ON SATURDAY, June 18, Cantores Olicanae gave their Summer concert to a packed audience in the beautiful setting of The Priory Church, Bolton Abbey, along with their guests, trumpeter Geoffrey Cloke, The Robert Sudall Jazz Trio and guest conductor Alan Horsey.

The choir began the evening with Hubert Parry's Blest Pair of Sirens and what a wonderful start to the evening utilising the magnificent organ of the Priory Church and full forces of the choir.

From it's first performance in 1887 this work has been a firm favourite through a performance at the 3 Choirs Festival the following year to the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge recently. The choir embraced the eight part texture and expressive harmony beautifully.

Geoffrey Cloke, currently Head of Music at Ermysted's Grammar School and a member of the choir, performed the trumpet solo Elegy by Thalben Ball with great sympathy and understanding of the music and later Aria by Flors Peters. In the second half of the programme he was a strong support, on the more mellow flugal horn, for A Seaside Song Book.

The choir then performed Victorian songs; Elgar's Torrents in Summer and Sullivan's The Long Day Closes with great depth of feeling and then moved with ease into the 17th century with The Silver Swan by Orlando Gibbons and Since I saw Your Face byThomas Ford.

Cantores managed the contrapuntal lines of The Silver Swan and the contrasting Homophonic texture with ease.

The Robert Sudall Trio gave us two pieces; Lament, Mellow Light and later Amulet and Fluctuations. Their playing throughout was exceptional and the evocative Double Bass playing and the improvisatory piano style with rhythm worked so well in a rather unusual way.

The Trio was also an enormous support in the second half of the concert.

After the interval the music was fun with part of the song cycle from Le Grand Depart of the Tour de France allowing us a sing along at times. Clever settings of Hey Diddle Diddle, I bought me a Cat and The Teddy Bear's Picnic all added to the fun and showed admirably the versatility of the choir.

The concert finished on a melodic note with an arrangement of Gershwin songs. The piano support was exceptional throughout. The whole evening was directed admirably by Alan Horsey as guest conductor and the choir looks forward to their next concert on November 17 with their new musical director.

Rosemary Pettitt