They may have missed out on the chance to perform for the Queen, but the Isle of Man’s Women’s Institute choir did their nation proud.
That’s the verdict of choir organiser and conductor Karen Elliott, who joined the team of 27 singers and accompanist Don Roworth to the grand final of the WI’s ‘Sing for Joy’ competition in Birmingham on Saturday.
‘I’m so proud of all the girls, I thought they were wonderful’, Karen said.
The group were one of six that were selected to sing for the chance to be crowned ‘WI Choir of the Century’ and perform in front of royalty at the institute’s centenary celebrations at the Royal Albert Hall later this year.
They were joined by choirs from Staffordshire, West Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Surrey, and Avon who each performed a series of four pieces at Birmingham Town Hall on Saturday evening.
The only compulsory piece was ‘Sing for Joy’, created especially for the competition by world-renowned composer and conductor Jonathan Willcocks who also sat on the judging panel.
Watched by hundreds of supporters in a packed auditorium, Karen said that the Manx choir were on top form.
She said: ‘They’ve never sung that well, I couldn’t believe their effort. The first piece they did, “This Old Man” in four parts, was unbelieveable. They sang it so beautifully.’
And she said that the emotion of the occasion nearly got the better of her during their Manx signature tune.
She said: ‘Then when they sang Ellan Vannin in Manx I cried, so there I was trying to conduct the girls through tears!
‘You could have heard a pin drop in that hall, even though most of the crowd weren’t Manx.
‘But we still managed to have huge Manx flags on the balcony and the stalls. It was brilliant to look out on a sea of smiling faces and Manx flags.’
The Bleadon Belles from Avon were crowned the winners, with each of the other five declared runners-up.
The Isle of Man WI choir will be singing at this year’s Guild from Friday, April 24, and will be hosting a free thank you concert in Peel Methodist Church on Sunday, July 19, for everyone who donated to their travel fund and helped them take part in the competition.