This year marks the 30th anniversary of Cantemus Choir and the 90th birthday of the Queen, cause for a double celebration.
Cantemus choir began in 1986 as a small group of singers meeting on Hayling Island. Today there are around 45 members drawn from an area from Portsmouth to Chichester. The choir meets on Tuesday evenings during term time at Bedhampton Methodist Church at the southern end of Hulbert Road.
The choir gives three concerts each year in the greater Havant area, most recently in Waterlooville, Hayling Island and Emsworth. The musical range encompasses choral classics from mediaeval to modern times, as well as lighter items such as the very singable tunes of Andrew Lloyd Weber and John Rutter. This year’s Easter concert, with a nautical theme, included Haydn’s Nelson Mass and a Beach Boys medley.
Cantemus has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the choir of Chichester Cathedral which has provided musical directors, accompanists and soloists for concerts. The choir has benefited enormously from their musical talents. Currently the choir is directed by the cathedral choir’s William Waine, who sings male alto, and is accompanied at rehearsals and concerts by Thomas Castle, who sings tenor.
The celebratory summer concert, at St James’s Church, Emsworth on Saturday June 18th, will pay tribute to the Queen for her 90th birthday, officially marked in June. The programme will include Vivaldi’s Gloria (excerpts from which were sung at Cantemus’s 25th anniversary concert), spirituals arranged by John Rutter, music by Parry and Vaughan Williams from the coronation service and Britten’s arrangement of the national anthem. For more information: cantemushavant@gmail.com www.cantemushavant.moonfruit.com