HELENSBURGH Oratorio Choir say they are looking forward to having a “long, happy and fruitful time” under new musical director Susie Wapshott.

Described as one of the top repetiteurs in the UK, Shropshire-born Susie took over the reins of the Helensburgh group in February after replacing Jonathon Swinard.

He left for a new post with Garsington Opera after two-and-a-half years leading the choir and signed off in style with a ‘Winter Uplifter’ concert in December, featuring Will Todd’s Mass in Blue as its centrepiece.

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Emulating the success of her predecessor will be no mean feat for Susie, but the award-winning conductor and pianist is more than qualified to achieve just that.

Having read music at Manchester University, she received scholarships to the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and was previously music director for Edinburgh Grand Opera between 2014 and 2017.

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Seven of the Helensburgh choir’s members will be flying out to New York in April to sing Will Todd’s Mass in Blue in the Lincoln Centre, while they will join the city’s famous Tartan Parade wearing Glenfruin Colquhoun tartan sashes for the day on Saturday, April 6.

Susie began her tenure with a performance of the Shearing songs at the Helensburgh Savoy Musical Theatre Group’s annual Sing For Your Supper event at the Victoria Halls in February, which raised more than £1,000 for charity.

The choir’s next concert will take place on Sunday, May 19 at 7.30pm in Helensburgh Parish Church, featuring Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem and Leonard Bernstein: Chichester Psalms.