Noel Clarke of Brockholes is a man with lots of contacts. Many of them musical.
On Sunday, a good many of them will gather in the village where he lives to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of St George’s Church.
An attempt in March to mark the anniversary by singing Handel’s Messiah was called off because of bad weather.
Now the reformed concert has hopes of a sunnier weekend and also features an extended repertoire.
For in addition to a host of local names, Noel has included a French contingent of musicians in the programme.
It all goes back to his days as a teacher when he used to take groups of students to France.
“We have a saxophone group from France coming to play in the concert and one of them is from a family that I first met when I used to take my school choir from Canterbury to France,” said Mr Clarke.
“We used to buy our sandwiches from a bakery in the village. The lady called her sons and got them to play for me.
“They all lined up and played various instruments. That was in 1973 and one of them, who is playing for us this weekend, was then just 12.”
The saxophone group will be playing in a concert which will also feature between 40 and 50 singers in excerpts from a Come And Sing style of Messiah.
The organist for that will be Malcolm Hinchliffe and the trumpeters Rebecca Robertson and Julian Wightman.
Rebecca, who is from the Holme Valley, is continuing her musical studies in Paris.
The concert, which is at 7pm, will also feature two well-known soloists from the area.
They are Thom Meredith and Sarah Ogden.
Thom is principal of Kirklees Music School and also music director of Colne Valley Male Voice Choir in which Mr Clarke sings.
Sarah is a prize-winning soprano and a former Kirklees Young Musician of the Year.
She has just starred in an opera at the Lawrence Batley Theatre.
The accompanists will be Keith Swallow and Sarah’s mum, Sue Ogden.
Mr Clarke will conduct the choir.
