Burrough on the Hill was privileged to host a moving performance of traditional choral music sung by The Cutty Sark Singers in the Church of St Mary the Virgin. Performing ‘a cappella’ without any instrumental accompaniment, the 20 voices resonated throughout the church with anthems dating from the 16th century to the present day. Some of the highlights included a setting of The Lord’s Prayer by John Sheppard (1515-1558), three Shakespeare songs set to music by Ralph Vaughan Williams and a beautiful contemporary piece by Canadian composer Eleanor Daley titled ‘Upon Your Heart’.

The choir’s Director of Music, Roland Robertson, also took the opportunity to showcase the church’s very special organ, built in 1993 by Kenneth Tickell. Roland’s performance of two short pieces by J S Bach demonstrated the surprisingly wide range of this very intimate and unique instrument and held the audience spellbound. The choir then utilised the full power of the organ with a stirring rendition of Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’.

Finally, the concert concluded with a moving rendition of John Rutter’s popular anthem ‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You’, which left many of the audience close to tears and earned the choir a standing ovation.

On a lighter note, during the interval a ‘Rhubarb Raffle’ was held which caused much amusement with three rhubarb themed prizes, namely rhubarb sweets, rhubarb gin, and of course a bunch of real rhubarb.

The evening raised a total of £726 towards the upkeep of Burrough Church. This type of fundraising is vital in paying the day-to-day costs of keeping an ancient building functioning and available for worship, for concerts, and for community use. These costs are solely met by donations and by fundraising and Burrough on the Hill is hugely grateful to The Cutty Sark Singers for generously giving their time and their skill free of charge in order to help keep alive buildings which have echoed to choral music over the centuries.