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Beckenham delights with South American bonus

OCTOBER 23: The Croydon choir staged a delightful concert to a new – and highly appreciative – audience at the church of St Barnabas, Beckenham, on Saturday.  The church had a lovely acoustic and the choir felt lifted by the warm audience response.

Octavio and Andrea - the sounds of South America

In addition, both choir and audience were treated to two stunning spots by choir tenor Octavio Lopez Garcia and his wife Andrea Leon Cruz, who performed a range of South American folk songs and ballads – adding to the impact in the second half by wearing the traditional dress of Ecuador, their home country.

Their repertoire included the well-known Besame Mucho, linking Mexico and Cuba; a Venezuelan love-song; and El Pescador, a cumbia, or dance genre song, celebrating the life of Colombian fishermen.  Octavio himself composed their fourth song, a love duet, and their encore was a Mexican tribute to the Virgin Mary.

The choir itself presented a selection from its current repertoire, including the affecting Move Him Into the Sun – composed by music director Richard Hoyle – and its WW1 medley.  The performance opened with American Trilogy and closed with the rousing Brotherhood of Man.  Following prolonged applause, the choir provided an encore with Jacob’s Ladder.

 

Photo by John Ward Turner