A CHOIR held its annual Christmas concert on a cold winter afternoon to much fanfare.

Stour Choral Society held the concert in Mistley Church on Saturday, December 17.

The performance included a strong rendition of the Vivaldi Gloria.

Soloists Anna Maria Rose and Joanna Arnold sang as songbirds, backed by the well rehearsed choir and orchestral organ played by Stephen Smith.

A spokeswoman for the choir said: “In the second half the audience was able to join in with three well-known carols and listen to seasonal readings while the choir gave a truly moving rendition of ‘Christmas tide’ by Bob Chilcot.

“They also sang ‘It started with a star’, a wonderful, uplifting carol by Tim Brooke who was actually in the audience to hear it.”

The concert ended with enthusiastic singing of Masters in this Hall, arranged by Sir David Wilcocks, and the Cowboy Carol arranged by Malcom Sargeant.

The Cowboy Carol was led by the Stour’s very own Cowboy John Evans.

The spokeswoman added: “Many thanks to the choir for their hard work, the soloists and accompanist, and especially to our musical director Susie Hyman, who put together a lovely programme of music and led the choir so brilliantly.”