the whole of morning service as part of her musical development. Her view on the experience? “Scary, but I’m glad I did it.” Most unusually Oli sat with the congregation, no doubt assessing the singing from a different angle.

The choir is always very busy supporting the congregation in worship through Lent and leading up to Easter. The Junior Choir as usual enjoyed being a key part of Mothering Sunday, which was on 30 March this year. The Eastertide Devotional Offering at 6.30 on Palm Sunday 13 April will be Stainer’s Crucifixion, with the choir and 2 external talented soloists. On Maundy Thursday 17 April there will be Choral Eucharist at 7.30pm. Then on 20 April there will be a joyful celebration of Easter Sunday, with the brass group in full flight, followed probably more quietly by Choral Evensong later in the day at 6.30.

We have said a sad goodbye to Ellie Beare who has been a member of the choir first as a Junior Chorister, then a Choral Scholar, then in the adult choir, and most recently as a mentor to the current Scholars. She will be much missed. Our sadness was tempered by a party in her honour, kindly hosted by Jim and Siong Siong.

On a more administrative note, the SMMA’s AGM will take place after morning service on Sunday 18 May. Everyone, whether or not a member of the SMMA, is very welcome to attend. The Minutes of the last meeting, as well as the Agenda for the AGM and the accounts for 2024, will be available for inspection on the prescribed Church noticeboards as usual.And finally, after writing the SMMA newsletter for 6 years, I am now leaving it in the very capable hands of Phil Sunderland. I wish you all an uplifting Easter.

Ottilie Lefever

Many thanks to Ottilie for her years of submitting these reports. In her safe hands, they have become an invaluable way of informing the congregation of St Mary’s about the hard work consistently put in to the music here.