AFTER 32 years as director and founder of the internationally-renowned Farnham Youth Choir, David Victor-Smith will undertake his final FYC concert in Farnham at St Andrew’s Church on Saturday, February 6, at 7.30pm.

This will provide the opportunity to hear the reigning European Children’s Choir Champions perform sacred and secular music which it plans to take on its tour of Rome in April, including taking part at a Papal Mass at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

David, who will retire in July, believes that visiting Rome will be a highpoint in his long and successful association with FYC.

He said: “When my wife Gillian and I founded the choir back in 1984, we had no idea that the organisation would grow to five choirs or that FYC would achieve prize-winning success at both national and international level.

“However, the opportunity to sing in St Peter’s will be particularly special for all of us, and a great way for me to end a long and happy record of FYC tours to places as far-flung as America, Australia and China.”

Competitive success has also extended to other choirs within the FYC family, as the junior girls’ choir under its conductor Jo McNally will take part in the finals of the Barnardo’s National Choir Competition at the Royal Festival Hall in February.

David’s farewell performance will be at The Anvil, Basingstoke on Saturday, July 9, when all five choirs - numbering over 200 singers - will perform at a gala concert. This will celebrate more than three decades of extraordinary music-making under his leadership and look forward to an exciting new chapter under his successor, Jo Tomlinson.

For more information, visit the website www.fyc.co.uk.