St Nicholas Church in Askham was packed out on Saturday 23rd June, when postgraduate students from the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, gave a concert of Fun Music for a Summer’s Evening. Led by baritone David Cane, grandson of Askham resident Brian Cane, Michael (tenor), Lara (mezzo), Loren (soprano) and pianist Michael entertained the audience with a varied selection of songs and music.
David played the organ as the audience arrived and the progamme opened with the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Verdi’s Nabucco. This was followed by a selection of popular opera arias, with the audience being invited to join in the chorus of the Toreador Song from Carmen and David and Michael’s duet from the Pearl Fishers was met with rapturous applause from the audience.
The students who came from various parts of the UK and Ireland, sang a selection of folk songs to reflect their heritage. Loren and Lara gave a most amusing rendition of Rossini’s Cat Duet, which David and Michael ended with woofs and barks to scare away the cats, all to the delight of everyone present. The concert finished with all four giving a very moving performance of You’ll Never Walk Alone, from Rogers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. Light refreshments followed the concert during which the students mingled with the audience. The evening was a great success and Church Warden David Bird suggested that this should become an annual event, an idea warmly approved of by the audience. All proceeds will go to the provision of toilet facilities at this lovely old church.