TWENTY years ago a group of friends got together at the Church of the Good Shepherd at Dockenfield to sing for fun and to raise money for charity. They sang their first concert in July 1997 at St Peter’s Church, Wrecclesham.

On September 30 this year, Cantique Chamber Choir celebrated its anniversary by rehearsing once more at Dockenfield, then performing at Frensham St Mary’s Music Marathon.

The choir was founded by Frensham resident and churchwarden Richard Potter and Odiham-based Bob Warren. Both had to retire after several years, and Bob sadly passed away two years ago.

Alton-based Chris Gardner, son of composer John Gardner, took up the baton in 2009 and conducted and inspired the choir as it performed its unique mixture of a cappella and accompanied music in many locations across Surrey, Hampshire and London.

For its 20th anniversary concert, Cantique was delighted to welcome Richard back to sing with the tenors. The concert featured many favourites from the choir’s repertoire, including the first piece it sang at Dockenfield: Sir Arthur Sullivan’s The Long Day Closes, which it also performed at Bob’s memorial service.

As ever, the programme included original settings of well-known works by choir members: Jennette Wickes’s settings of the ‘Sea Songs’ from the Last Night of the Proms and John Broom’s setting of Tuxedo Junction.

There were well-known classical pieces including Vaughan Williams’s Linden Lea and Elgar’s Torrents in Summer and two stunning piano solos by Gareth Giles: I Got Rhythm and The Windmills of Your Mind.

Jazz is a frequent component of Cantique concerts. John Gardner’s jazz setting of Fight the Good Fight from his Five Hymns in Popular Style was an inspired choice for this concert: it was commissioned by Trevor Russell-Cobb Ltd for the 1963 Farnham Festival and first performed in May 1963 by local schools conducted by Vincent James.

After 82 concerts, which have raised more than £60,000 for local charities and good causes, Cantique is still going strong. Its next concert is at St Mary’s Church, Selborne, on January 6 and it is planning concerts in England and France with a French choir next spring and summer.