Voices raised in song from the Sage to the MetroCentre

Jun 30 2007 By The Journal

Newcastle Choral Society member Peter Nevin, who joined in 1986, here pays his own tribute to choirmaster Len Young.

Len Young's last concert comes after 31 years of memorable performances and compositions with the society. Len had little idea when asked to take over as conductor of the St James and St Basil Singers it was to be such an important and influential part of his life.

The first rehearsal of just over 30 singers with varying skills and confidence is a distant memory. He was soon to realise the demands of up to three major performances a year.

Len has expressed his gratitude that the choir had allowed him to write and perform so many of his own works over the years. The process of composition was usually a traumatic experience for Len with accidental omissions and last minute changes.

Young people have always been a major part of Len's work. He is remembered for the children's days of singing attended by as many as 2,000 school children. This is reflected in his marvellous work at Heaton Manor in Newcastle and the Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham.

There are a number of performances by the choral society where Len brought young people from the schools for their chance to sing in a major classical work. Other concerts including Britten's St Nicolas Mass had children from Christ Church First School and North Fawdon First School performing with the society.

Audience and children's participation was also an expected feature of the society's carol concerts in the Kings Hall at the University of Newcastle.

We will always remember the Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture in the City Hall using paper bags for the cannon fire. Len with Richard Bloodworth controlling the combined audience, choir and orchestra for this innovative performance.

There have also been performances in churches where the society sang the lighter music of The Beatles, Louis Armstrong and Les Miserables.

The choral members have progressed in skills and quality over the years under Len's dynamic leadership. He was always willing to tackle modern music, giving new composers the chance to be recognised.

There are happy memories of the performance of David Fanshawe's African Sanctus in Town Square of the MetroCentre one Sunday evening in 1989. More recently this work was repeated with Fanshawe present for rehearsal and performance. Other recent firsts for the area were the Karl Jenkins Mass for Peace and Requiem and Andrew Campling's In Paradisum.