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MAYOR’S WEEK: 11 – 17 AUGUST 2024

MAYOR’S WEEK: 11 – 17 AUGUST 2024

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By Deputy Mayor Councillor Matt Lamb,

Deputy Mayor of Worcester Matt Lamb dressed in Mayoral Robes in the Mayor's Parlour

It has been a great honour to have stepped in as Deputy Mayor of Worcester to carry out some formal engagements on behalf of the Mayor over the last couple of weeks.

The Three Choirs Festival is rightly celebrated as a wonderful annual celebration of choral music and Worcester has been lucky to have hosted the festival this year. I accompanied the Mayor and other councillors, civic leaders and guests from Gloucester, Hereford and other towns at the service at Worcester Cathedral to mark the official start of the festival. In the evening I was honoured to welcome the Duke of Gloucester to the cathedral for a sublime performance of Charles Villiers Stanford’s Stabat Mater.

The amazing work done by health care workers was brought home to me when I was asked to help judge this year’s Worcestershire Health and Care Awards. The awards look to honour our healthcare heroes who work so tirelessly to help and care for the people of Worcestershire every day. It was a very difficult to task to choose between such a range of utterly dedicated professionals and volunteers who spend their lives caring for others. In the end we managed to shortlist the finalists in the 12 categories and the winners will be announced on 19 September.

There has been a long and close relationship between Worcester and the United States, including visits by former Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Therefore, it was a delight to welcome members of the Tea Time Magazine Club to our city on their visit from the US. The club gathers Americans who share a love of that most British of refreshments and where best for them to visit in Worcester than the Museum of Royal Worcester where they enjoyed a tour and a fascinating talk on teapots and tea sets?

MAYOR’S WEEK 28 APRIL – 4 MAY

MAYOR’S WEEK 28 APRIL – 4 MAY

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Youth Choral Worcs in Worcester Cathedral performing Mass in Blue

Last weekend we were invited to a performance of Mass in Blue by Youth Choral Worcs in Worcester Cathedral.

This is a project set-up in 2010 to provide educational choral singing projects to young people in the county, particularly those who have limited opportunity to access this sort of experience.

It is open to any secondary school in Worcestershire and provides the opportunity to learn a major choral work with world class professionals and perform it in a major concert venue. It is the brainchild of Anne Renshaw who has a vision of the highest quality of music in the city being open for all.

Well, the energy, enthusiasm and top-notch performance this week is testament to the success of this project.

Christopher Whitehead and the Royal Grammar School (RGS) from the city were joined by other county schools, Cathedral Youth Choir and international students from the USA together with the project’s Music Director and Conductor Neil Ferris, the composer of Mass in Blue, Will Todd, at the piano with the Will Todd jazz ensemble and soprano soloist Lorna James.

It was an unforgettable performance. The concert was presented by the saxophonist Jess Gillam who performed with her trio as guest artist. What an inspiring role model she is.

The sad thing is that this is exactly the sort of thing that is being cut with a narrowing of the national curriculum and underfunding of the arts.

Anne was twice turned down for financial help from Arts Council England for the project and it was only because of generous funding from The Bransford Trust, Worcester City Council and Worcestershire Community Foundation that this could go ahead.

Music provides a great way to learn teamwork and broaden horizons. I know that opportunities like this can literally change a young person’s life. It is a travesty that without opportunities like this, music is often now limited to an affluent few.

Well done to everyone involved and thank you Anne for everything you do.