Charter Evening at The Marriott Hotel

CHARTER NIGHT

This year, rather than having a speaker, Gwion and Chloe Thomas will entertain us with solos and duets.  James Bonsor will  accompany them.

Chloe and Gwion met as fellow singing students at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester.  They have both pursued careers as professional singers and teachers, and based themselves in Chloe's home city of Leicester.  Chloe sang  in a series of recitals all over the country, and was a member of the Ambrosian Opera Chorus, singing in AIDA at the Birmingham Arena.  She was also a member of the Midlands-based Halcyon Singers.  She taught singing for many years in and around the Leicester and Northampton area.  Over the last few years she began training as an Anglican priest and has only recently been appointed Priest-in-charge of Brixworth and Holcot.  She continues to sing.

Gwion also continues as a freelance singer and teacher.  He has sung Figaro in The Barber of Seville with Welsh National Opera and has worked as a soloist with all the main opera companies in the UK.  He works extensively with Music Theatre Wales, with whom he has sung many leading roles including Mr Punch in Birtwistle's Punch and Judy and Dad in Turnage's Greek(an award-winning production).  He is involved in a new Philip Glass commission with them this Autumn.  His concert repertoire includes Schubert's Winterreise and Mendelssohn's Elijah.  He also teaches singing at the Birmingham Conservatoire.

Chloe, Gwion and their three teenage children are settling well in Brixworth and are founders of the new Brixworth Music Festival, which will be launched this coming September, based at the beautiful and historic village church.

Charter Evening Report

The Club celebrated the 92nd anniversary of its Charter on 27 January 2014.  The Marriott Hotel was again a very welcoming host venue to Club Members and guests from our fellow Northamptonshire Clubs, and our Guest of Honour, District Governor, Margaret Morley.

President Evan Gregg and District Governor Margaret Morley spoke eloquently and passionately about the great achievements of the Club in the last year as well as throughout the last 92, and the need to ensure we go from strength to strength with new members and innovative activities.

It was disappointing, however, that so few Club Members chose to attend this year