Choir visit for Remembrance Week – St Chad’s, Rochdale Parish Church

The HeartEdge Manchester Choral Scholars

On Saturday afternoon, between Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday, The HeartEdge Manchester Choral Scholars, who visit churches throughout the diocese, gave a moving and all too brief a concert at St Chad’s Rochdale.

The ten-strong choir, many of whom are RNCM students, were directed from within by Florence Price and admirably accompanied by Elin Rees (organist of Bury Parish Church).

The Reverend Anne Gilbert helpfully introduced the items and read out the texts: Greater love hath no man, was set by John Ireland along with more contemporary settings of familiar Remembrance poems.

Laurence Binyon’s For the fallen; the popular words Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep; Rupert Brookes’ The Soldier and Tennyson’s Crossing the bar were set by various composers and beautifully sung by the ensemble. The balance of the voices was impeccable and added to the poignancy of this choral commemoration.

The audience joined in two hymns, and sentiments like emotional, sublime and exquisite could be heard expressed by them as they left.

HeartEdge Manchester Scholars certainly fulfilled their stated mission today: ‘…to equip, encourage and energise… at the Heart and on the Edge.’