A BLOW-THROUGH of his rusty vocal cords was not quite what your correspondent had had in mind, but it was all in a good cause.

Jane Sturmheit, conducting the Chanticleer Singers, kick-started her overflow audience with a rehearsal and performance of Andrew Carter’s Thou Art The Vine.

Modesty forbids The Press from declaring it a stunning rendition, but it was certainly stirring: a polite nod to the venue and a perfect start to the birthday celebrations, getting everyone involved and on their feet. Mercifully thereafter the pros took over, in a smorgasbord of Carter delicacies.

Naturally the Chanticleers presented the lion’s share. In a lovely quartet of carols (some of which they have recorded), they were especially ebullient in his catchy Hodie Christus Natus Est. Folksongs and a spiritual equally epitomised Carter’s versatility in the field of arranging.

But it was also good to hear extracts from some of his more rarely-heard larger works. Both in a lullaby movement from Musick’s Jubilee (1993) and in two sections of Horizons (1996), his daughter Elinor delivered moving mezzo-soprano above mainly gentle choral backing. She was haunting, too, in a Swedish folksong.

Geoffrey Coffin provided lively, intelligent accompaniments throughout on organ or piano, along with two organ solos, Aria (written for him) and a vivid Trumpet Tune. Benedict Coffin joined him in an engaging Romance for clarinet and piano. A stimulating evening and a fitting tribute. Many happy returns!