Staxton Singers’ opening concert at Scalby will honour their longstanding soprano Jacqui Sellers

The Staxton Singers Spring Concert will Concert honour longstanding soprano Jacquie Sellers

Jacquie Sellers sang with the Staxton Singers and was still rehearsing at the group’s weekly Monday evening practices until soon before her death. The four-part choir’s upcoming Spring Concert, on Friday May 12, will pay tribute to her.

David Hodges, choir chairman, said: “Jacquie has been a fixture in the front row for almost 30 years, and we remember with affection her poems, as well as her commitment to our activities.”

Janet McNay, a founder Staxton Singers member who sat next to Jacquie in the soprano section, said: “Jacquie was a quiet, private person who was so loyal to our choir and barely missed a rehearsal. She had a good poetry library and enjoyed doing readings at concerts. Her late husband Cedric was a tenor with us and did a lot of solo work.”

The choir’s Spring Concert will feature uplifting numbers such as I Got Rhythm and Country Gardens. The group will also perform Zadok The Priest, as a tribute to King Charles III’s coronation the preceding weekend.

For part of their performance the singers will be joined by Richard Wood, the East Ayton-based internationally renowned trumpeter.

“We’re really excited about the varied programme we’ve put together,” said Robyn Keech, the Staxton Singers’ musical director. “Not only will we have an appearance by Richard Wood but some of our members will be performing solos in between the four-part songs.”

Robyn, who trained in musical theatre at Scarborough’s Westwood College and then Leeds College of Music, joined the choir a year ago. The group was founded in 1985 in Staxton and moved to Scarborough a few years later.

Staxton Singers’ Spring Concert is at St Laurence’s Church, Scalby, on Friday May 12 at 7.30pm..

Tickets are £5 at the door, to include fizz or a soft drink and canapes during the interval. Under-16s go free.

The group will also be performing in Scarborough on Saturday May 27 as part of the outdoor celebrations for the official opening of the newly revamped South Cliff Gardens.