“Droning on” isn’t usually a description associated with the Kings of Herts barbershop chorus. “Tuneful, melodic, harmonious is what we strive to offer our audiences,” says chairman John Lough.
But there was definitely a drone in the air as the club got together again after a 15-month pandemic shutdown - camera steered aloft by chorus webmaster Nick Cox to take a memorable commemorative picture.
The little Mavic Air 2 which can reach the drones’ legal limit of 400ft hovered at around 30ft for the full-dress reunion at Wood End Primary School in Harpenden.
“It was a very imaginative response to an historic occasion - what turned out to be a surprisingly productive practice session under the guidance of our musical director David Wren,” said John Lough.
“Some members have been keeping in shape singing as sextets out of doors, but we weren’t sure how the whole chorus would get back into rehearsal mode and it was most encouraging.
“A bit rusty on the lyrics obviously and we were singing out of doors under a canopy, socially distanced, in breezy conditions - but the guys took it in their stride and we worked our way through a lot of repertoire.
“We push on now, optimistically looking forward to when we can get back indoors and, having lost members in the shutdown, hoping soon to launch a recruitment campaign to build up our numbers again.”
The Kings, who often sing for charities, meet at the school on Thursday nights. Male singers living in and around central Hertfordshire can make contact with the chorus by visiting the website https://www.kingsofherts.co.uk/contact-us
Applicants do not need to know how to read music.
