The ‘from Scratch’ movement continues to grow. The Really Big Chorus now gathers three times each year in the Royal Albert Hall, and we have extended our repertoire to include more recent choral classics such as The Armed Man by Karl Jenkins and the Requiem by John Rutter. Members answer our ‘Come and Join In’ call for expeditions to the cultural centres of Europe, recently to Salzburg, Prague and Dubrovnik, with further tempting destinations in the pipeline. There are also choral cruises to wonderful places (who could forget singing excerpts from Aida in the temple of Rameses III?). To help cope with all this activity, Don and Ann Monro have recently been joined by Trevor Ford, Tony and Annie Hastings and Marianne Barton, who are helping to ensure the future success of our endeavours.
‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’, and the success of the Concerts from Scratch phenomenon has spawned many similar enterprises. So far, however, none has matched us in scale and imagination, and none has the courage to wade straight into Messiah without rehearsal as we do every year in the run-up to Christmas. Messiah from Scratch remains a unique event in the choral calendar, and we aim to keep it so for many years to come.
