Tankard Foundation Chamber Choir when they give a special concert on her Feast Day, this coming Sunday.

The concert, which will take place at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, will be conducted by Mr. Graham Garton. It will include music by Weber, Kodaly and Horowitz, along with some selections of sacred music, madrigals, and finishing up with some `light-hearted' secular songs. Featured soloist for the concert will be Mark Lomas, who has been playing the clarinet since he was nine and, at 16, is now one of the youngest students currently studying at the famed Juilliard School of Music in New York.

Mark, who began his studies with Ian Drummond at Saltus Grammar School, then went to England where he was accepted at the Purcell School of Music. Sunday's concert will reflect his Catholic taste in music, and will include the third movement from Weber's Grand Duo Concertante Op. 48 as well as the second movement of his Clarinet Concerto. In the second half of the programme he will play Horowitz's Jazz Sonatina. His accompanist for all three pieces will be Karol Sue Reddington.

St. Cecilia's centuries-old position at the pinnacle of the musical arts arose by accident rather than through her prowess as a musician. A Christian saint by that name was apparently murdered by the Romans in Sicily in the second or third century AD. She only became associated with music in Italy in the 15th century through a misreading of a Latin text. Not long afterwards she began to be seen in paintings of the time, holding various musical instruments, and before long, music festivals were being held throughout Europe to commemorate her name.

The Geoffrey Tankard Foundation, a registered charity, was formed partly to provide scholarships and financial assistance for any student wishing to pursue the Arts in the UK, Canada or US. The choir regularly performs in concerts to raise money for this worthy cause. For some time now, the choir has been part of the Christmas scene as, dressed in Victorian costume, the singers give special lunch-time performances sponsored by local businesses, banks, and hotels, as well as making guest appearances at Christmas functions and parties.

The St. Cecilia Concert on Sunday, November 20 commences at 8 p.m. Tickets at $15 are available from Meyer Agencies, Opus 1 on Reid Street, or from Choir members.

CONCERT SOLOIST -- Mark Lomas, now a student at the Juilliard School of Music in New York will be the soloist in this Sunday's St. Cecilia's Day Concert.