An amount in the region of £1,000 was raised for the Countess of Brecknock Hospice as a result of the recent concert performed by world-renowned organist, Carol Williams.  The concert, held at St Mary's Church on St Patrick's Day, was well attended, especially considering there were other local events competing for attention that evening.  

Carol, whose fee for the night was sponsored by the Weyhill Electronic Organ Society, has lived in the USA for the past few years and, since 2001, has held the post of San Diego Civic Organist in California, where she performs regular Sunday concerts throughout the year.  She has performed concerts worldwide (many in the States) and her previous UK engagements have included such prestigious venues as Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral; later this year she will be performing in Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris.

A programme of light classics included such well-known pieces as Widor's 'Toccata', Khachaturian's 'Sabre Dance', as well as compositions by Bach, Beethoven and Elgar.  By way of variation, Carol performed a George Gershwin selection and several popular Sousa marches, whilst her own arrangement of Scott Joplin's 'The Entertainer' provided a further contrast … and, of course, it was only appropriate that 'Danny Boy' also made an appearance!

Carol's interaction with the audience was both professional and warm, and the tremendous acclaim she received at the end of the evening was truly merited.  The church, with excellent acoustic properties, provided an ideal setting for such an event and Carol intimated afterwards that she would very much welcome the opportunity to make a return visit to Andover at some future date.

Plans are already in progress for another concert in 2009!