Horsley Choral Society Musical Director Val Beynon brought her fifteen year tenure to a spectacular end with a memorable final concert which brought the three hundred strong audience to its feet in appreciation both for the music and the dedication Val has put into HCS over the years.

The occasion was the annual summer concert which sees Horsley singers join together with Oxshott Choral Society where Val has also been Musical Director- this time for 50 years!

The near hundred strong combined choir aided by the excellent acoustics of St John School’s chapel delivered a fortissimo start to the evening with a stirring performance of Handel’s, ‘Zadok the Priest’. From then on the performances went from strength to strength.

Many of Val’s long term favourites were on show with works by Mozart, Elgar, Shakespeare, Brahms, Rutter, Faure and Mendelssohn combining to provide a varied and exciting bill. There was even space for an audience sing-along with war time favourites such as The White Cliffs of Dover, and Jerusalem.

Soloists Jane and Elizabeth Searle brought the house down with their animated rendition of ‘Sunrise, Sunset’ from Fiddler on the Roof, while accompanists Matthew Rickard and David Harvey displayed their extraordinary virtuosity with a stunning duet from Façade by William Walton.

Although this is the last concert of the season Val is not relinquishing her baton just yet as she is leading members of both choirs on a tour to Bratislava which will see them giving two concerts in Slovakia before returning home for a well earned holiday.

Val’s successor has already been appointed and Elspeth Wyllie, currently with the Blackheath Conservatoire, will  take over in September to prepare the choir for our Christmas concert, already scheduled for St Andrew’s Cobham on Saturday 6th December.

HCS is an award winning choir having been divisional winners at the prestigious Leith Hill music festival for the last two years. They always welcome new members and you won’t need to audition. Just go along to a Monday evening rehearsal and give them a try. The autumn term kicks off on 1st September. For more information see the website www.horsleychoralsociety.com.