Through The 1980's

GOOD EVENING!  Christmas is just around the corner, so it is time once again for our annual big concert on home ground, and we are delighted to welcome you to "CAROLS TO CARE."  As you can see we have moved to the FORUM THEATRE with it's larger capacity, as support for our charity work - and hopefully our singing - has outgrown the CAMPUS, which served us well for several years.  We hope that in your new surroundings, you join in to sing carols as much, or even more than in previous years.

Looking forward to " THE NINETIES", next year should be a GALA YEAR for SFP, as the autumn will denote the 10th anniversary of Cliff gathering a few friends together, to sing for the Pleasure of Singing - what a long way his idea has come in those years!  Nowadays, guided by an active committee, and supported by some seventy members, Cliff fronts a very capable choir, with a growing repertoire, which is called upon to perform regularly.  But it isn't all roses.  Much more planning is required, performance and rehearsal standards are of necessity much higher and the volume of performances require a lot of time and dedication from members, worst of all, we often have to decline bookings for worthy causes, because we just cannot manage any more.  Having already helped to raise several thousand pounds in our first decade, one wonders what milestone SFP will reach by September 2000!!  At this stage we should thank the many friends who have supported us, not least an enthusiastic local Council, as without their encouragement the Society would probably have withered, like so many good ideas.

Talking of "THANK YOU'S", for tonight's concert acknowledgements are due to many people, not least the Choir, our industrious and very tolerant pianist Thelma, and the Forum Staff who have made us so welcome.  We would particularly like to thank the many shopkeepers, local businesses and organisations who have displayed our posters, contributed prizes or helped in other ways- it does make the hard work worthwhile!

Finally, the largest thank you for our audience for coming to support us - now enjoy the Christmas Spirit and sing with us!

ps See you next December.

Welwyn & Hatfield Times

Thursday, June 19, 1986

Now, here's a question. In another 50 years when the little girl who lives down the street is an O.A.P. and she goes to a concert, what will she be listening to?

If she is classical, the chances are she will be hearing a programme of Beethoven or Mozart. But if she likes the sing-a-long type of music what will be the programme content? Not I venture to suggest, the Top of the Pops of the eighties.

I am in this frame of mind because on Sunday afternoon I went to the Woodhall Community Centre to listen to a programme of music - and songs presented by the group- pictured- Singing for Pleasure.

It was part of the District Festival, but in actual fact was given specially for Senior citizens of the area.

As you know the weather was very hot, in fact too hot for people to want to turn out and the audience was rather small.

However I should like to stay with this point for a minute or two. 

The director of Singing for Pleasure is Cliff Rogers and I should like to say that I admired greatly the way he took the situation in hand and although there were only a few people he put on a show.

We could have been in the Albert Hall with every seat taken.

He talked to them, encouraged them to enjoy the next number and in doing this he brought out the best in his choir. He was marvellous.

When I tell you we sang (and I mean "we") Moonlight and Roses; Sing Little Birdie; Happy Wanderer; I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles and a selection from Oklahoma you know exactly the sort of afternoon I am talking about.

Everything was sincere and honest.

There were no histrionics and one old favourite rolled out after another from a choir which had taken the greatest care with their appearance and looked crisp and band-box fresh.

After half an hour into the programme we had a break from singing and were entertained by Pat Large and Pete Rengert who are two members of a trio which normally goes under the title of The Larenco Trio.

They played music with an Italian flavour on mandolin and guitar. Their performance was musical, as I would expect who used to be a very good violin player, and this was no strumming to some incomprehensible lyrics, this was instrumental music in its own right.

I hope they won't mind my saying so, but it was a form of chamber music which whilst it was very much at home in the large hall of the Community Centre would have been equally as pleasurable in a small dining or sitting room.

Singing For Pleasure is a group of 30 or 40 people who do exactly what their name suggests.

I sat on the back row and I sang Oh My Papa and I'll Be Your Sweetheart and I enjoyed it and I shall go to the next concert and I shall sing some more because I for one got a great deal of pleasure out of their singing.

Well done.

Review by Eric Hill

Welwyn & Hatfield Times

March 2, 1984

Over the past two years or so I have had occasion to go to concerts given by a group which calls itself Singing For Pleasure.

This group is directed by Clifford Rogers and is made up of a choir and a small orchestra which specialises in singing and playing the lighter style of music such as selections from shows or ballads which have proved to be very singable.

I had a letter from Cliff last week saying that he was sure that there are many people who might like to join them in both sections but may not know of their existence.

Because there is so much music in the district I concede that this is possible and I mention singing For Pleasure since what they do is succinctly expressed in their name.

I ought to add that what they do, they appear to do for charity and I happen to know that they travel quite long distances to do it.

If you are interested in playing or singing light music and would like to join them I am sure that Cliff would be only too pleased to give you full information if you ring him on WG 23400 extension 7184

Eric Hill

At the Christmas concert, we heard the first public performance of "Jesus Was Born", a carol written by Cliff Rogers.