END OF AN ERA: An evening of wonderful music, beautifully performed, full of joyfulness but tinged with sadness marked the end of an era when David H Jones conducted the Warwickshire Singers for the last time at St Gregory's Church, Tredington last Saturday evening.

David formed the group, when he became county music director in 1970. His talent and strong leadership attracted several professional soloists to sing as choir members and he also managed to retain many of the original founding members through to the present day.

The concert opened with three unaccompanied madrigals in contrasting style and finished with David Jones and Dermot O'Brien's Just Say The Word. Haydn's setting of Thomson's poem Spring from The Seasons was next on the agenda; a much neglected but nevertheless delightful and youthful work belying the fact that Haydn was more than 70 when he completed the work in 1801. To close the first half we were taken down memory lane with George Shearing's setting of Shakespeare's sonnets. Those that remembered his Lullaby of Broadway could not fail to recognise his distinctive chord progressions.

The loyalty that David gained was demonstrated as past members from far and wide joined the choir for a memorable performance of Vivaldi's Gloria. One of his greatest works befitting the occasion, the choir rose magnificently to the challenges and delivered a pulsating performance.

The soloists Barbara Radway, Joanna Morgan, Yvonne Rollins, Robert Forbes and John Kiefert all gave sound presentations and were accompanied throughout by Paul Sudlow, David King and Geoffrey Cook.

Concerts in Rural Churches is grateful to Stratford District Council and The Arts Council of England for help with funding. The next concert in the series is at All Saints' Church, Honington on Saturday, June 5 at 7.30pm, when the talented harpist Jemima Phillips will be giving a solo recital. - BA.