A RENOWNED Manchester choir with a very special connection to a local village will be performing in Barnsley next month.
The Manchester Chorale which has supported Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras will be at All Saints’ Parish Church in Cawthorne on May 10 with the performance being particularly poignant for its musical director, Jill Henderson-Wild.
The choir is well-known for its high-quality singing and was founded and funded by the BBC in 1979, but since the late 1980s has been totally independent.
It makes regular visits to Cawthorne to raise funds for the church due to it holding a special place in Jill’s heart.
“My parents, James and Thalia Wild, moved to Cawthorne in 1968 when I was a baby,” Jill said.
“A few years before, my father set up the Oldham Music Service and moved to Yorkshire to take up a post as senior lecturer in music education at Bretton Hall College.
“I grew up in the village, and went to play school in the village hall and then Cawthorne School for my first year of schooling, before going to Holy Cross Deanery School in Barnsley when mum went back to teaching there.
“My parents lived in Tivy Dale until my father’s death in 1996, and mum remained in the village until 2014 when she moved to live closer to me for her final years, although her ashes are interred with my father’s.
“She was an active member of the church community and sang in the church choir.
“I lived in the village until 1994 and was married in All Saints’ Church, so it holds a very dear place in my heart.
“My father was also a choral conductor, including the Sterndale Singers in Sheffield, the Bretton Singers at Bretton Hall and his own choir, Sine Nomine which he formed in 1987.
“The latter choir, made up of singers from all over the UK, used to visit Cawthorne each May, hosted by many of the villagers and giving a concert in the church.
“When I moved to the north-west, and became the musical director of the Manchester Chorale, I suggested that the choir might come and give a concert in the village too. This will be the choir’s fifth visit, the last one being in 2022.
“We look forward to the opportunity to perform once again in All Saints’ Church.”
The Master Singers will also be performing at the upcoming concert.
The performance begins at 7.30pm and tickets are £10 in advance online or at the local Post Office, £12 on the door and under 18s are free.
