Linda Ormiston, Mezzo Soprano
For many years now, Strathaven Choral has enjoyed the support of Linda Ormiston, celebrated mezzo soprano as our Honorary President. Here, in a preview of her piece for the concert programme, Linda offers some thoughts on our origins, the present and looks to the future
I must say that it is an honour to be the current Honorary President of Strathaven Choral Society and it is a real pleasure to have been asked to write something for the programme for today’s concert. I feel as if I have been connected with the Choral Society for almost all of its 50 years, as my mother, my aunt and myself moved from Motherwell to Strathaven in 1972, the year the choir was founded! I think (my memory has never been good with dates!) that I first sang with the choir in the early 1980s in a performance of Elijah. Since then I have taken part in several memorable concerts, although David Knox always stood out as one of the best conductors in the Scottish choral scene and it was always a special musical treat for any singer to come to Strathaven to sing under his direction. At that time, Stewart Linton, the conductor of Ayr Choral Union, was accompanist at Strathaven, and David performed the same task in Ayr, so often the same work would be performed, with the soloists engaged for both performances.
In their 50 years, the choir has performed more than a hundred choral works, encompassing five centuries of vocal music, as well as opera choruses, part songs and specially commissioned pieces. They have been heard on radio and television and in many west of Scotland venues, including several concerts at Glasgow’s West End Festival and of course, one of the highlights of the Strathaven calendar – the annual sell-out Christmas Concerts with the Coalburn Silver Band.
I took over the Honorary President position from Bill McCue in 1990 and it has been a joy since then to come and listen to the choir over the years at their concerts and I have tried to be as “present a president” as possible! In recent times, it has been a particular delight to watch the choir return to its glory days and flourish once more under the supremely talented baton of Christopher Barr, with Razvan Luculescu at the piano. Which brings me to tonight’s concert – another musical treat! I am hugely looking forward to hearing some Scots songs in new and exciting arrangements and to hear two of Scotland’s stars of the traditional music scene. I haven’t heard Alastair Iain Paterson before, but I am a great admirer of Robyn Stapleton, who, I know, will delight the Strathaven audience, and the choir, with her enchanting singing.
Here’s to the next 50 years of wonderful music-making with Strathaven Choral Society! Long may it flourish!