Cantamus, Shipston’s a cappella choir, had been all set to put on their Sunday afternoon concert on June 26 at the Townsend Hall. Posters up, tickets being sold, cake types carefully planned to ensure a good choice, rehearsals at polishing stage. Richard Emms had given the concert the title ‘It’s Lovely to be Back Again’, as it would have been Cantamus’s first concert since 2018.
When they planned the concert date, they had all thought that early Summer would probably be a quiet time for Covid, judging by previous years.
Unfortunately Covid decided to buck the trend, and one by one the choir members succumbed at precisely the wrong time. Richard Emms sensibly decided to cancel the concert, as he could see that the balance of parts in the rapidly dwindling choir would be below concert standard. The cancellation was only a week before the concert.
Many thanks to those generous souls who donated their ticket money. Cantamus is back up to full strength now. They will be performing an evening concert at Newbold on Stour Church on 18th September.