Directed by Matt Kingston
St. John’s Church, West Bay, 22nd September 2018
It was a dull, sea-misty sort of day on 22nd September at West Bay, Dorset this year, but spring arrived when the assembled company of three dozen singers and assorted instrumentalists (viols, sackbut, curtal, cornetts, recorders and shawms) got going under the baton and fine leadership of Matt Kingston.
Matt had produced a booklet for each one of us and all the music we were to play and sing was set for individual musicians and singers. Amazing that such a busy musician had the energy to consider all those details. Throughout the delightful day we played and sang pieces either composed for or at least sung and played at the coronations of James II, Queen Anne and George III. I don’t think John Blow or Henry Purcell and others would have 5 necessarily clapped in admiration for these renditions of their music, but Matt has the extraordinary ability to make one feel one can produce what he has in mind. He is generous in praise, clear in instructions, not bogged down in the minutiae but positive in achieving as much glory as possible. Thank you, Matt, from us, and we hope you will come again.
Another thank you, again from us all, to Wendy and Peter Carnell. Wendy has worked to make these years at West Bay run smoothly. All the organisation of finding conductors, music, applicants to play and sing is an enormous task and she has done it with good humour and apparent ease! Thank you so very much, Wendy, and your chief helper, Peter, and all the others you have roped in over the last five years!
– Elizabeth Rutter