All hail the Rossendale Valley
After moving to Haslingden from outside the Valley, Rossendale Male Voice Choir piano accompanist, Liz Baker, reignited her music career. She overcame the death of her father and lockdown to find a role in her new community.
I was still swimming through the grieving process when the Covid lockdowns stopped all music performances from happening. I have been a professional pianist and keyboard player all my working life. Synchronistically, in January 2022, my husband noticed an advert for recruiting a piano accompanist for the locally renowned Rossendale Male Voice Choir.
Michael is a very gracious and kind man. That much was obvious. When I found out that I had been successful in becoming the new piano accompanist for RMVC, I felt it was very important for me to attend a few rehearsals so that I had the opportunity to take over the reins from Michael smoothly. He said to me on his final rehearsal that he was very relieved that someone like me had come along. He said that he had often wondered over the decades who would be the person whom he could trust to take up the role that was so close to his heart?
My sequins weren’t shaking from any nerves. It was the sheer volume of noise from the timpani and the brass players that was like an earthquake! The men of the RMVC gave a sterling performance with our Musical Director Matthew Thomas at the helm. The members of the choir are a synergy of characters and talents where the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Everyone gives as much of their time and energy as they possibly can to make the choir successful.
It was very moving to see how the singing of traditional carols and familiar Christmas choons lifted the spirits of many of the shoppers.One shopper commented that she had found the prospect of going shopping just before Christmas to be really daunting as her elderly mother was extremely ill and she was worried about her family.
There were enjoyable collaborations throughout the year with other choirs such as the Rossendale Ladies Choir, Biddulph MVC and Haydock MVC. That really is a remarkable achievement. I’m excited to be accompanying the choir on its journey into the next one hundred years.