Ledbury choir find Radio 4 fame (From Ledbury Reporter)

Ledbury choir find Radio 4 fame

1:30pm Tuesday 5th January 2010

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AN amateur choir from Ledbury has received a boost after appearing on the website of a popular national radio programme.

Ledbury Community Choir sent in a recording to BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme in response to a request from musician Robert Wyatt, who was the show’s guest editor for its New Year’s Day edition.

Mr Wyatt, a founding member of influential band Soft Machine, requested amateur choirs submit recordings of themselves singing. He told listeners that singing for the sheer enjoyment of it created a very honest and pure sound, and that this was something to be held in high regard.

Ledbury Community Choir decided to submit its version of festive favourite Jingle Bells, which was recorded in autumn 2009.

Spokesman Edd Hogan said: “To be on the web site for the Today programme, which is a very popular site, is fantastic and also raises the profile of our town.

“We recorded a number of Christmas songs in the autumn and this seemed to be the sort of thing the Today programme wanted. We were pleased to oblige when we heard the request.”

Ledbury Community Choir is a non-auditioned mixed voice choir of all ages, which now boasts almost 100 members. Its repertoire includes musicals, folk songs and arrangements of well-known songs spanning numerous generations.

Meetings are held weekly during term times at Ledbury’s John Masefield High School at 7.30pm on Tuesday evenings, and new members are always welcome to join.

To hear the choir on the Today website log on to bbc.co.uk/radio4/today and follow the link to ‘Britain’s Choirs’.

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