Charitable Trust Recital

One hundred members and friends of the Company packed St Mary-le-Bow Church on 2nd June 2009 for the second recital held in aid of the Charitable Trust.

Our three stars, Anna Le Hair, David Bellinger and of course Liveryman Michael Gifkins, entertained the audience royally.

Michael and Anna included performances of Beethoven’s Für Elise, Handel’s “Harmonious Blacksmith”, Debussy’s Prelude – La Cathédrale Engloutie and Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu in C# minor in their piano offerings.

David used the full range of his splendid tenor voice in singing Schumann’s song-cycle Dichterliebe. We only heard seven of the sixteen songs in the full cycle. He certainly left the audience wanting more.

As members of the Company will be aware, the Charitable Trust has supported David in his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. David has now completed his four years there and is seeking to progress his career in the field of opera. He informs us that he has been he recently secured two professional engagements for the summer in the chorus of Opera Holland Park and the British Youth Opera.

David wrote to the Chairman of the Trust recently thanking the Trust for the support that it has given in both financial and moral terms He said: “It simply would not have been possible for me to pay my course fees unaided so I could not have been in the exciting position I now am without your help”.

We were delighted that a number of Masters from other Modern Livery Companies were able to attend as our guests. It was a great pleasure to be able to meet members of other Companies in a less formal situation than is usually the case.

The event also achieved its other objective in that it raised a total in excess of £2,000 for the Charitable Trust.

Chris Dancaster
Senior Warden