A DURSLEY choir which is celebrating its 65th anniversary is preparing for its summer concert. 

Tyndale Choral Society, based in the Dursley area, will begin rehearsals on Monday for a summer concert of music from well-known musicals. 

Chairman Magnus Carter said: “Most of our programmes are drawn from the classical repertoire, but we do like to lighten the mood from time to time.

“Our concert in June will include medleys from Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Cole Porter musicals.  

“There’ll also be extracts from Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, and the Lion King – so a really popular programme.

“After three virtually sold-out concerts in 2023, we expect a big audience for this one.  

“The choir goes from strength-to-strength, and we now have more than 80 singing members – though there’s always room for more.”

Gazette Series: Tyndale Choral Society in rehearsalTyndale Choral Society in rehearsal (Image: Tyndale Choral Society)

One of the choir’s founding members, Estelle James, said: “Way back in the 1950s, North Nibley Church Choir gained a new choir mistress, Molly Neale, who had just come to live in the area, after retiring from her role as a professional soprano soloist.  

“Under her leadership the choir flourished and in 1959 the augmented choir with professional soloists, sang Haydn's The Creation.   

“This was such a success that Molly decided it would be good to keep the choir singing together - and so Tyndale Choral Society was born.”

The choir's winter concert, in November, will feature Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, which the choir has never previously performed.  

Both concerts will be under the direction of Ben Sawyer, who has now led the choir for more than ten years.

Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings at Dursley Tabernacle. 

For more information see here - www.tyndale-choral-society.org.uk