St Mary’s Parish Church, Richmond, were treated to a wonderful jazz a capella performance on Monday evening by The Oxford Gargoyles, raising £3,000 for the Church’s Bell Restoration Appeal.
Thanks to Daniel Overin, previously a chorister at St Mary’s and now studying medicine at Oxford while singing for The Gargoyles, the group of ten University students travelled from Oxford to perform in the Church for the Appeal.
The Oxford Gargoyles performed at St Mary’s last year, raising a considerable amount of money for the disabled facilities within the church, on their way to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
After last year’s incredible performance, parishioners were queuing at the church door an hour before the concert started and the pews were filled for a night filled with beautiful singing and snacks.
Peter Trewby, head of the Bell Restoration Fund at St Mary’s, said “They entranced and enthralled the audience with their singing, acting, choreography and sheer virtuosity.
“They offered to come again this year to raise money for the Bell Restoration Appeal.
“We jumped at the offer, and were delighted that the church was packed.”
Peter explains, “Over 300 people packed the church and were again enthralled by the performance of the Gargoyles.”
The Oxford Gargoyles are internationally renowned, describing that their ‘stellar mix of black-tie class, charm, and impeccable musicality delights audiences far and wide…with toe-tapping jazz standards and grooving funk tunes’.
The Gargoyles learnt their craft in different church choirs and joined the a capella group while studying at Oxford University.
The students who were part of the group in 2012 earned the group the title of ‘Open Category Winners’ at the Choir of the Year competition and, after increasing publicity, current members plan to perform in Asia this year.
Peter Trewby claims, “The purity of unaccompanied voices lifts the spirit in a way no other music really does.
“On the way out everyone was smiling.
“Old friends met, new friends were made and the church was filled with a vibrant and happy community.”
The Richmond Belles baked fruit cake for the interval and provided Wensleydale cheese and wine to keep guests fulfilled during the break, which Peter claims was ‘so perfect that it was difficult to get people back in their seats’.
The £3,000 raised from the evening will go a long way to helping the Church reach their target for the Bell Restoration Appeal, which currently demands St Mary’s Church to raise £140,000 to restore the bells and retain the 500-year-old tradition of bell ringing at the Church.
For more information on The Oxford Gargoyles, please visit their website: http://www.theoxfordgargoyles.com/
To find out more about the Bell Restoration Appeal for St Mary’s, please visit the website: http://www.richmondbells.com/