Choir spreads harmony at care home with songs from musicals

RESIDENTS of a nursing home in Sonning Common were treated to a performance by a community choir.

Thirty members of Harmony Choir, from Peppard, performed a number of show tunes at Abbeycrest Nursing Home in Essex Way on Thursday last week.

Led by musical director, Anne Fairbrother, the choir sang songs from popular musicals such as Oliver!, Singing in the Rain, Annie and Evita.

A selection of songs were also performed a capella by the choir’s barbershop quartet, the Motley Crew, who sang a number of sea shanties, and the ladies-only group, the Glamour Girls.

The Glamour Girls performed Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which they dedicated to late choir member Michael Cotton who died last month. Abbeycrest resident Josephine Cryle joined the ladies for an impromptu performance of These Boots Are Made for Walking by Nancy Sinatra

Clive Mills, one of the choir’s founders, said: “There are only 30 of us today, so a small part of the choir, but we have been meaning to come up to Abbeycrest for some time now.

“It was lovely to entertain all these people. A few of them used to sing in the choir, which makes it a bit more poignant.”

Ms Fairbrother said: “Everyone had a good time and that’s the main thing we are about. It looks like we have even recruited some more members.

“A community choir is all about having fun but I do make them work hard. They now sing in three-part harmony which is great. I said when I first joined, “You can’t call yourself harmony and have any harmonies!”

Mike Archer, who was visiting his wife’s cousin Maisie Lunnon, said: “I thought the singers were very good and I like musicals so I enjoyed the songs.”

Ms Lunnon said her favourite part was the performance by the Motley Crew. She said: “They had lovely deep voices.”

Harmony was set up by a group of Peppard residents after the covid-19 lockdowns. It now has almost 100 members — 64 women and 30 men — whose ages range from 27 to 99.

The choir meets every Thursday from 1.30pm at the Peppard war memorial hall and members socialise with tea and cake after rehearsals.