Nicola Lisle talks to organiser Leo Pitt about the Come and Sing event

It’s a sort of shared madness!” chuckles Leo Pitt. “But great things happen.”

She is talking about the Come and Sing events she has been organising for the last 10 years, initially for the Arts Room, then more recently – under the name Oxford Orpheus – for the Oxford Motor Neurone Disease Care and Research Centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

This year’s concert is in aid of Headway Oxfordshire, a Kennington-based charity that supports people affected by brain injury.

“This is our tenth concert and we’re revisiting Verdi’s Requiem, which was probably our most successful concert for the Arts Room. There were loads of people wanting to sing, loads of people coming to listen, and it’s a very special work. It’s so powerful and operatic.”

From the start, Leo secured the services of charismatic conductor Robert Dean, and she generously attributes much of the success of the Come and Sing events to his talent for engaging with the singers, many of whom have become regulars.

“He is a remarkable conductor,” she says. “Everybody who works with him just loves it because he is a brilliant choral conductor, a brilliant teacher and he’s also an opera conductor. He gives people permission, somehow, to perform and that’s why they love it and keep coming back.

“He is able to transmit this huge energy, and people pick up on it. He liberates the diva in everybody!”

So can anybody sing in these events, or do you need to be an experienced singer?

“On the whole, the people who come and sing are quite experienced. Some are very experienced. They’re also very committed, and it’s really lovely for them to see the same faces each year.

“I have to say that if people can’t read music they are at a huge disadvantage. They really need to do their homework weeks in advance. Most people have probably sung the work before and want to sing it again in different circumstances.”

Anyone who comes to sing certainly needs a lot of stamina. The Come and Sing event starts in the morning with a run-through of the piece with Robert and repetiteur James Brown. After lunch they are joined by the orchestra and soloists for a full rehearsal. Then comes the evening performance.

“It’s a 12-hour day, so it’s a real marathon and a real commitment,” Leo says. “I’m very grateful to everyone that comes and does it.”

Soloists are usually young professionals at the start of their careers. This year’s line-up is Hye Youn-Lee (soprano), Olivia Ray (mezzo-soprano), Lawrence Thackeray (tenor) and David Ireland (bass).

In the early days, the orchestra was drawn from the Oxford Sinfonia. These days it has evolved into the Oxford Orpheus Orchestra, and players still come from the Sinfonia as well as other places. “They all enjoy the Robert experience as well, because he’s so engaging,” Leo says.

Leo is delighted to be supporting Oxfordshire Headway this year. “Stroke victims often sing before they can talk again,” she says. “As a species, we probably sang before we talked. It’s essential communication. So it’s very good to be involved with a charity that understands that.”

Where and when
Oxford Orpheus: Verdi Messa da Requiem
Oxford Town Hall
Saturday, 7.30pm
Tickets: 01865 250440 or bookings@oxfordorpheus.com