Wigan Choral Society to give special concert in memory of much-missed singer

Colin Mason was a long-serving member of the choir's bass section but died before his time last year.

At 7.30pm on Saturday April 20 at Trinity United Reformed Church, Milton Grove, society members will join forces with an orchestra and soloists to pay tribute by singing the Requiems of Gabriel Faure and John Rutter.

Fellow singer Annemarie McAllister said: “Colin was a very valued and popular choir member, whose personality and musicianship is much missed.

"Many choir members sang at his funeral last year, and we wanted to remember him by a performance of Faure's Requiem in particular as he had sung it with us several times, and was particularly fond of it.

"John Rutter has said that his own setting of the Requiem, written about 100 years later, ‘was influenced and inspired by the example of Faure' and so it makes a very interesting pairing.

"While the Faure uses the classic Catholic Requiem Mass text, Rutter incorporates elements from Anglican services and Psalms.

"Both works contain stirring music of great beauty and it should be a popular programme.

"The concert takes place at Trinity URC, where Colin often sang with Wigan Choral Society, and past choristers have returned to sing in tribute to him.

"Wigan Choral Society is now in its 91st year and Colin sang for at least 25 years of that.”

Faure’s Requiem is one of best-loved works in the choral repertoire, its Pie Jesu and In Paradisum being especially popular.

John Rutter has been a prolific composer of church music since the 1960s and is much sung by church and cathedral choirs around the country.

There is a recording of his Requiem which includes the organ-playing of Wigan-born keyboard maestro Nicholas Rimmer.

The concert will be conducted by WCS’s musical director John Powell, with full orchestra and soloists soprano Laurie Ashworth and baritone Matthew Nuttall.

Tickets are £10 at the door or in advance from members of the choir.

The choir rehearses each Monday from 7.30pm at St Stephen’s Church hall, Balcarres Ave, Whelley.