Grantham Choral Society Online
Registered Charity No. 505960

- Archived News -

Go Back Home

Date Archived: 4th August 2008
Subject: Simon Bell releases his first solo CD

Simon has recently had his first solo CD released. This is called ‘Sounds of Southwell’ and features Simon playing a varied programme on the Nicholson organ of Southwell Minster. For more information please email Simon.

Rob Anthony,
Grantham Choral Society Webmaster

Date Archived: 29th July 2008
Subject: Grantham Choral Society 2008 Workshop.

Our 2008 workshop was held on Saturday 9th February from 9.45am - 4.00pm at the Central College of Technology.

The subject was Haydn's Mass in Time of War and the Workshop will was directed by Andrew Parnell who is a freelance choral conductor and organist, who has run many such workshops for choirs all over the country and is very experienced. The accompanist for the day was Simon Bell, our own musical director.

The day was very successful, with the society members enjoying working with Andrew and benefiting from his experience as a choral conductor. We are grateful to all who attended.

Date Archived: 12th October 2007
Subject: The AGM was held on Tuesday 26th September at 9.00pm.

At an extraordinary General Meeting in March this year our Chairman John Kendall resigned because he was moving away from the area and Bill King the Vice-Chairman was elected Chairman. Mary Hawthorne was elected as the new Vice-Chairman.

John Kendall had been Chairman since his predecessor Kenneth Lank left office to become our Musical Director in 1994. During this time John had been a very strong guiding hand and as a result he has left the Society’s affairs in very good order and the Society’s members in good heart.

At a later committee meeting it was proposed and unanimously approved that John Kendall should be invited to be a Vice President of the Society—we are delighted to report that he has graciously accepted this honour.

Date Posted: 19th September 2007
Subject: Kenneth Lank

Kenneth Lank, Musical Director of Grantham Choral Society from 1994—2001 sadly died on 1st December 2006. Prior to being MD Ken was Chairman of the Society for many years and was at the same time MD of Boston Choral Society. He had a lifetime’s involvement in music in general and choral music in particular and was for several years assistant to the famous conductor Vernon Handley in Guildford. He was also an accomplished pianist and organist; he was assistant organist at St Wulfram’s Church and organist at Grantham Crematorium.

Below is an obtituary written by Philip Lank which was included in the Spring Concert programme:

"I have been asked to write a tribute to my cousin Kenneth who was for several years conductor of our society succeeding me in 1994. He died on the 1st December last year having served the society well until he moved to Winchester to be nearer his family. Born in Guildford he was employed by the National Health Service with a particular responsibility for the treatment of cancer patients. He was involved with music for the whole of his life having a long association with the Guildford Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra and its international conductor Vernon Handley. In fact he met his wife Barbara when she was manager of the Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir. They were married in 1950 and have one daughter Gillian. In 1962 he was appointed as Vernon Handley’s Assistant and continued in that role until retiring to Grantham in l987.

In his early years he sang under the baton of Vaughan Williams at the Leith Hill Festival. Whilst in Guildford Vernon Handley formed the very successful Proteus Youth Choir of which Ken was assistant conductor and trainer and which became very well known in the Guildford area.. Ken also had a long association with William Llewellyn who was Director of Music at Charterhouse School and who, like Ken, often conducted the Guildford Society. As a church organist and choirmaster he had a long and dedicated career. Starting as a young man at the Methodist church in Guildford he was later appointed to East Horsley Parish Church where he remained in that post until his retirement to Grantham. Here he assisted at St. Wulfram’s as organist and was a member of the choir and also played at the Grantham Crematorium . He was for a time Vice Chairman of Grantham Music Club. Soon after arriving in Grantham Ken was appointed conductor of the Boston Choral Society. It was there that William Llewellyn was commissioned to write the Requiem ‘On earth in concert sing’ which was dedicated to Kenneth; its first performance was given in Boston Stump proving to be a popular work with both choir and orchestra. It received its second performance in St. Wulfram’s after Ken had been appointed conductor of the Grantham Choral Society, a post he held until 2001-ending at that time a long association between the Lank cousins and the Grantham Society which had been revived by myself and an energetic committee in 1963."
P.J.L. 2007.

Maurice Payne,
Publicity and Fund-Raising

Date Archived: August 2006
Subject: Noel Cox OBE

Our Founder President Noel Cox OBE died on 19th July 2005, after a short illness. He had played a very active role in the Society since the start. He conducted all our Christmas Carol concerts until 2 years ago and he has introduced us to a legion of young talented artists who have sung with the society over the years and in many cases gone on to become well known to a much wider public.

The Society was represented at his funeral which took place at Bovenden Church near Rickmansworth where he had lived for many years.

His wise counsel will be sadly missed by the Society. He was born in Grantham and was an old boy of the Kings School

John Kendall,
Chairman

Go Back Home
Contacting the Webmaster
If you have any suggestions for content on this website or if you find any errors in the information or broken links on this site please e-mail Rob Anthony

Last Updated: 29th July 2008