Keele Chapel Singers

The choir welcomes Easter with a programme of Haydn and Mozart. Liz Rowley talks to musical director Peter de Cruz

WITH their 20th anniversary fast approaching, the Keele Chapel Singers are in fine form.

Founded in 1981 by Singaporean musical director Peter de Cruz, pictured above, the choir has blossomed from a one-off gathering to a vibrant ensemble performing high-class concerts throughout the region.

"I founded the choir alongside Marion Wood, now a professional conductor living in London, because there were a number of students who didn't think there was much going on around Keele," says Peter, who lives with his family in the Westlands and teaches law at Liverpool John Moore University. "I was lecturing there at the time, and we thought about putting something together, starting with madrigals, English folksongs, American spirituals and Broadway songs just to attract an audience."

As word spread, numbers grew and now the choir or 30 choristers is capable of putting on more demanding works such as Haydn's Mariazeller Mass and Mozart's Regina Coeli, which they will perform at their Easter Concert tomorrow night.

"Haydn's work was written around 1782 and is a typical mass in that it's very melodic and has lots of beautiful touches to it. We've done quite a few of Haydn's pieces before, but this one is not quite as well known as some of his famous works; in fact, I think it might be a premier for the Midlands because I'm not aware of any other group having done it in the area."

Perfectly complementing the Mozart – a splendid choral work written during his time in Salzburg – Haydn's Mass is ideal for those unfamiliar with the genre.

"It's good to stress that the programme is extremely entertaining and exciting, and people who are unsure about choral music have the perfect opportunity to try it here," says Peter, who was an organ scholar at Keele before opting for a career in law. "The mass is just shy of 40 minutes long and really is a beautiful work full of melody and luscious harmonies. The Mozart is also an exciting work, and on top of that we will have some shorter solos from our soloists as well."

Inviting four respected singers to perform with them, Peter is sure the evening will be a success. He said: "We have a soprano called Laura Wilson singing with us, who is now living in London but performs with us every year. She has a beautiful voice. We also have a local baritone called Mike Redfearn, who many will recognise from concerts in the area, conducting scholar and tenor Darrell Simkins and alto Kathryn Ambrose.

"It should be a great night, and if people like what they hear then they should get in touch as we would love to welcome new singers."

The Keele Chapel Singers can be seen at Keele University Chapel tomorrow at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £7, £5 concessions, and are available on the door.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Keele Chapel Singers, particularly male singers, should email p.decruz@btinternet.com.