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THE Athenaeum Singers will be celebrating 30 years of singing when it performs Brahms' A German Requiem at its summer concert on June 7 at the Minster, Warminster.

The concert will mark a return to the place the choir made its debut performance back in 1978.

The group was the brain-child of its founder member Rose Davies.

She and her husband Alan had just moved to Warminster from Solihull where they had both been actively involved in the musical life of the town.

They planned to take a step back from such an involvement on retirement but following a concert they attended at The Athenaeum Theatre in 1978, Rose thought it would be wonderful if Warminster was able to produce a choir of a similar calibre.

An inaugural meeting, attended by 50 members of the public, took place at The Athenaeum Theatre and the choir gave its first public performance at The Minster.

In the audience was Professor James Patten, composer and teacher of music, who was so impressed that he agreed to take over the role of musical director.

Since 1978, the choir has performed a wide range of music at its summer and winter concerts including most of the popular choral works - Handel Messiah (6 times), Vivaldi Gloria (4) the Fauré Requiem (5), Hayden Nelson Mass (3) and Creation (3), Bach Magnificat, St John Passion and Christmas Oratorio, Beethoven Mass in C and Mozart Requiem (3).

It now enjoys the luxury of professional soloists and orchestral accompaniment - it has a close association with the Bath Philharmonia - and long gone are the days when every choir member held their breath as the string section played its first notes.

9:26am Sunday 11th May 2008

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