Peter Litman

Ruthin job now advertised: www.st-peters-choir.org.uk

Douglas, I first met Dr Ashfield as a young organ scholar who had taken on conducting the now defunct Chatham Dockyard Choral Society. Dr Ashfield was patron of the society then. -A true gentlemen, he attended every concert I directed and gave me valuable advice... One fond memory I have (was during the interval of a concert of Haydn works), he gave me a lesson on baton gripping for the faster movements of Handel's Messiah! -having jokingly admitted he frequently lost his whilst in front of the Rochester Choral Society! Another occasion, I happened to mention that I also directed the Faversham Choral Society, to which Dr Ashfield's eyebrows raised....yes, he'd heard of them, yes, he directed them, and "all the way through the rehearsal all the basses did was bloody talk, talk, talk!" I have his 3 minitures for organ (Air, Lament and Caprice) -they form great recital pieces; and recently my choirmen performed his introit 'God be in my head' ATB at a Choral Evensong at St Mary's Priory, Abergavenny. keep me up to date with the book..a much missed man... bw (Dr) Peter Litman

I believe it is his job to establish the Choral scene at the Cathedral!

Peter Litman is to leave St Peter's Collegiate Church. Ruthin at Easter 2012 to take position as Director of Music at St German's Cathedral, Peel, Isle of Man.

So, who is going for Chelmsford?...

I would like to nominate the Lancaster Town Hall's Norman & Beard solo Tuba...I have given a few recitals on the instrument and the Tuba always sounds massive each time I use it! Jeff Coffin and his team are working on the instrument, and the Great Reeds are now big enough, -but the Tuba makes my hair stand on end each time I use it! Worth a play for any interested...

Does anyone know what has happened to Philip, who was at Belfast?

Faversham had a VERY good choir for many years, indeed it was a training choir for Canterbury Cathedral. However, these days I believe it is really quite small and the church now boasts a 'band'.

I have also encountered this, particularly on the early BBC broadcasts, however it was probably done to create an acoustic in a dry studio?!