It was a great honour for the Leigh Orpheus to be asked to perform at the Freda Parry Scholarship fund-raising concert in which there was a range of superbly talented performers. Four of them being young piano students of Jenna Pang, all four with impressive wins in competitions across Europe.
The Leigh Orpheus started and finished the concert. Our first set started with the popular ‘Anthem’ from the stage musical ‘Chess’. Next was ‘You Raise Me Up’ made popular by the Boy Band Westlife. Then ‘Some Enchanted Evening’, ‘Unchained Melody’ and finally several pieces from a ‘Back to the 60s’ medley. The audience enjoyed their participation! The programme then continued with the young piano soloists, a solo from Oliver Bearman and three pieces from Joe Palmer. Sadly, Rose Buggle, the winner of the 2025 Feda Parry Scholarship, who would have been performing, was ill and unable to be present. The Leigh Orpheus’s final set comprised firstly the ‘African Prayer’, then ‘Angels Watching Over Me’, ‘Wellerman’, with Dave Smith singing solo verses, before ‘Wade in the Water’ and finally the ‘The Song of the Jolly Roger’. The audience particularly enjoyed the Pirate accessories worn by many in the choir. A lovely concert made possible by some of the Southend area’s most talented performers.