ON Saturday, March 16, the Mid Devon Good Afternoon Choir gave a concert in Crediton Congregational Church with guest artists, the Exeter Male Voice Choir. 

Exeter Male Voice Choir.
Exeter Male Voice Choir. (Mike Palmer)

Chosen charity for the event was Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, one which makes a huge difference to those who benefit from it.

A short, and very informative, talk about the charity was given during the concert. 

The Exeter Male Voice Choir, under the direction of its MD and accompanist Matt Gardner, sang a variety of songs, from Elvis, The Beatles, Coldplay, Cole Porter, David Bowie and more, and was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience.

The Exeter Male Voice Choir is a very well established choir that first performed in 1900, and is still going strong with more than 30 members.

It meets on Monday evenings at the Wonford Methodist Church, for any gentlemen who might be interested. 

The Good Afternoon Choir, under the direction of Jon Rawles and accompanied by Peter Gilks, sang a wide ranging selection of their recently learned pieces.

"The Water is Wide", "Weeping", "Touch the Wind", "Sunshine on my Shoulder" and "With a Litttle Help From My Friends", to name just a few. 

Jon Rawles is a very skilled and enthusiastic Musical Director and makes the afternoon rehearsals interesting and entertaining, in addition to giving the choir a good repertoire and the confidence to perform. 

Last Saturday’s concert was a very relaxed and entertaining evening, lots of chatter during the refreshments in the interval, some audience participation, and generous donations to the charity at the end of the evening. 

There are nearly 30 Good Afternoon Choirs throughout the West Country, from Bristol to Penzance.

On this particular evening, there were three concerts, one in Falmouth, involving three of the choirs in a combined concert, together with their guests artists. At the same time, the Mid Devon Choir, and the Nailsea Choir were also hard at work doing their bit for their chosen charities.  

The Mid Devon Choir, based in Crediton, meets at 2pm on Tuesday afternoons in the Congregational Church.

There are just two sessions to go in this term, but the new term will start on April 16, and the choir would welcome any new members that would like to go along. The first session, a taster session, is free, so why not go along and give it a try?