Chapter 8

The orchestra started to sort themselves out, get comfortable and tune up. The school choir came in, having stayed to the end of the day and being brought by the two people movers. When Yvonne was heading for her place, she stopped by Willow.

“I just met your driver, Sebastian. He’s quite a hunk, you lucky girl.”

“I’ve never noticed, Yvonne. He is very helpful and could be described as good looking.”

“Says the girl who he takes home at night.”

“But, Miss Yvonne, he has a chaperone in Max. We’re never alone!”

Giggling, Yvonne joined the school and the Cathedral choirs and sort out the spacing of the chairs. The sound man from the BBC went up and spoke to Mister Bamborough, who stepped onto his rostrum and called for silence.

“Listen up, everyone. When the BBC have set out their microphones, they want us to do a sound check. They’re using the camera positions from last time and just need to settle on an initial mix. When they’re ready, Willow will play the first item, then remain at the organ to play the last movement of the symphony. Then we can go home if it’s considered good. Tomorrow, all the girls have the long black dresses, and all the boys with blue shirts and black slacks, with no sports shoes, please. There will be a tea in the lunchroom and then you can change on Friday. There will be a pick-up by two coaches starting from five on the other two days.”

Willow went towards the stairs, passing Jacob helping the double basses set up. Now he was in the orchestra, he was roped in to help out, and would be in orchestra uniform on performance days to help with ushering duty. He stopped what he was doing to give Willow a quick kiss. She went up to get the organ ready and played Bach for a few minutes until she saw the technicians walk away from the orchestra. She looked down at Mister Bamborough, who was standing with a man with headphones. The man nodded and she got a wave to start playing.

She did the movement of the ‘Seven Variations’ that she had played three times before on this organ. It struck her that she may be asked to do another encore. When she finished, she looked down as the man with the headphones listened, and then gave a thumbs up. Mister Bamborough stood on the rostrum, tapped his baton and pointed to Abbie, who stood and took the others through the tuning regime. When she sat, he raised his baton and Willow concentrated on the reflection of him in her mirror.

As the baton came down, she launched into the last movement, with a blast of sound that was very satisfying. As they played, she could hear the orchestra doing what they did best. At the choir part, the twenty voices were magnified twice, and the words echoed through the Cathedral. When they finished, she sat as the technicians agreed that they had got it right. Then she turned off and went down. The orchestra and choir were going back in the coach, while the four friends were taken to one of the people movers to be taken home.

On the way to Brent’s house, Sebastian called out.

“I’ve been told that we’re bringing you home on the next three nights, so that you’re not wandering the countryside in a nearly empty coach. They’ve given us tickets to the show, so all of us will be hearing you. What I heard tonight was impressive.”

After Gina was dropped at home, Max turned to Willow.

“We’ve seen you play pop, stadium rock and now the classics. At all of them, you’re at the top of the rankings. It started as just a job, taking teenagers around. You’ve all made it the best job we ever had. Your manager has contracted us to the end of term, so we’ll be seeing you all until the end of July.”

“Thank you, Max and Sebastian. How would you like to bring your partners to our birthday party, in the Community Club tomorrow week? It’s just around the corner, opposite the church. It starts about six-thirty.”

“We would love to. They’ve been getting on our backs to get autographs.”

She went into her house and had a bite to eat after changing. In her room, she hung away the gold dress that Wendy had pulled out to relax and pulled out the black dress that she had bought to take part in orchestral events. She told her mother of the change, as well as the fact that the usual vehicle would be bringing them home, so would be earlier than wandering around the countryside in a coach. Her parents had tickets for the Saturday evening, along with Maisie and the Epstein’s.

Friday, school dragged. Lunch was a bunch of excited orchestra players, and after the lessons, they all went to the lunchroom to have an evening meal. Afterwards, they all went to their lockers to change. They assembled at the school entrance and were ticked off a list. It wasn’t far to the cathedral, and they all went in. The four friends took their bags with them, leaving them in the Chapter House. Jacob was excited to be part of it all, even if he wasn’t playing. He went off to report for duty with ushering.

