35th Anniversary Dinner
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Highlights of the First 30 Years |
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"Looking back over the last 30 years, I can see that there was a lot of chance
involved - as there usually is in life. The significance of the full potential of the
choir never registered with me in the early days. We sang along and there was a lot of fun
and not much refinement! There have been critical moments in the choir's life which have
helped to lift us to new heights: specific pieces have given us a real sense of
achievement - both for the choir and myself. In the beginning, I had no plans, no
ambition. The choir could easily have fizzled out - but it didn't. And today? You must
judge for yourself the kind of choir it is and the standard we've reached. For me, we've
travelled a very long way together. I feel a sense of achievement and still have the same
enthusiasm for the choir that I had at the beginning!"
"Elgar's "The Kingdom" concert on 29 March.
It marked a number of firsts for me:- my first with the RFS; my first performance with a choir
for many years; my first ever with a magnificent 59 piece orchestra; my first under the baton
of Ben! What a debut to treasure - I can't think of a more exciting occasion." "On our Summer Outing to Combwich, our coach, an old "Green Line", driven by Ben, gave up
the ghost! Another coach from school came to our rescue. We were towed home on a very
short chain, arriving at day break! "There's never been a moment with the Royal Free Singers that hasn't been fun – thank you
for everything."
"Thanks for encouraging Rob to sing Ben – it gives me a bit of peace every Wednesday night
– though he comes home singing and full of jokes from the pub! PS He can now hit the high
notes in the shower!" "All our overseas tours have been fascinating, exhausting, funny, sometimes sad, One or two
events stand out in our memory. A small town in the DDR just a year after the wall came
down, a desperately delapidated old church, opened for our benefit & a spontaneous
rendering of Mozart's Ave Verum.
"Thank you Ben for so much fun.
"Singing in the Verdi Requiem in St. George's Chapel was the
highlight of our singing, but a close second was singing The Messiah with the
school in 1985. Another grand occasion was when Princess Margaret came to hear us sing in
Eton School Hall." "I went along to my first rehearsal, my stomach full of butterflies. I felt
welcome as soon as I walked in the door and a great sense of anticipation as the rehearsal
began. I left that evening feeling very uplifted and looking forward to the next
Wednesday. As the concert approached the members pulled together so much that it gave me a
sense of belonging and I had the most wonderful time singing in such a beautiful
place." "It was in Szentendre, nestling by the Danube, that many of us stayed with
Hungarian families. We had a wonderfully heartfelt and very moving welcome in the school
gymnasium. Apparently we were the first English choir to visit the area. It was with
reluctance that we waved goodbye to our Hungarian hosts, after an extremely energetic, but
very memorable experience, albeit in the happy knowledge that the school youth choir and
orchestra from Szentendre / Budapest would be coming to visit us in June the following
year - we were looking forward to giving them a very warm welcome to Windsor." Website kindly hosted by Royal-Windsor.com |
The Royal Free Singers was founded in 1973 and celebrated its 30th
anniversary in 2003. During this period the choir grew from a small group of parents of
the Royal Free Boys' School to a 150-strong group of singers from diverse backgrounds. The
repertoire of the choir has also changed considerably, to match its size and ability. This
page charts the rise of the choir from the personal perspectives of some of its members.
"After a year and a half with RFS, I absconded abroad for 4 years. But I remembered the
Czech Republic, the variety of music, and, most of all, the friends I'd made and the fun I'd
had. That's why I'm back! Thanks Ben, all the best, Andy."
"Memories of our lovely choir. Learning heavenly music – lots of laughter – great friendships – singing in freezing cold churches – watching Jo and Molly running behind the bus. Struggling
to master new works. 
"Ben - what do I think of when I think of Ben. Much as the rehearsals can be enjoyable,
frustrating, infuriating and fantastic under his guidance(!), and the performances a real high,
especially for someone as amateur as I am - the foreign tours we have done recently say
"Ben" to me. 
The First 25 Years