Past Musical Directors..

Since singing is so good a thing.....

At 7.30pm every Monday we meet at
the Lutterworth Methodist Church
All singers welcome!

Michael Arniston

Reminiscences from Michael Arniston (1985 - 1989)

That I was ever appointed conductor/musical director of the Lutterworth and District Choral Society was due in no small measure to Elisabeth Holden. She had obviously put in a good word for me where it needed to be heard, for within weeks of giving up the conductorship of the Abbey Choral Society (after 21 years) I found myself being interviewed at the home in Lutterworth of Mrs Doris Small.

The interview was quite an ordeal for me – there seemed to be such a large committee putting questions to me and listening to my replies. I needn’t have worried because, if I remember correctly, it was a unanimous decision to offer me the post of the first paid conductor of the society.

In the early days I had to struggle hard to persuade members that physical as well as vocal warm-ups were the best way to get rehearsals started. I should have got the message when more and more people arrived late, but I persevered and eventually everyone got used to the warm-ups and accepted them.

My first concert with the society was on 3 May 1986. We did nothing big like an opera or an oratorio, but preparing the dozen or so items proved every bit as demanding as a large-scale work. We were fortunate in having three excellent soloists – Barbara Rodway, Elisabeth Holden and Nigel Hopkins in addition to the accompanying skills of Jeremy Weaver. I was pleased with the balance of the programme and the choir’s part in it.

I shall always be indebted to the LDCS for trusting me sufficiently to tackle some of my personal favourite works like Fauré’s Requiem, the Te Deum of Berlioz, which we did as a joint venture with the Hinckley Choral Union, Roger Jones’ Saints Alive, and last but no means least John Rutter’s Requiem. I have happy memories of the LDCS – not just as a choir but as people, and I am grateful for their friendliness, their loyalty, their willingness to work and their tolerance.