Last Saturday the centre of Ilkley was ringing with the amazing sound of almost one hundred voices joining together in song for ‘Come and Sing’.
Ilkley Choral Society arranged the event on 11th October at the Clarke Foley Community Hub, and participants came from as far away as Northumberland especially to take part.
The musical focus for the day was Carl Orff’s well-known ‘Carmina Burana’, a dramatic and full-blooded 20th century classic, which captures a range of moods from quiet joy to tavern rowdiness.
The Musical Director of Ilkley Choral, Alex Kyle, led the singers through a relaxed but challenging day, always demonstrating his immense knowledge and choral conducting skills. Participants were also treated to the masterful piano accompaniment of local musician Robert Sudall, and to the soaring baritone solos sung by internationally known William Kyle.
Sally Sumpner, Chair of Ilkley Choral Society, said:
“It was a really terrific day, enjoyed by everyone who came either to sing, or to listen to the exhilarating short concert at the end of the afternoon.”
Ilkley Choral Society will be performing Carmina Burana on Saturday 15th November 2025 at St. Margaret’s Church, Ilkley, at 7.00pm.
Sally Sumpner explained:
“The choir will be accompanied by two pianos, and no less than twenty five separate items of percussion, which will be an enormously exciting and rousing sound in the spacious church building. Along with three amazingly talented solo singers, this promises to be a not-to-be-missed concert!”
Tickets are priced at £20, plus a booking fee on Eventbrite, or are available from The Grove Bookshop in Ilkley, from Brown’s Gallery in Otley, from any member of the choir, or at the door.
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