Willow, Gina, and Brent went out to make sure that their positions were right. Gina and Willow made sure that both Yamahas were set to grand piano, and then Willow went up to make sure that the organ was ready to play. The leader stood and took them through a tune-up, then they all went into the Chapter House to wait to be led out again. They tried to relax, but it seemed as if it was forever before the door opened. The leader led them out to take their places with polite applause. Willow went to stand at the stairs. After the choir had taken their places, there was another tuning session. Mister Bamborough came out, to applause, gave her a tap on the arm, and she went up to the organ to settle down. She looked in her mirror until there was quiet and the conductor nodded. After the Allegro movement, there was applause and she stood to look down and bow. Then the conductor turned to the orchestra and tapped his baton. The noise died and then they played the ‘Danse Macabre’ as Willow came down the stairs and stood out of sight.

When that ended, she walked quickly to the keyboard as the leader was stood to be acknowledged. Gina held out her fist and they had a quick fist-pump. Then the baton was tapped once more, and they were into the ‘Carnival’.

The two Yamahas, through the PA, was easily the dominant sound when they were playing. Zara was magnificent with the Swan, and the whole item was as mocking, and as playful, as the composer had wanted. When they finished, there was good applause and some cheering. The orchestra had to bow three times, with Gina, Willow, and Zara picked out for their own input. When they left the floor, they all went to the Chapter house, where there was a line-up for the women’s toilets until the gents were finally empty, which made things move quicker.

All too soon, they were getting ready to return. Mister Bamborough held Willow back until the leader had finished the tuning and sat down. He took Willow’s hand and led her out, as the orchestra rose, and the audience applauded. She left him at the stairs and took her place at the organ. He tapped his baton for quiet, then led the orchestra into the first movement. All Willow had to do was wait until her input was needed, a gentle intrusion in one of the movements. Her time came in the last movement with that blast of sound. When the choir sang, she looked at the camera and sang along.

When they reached the finale, there was a few moments of silence until the conductor turned to the audience, then there was cheering and applause. He motioned for Willow to come down and stand with him. The orchestra was standing as she walked towards the podium, and it seemed as if the entire room was applauding her. She bowed with Mister Bamborough, as the orchestra bowed again. Then he led her towards the Chapter house with Abbie leading the others behind them. Jacob and the rest of the school helpers were already there, and he gave both Willow and Gina hugs.

Miss Russell called out to remember to be at the school at five on Saturday to be on the coach. Jacob rounded up Brent and the girls.

“I saw our transport park before the show. I’ll take you out if you grab your bags.”

The girls had their school outfits in the garment bags, while Brent had his in a cymbal bag. Jacob picked up his backpack and they waved to Miss Russell on the way out. The public wasn’t using the door that the players were, so they were able to get outside easily. At the transport, a suited Max was there with a woman about the same age.

“Hello, you lot. Ready to go home?”

“You bet, Max. It’s been a long day. Is this Mrs. Max, then?”

“Willow, meet my wife, Jasmin. Jasmin, this is Willow Rose, the organist, Gina Summer, one of the pianists, Brent was on percussion, and Jacob plays guitar, so wasn’t playing tonight.”

They got into the vehicle and Jasmin turned to speak to them.

“So, you four are the Summer Rose Quartet that made the Carpenters album?”

“We are. The band is now eleven of us. Four of our wind players are also in the orchestra but don’t get the sort of service that we enjoy, yet.”

At Brent’s house, Gina got out with him, and they shared a kiss before she got back in. At Jacob’s house, Willow got out and they did something similar. On the way to Gina’s home, Jasmin asked if they did that every night, to be told that it was only for special events and was likely to happen again over the weekend. At Gina’s house, both girls stood and hugged.

“See you at the Cathedral tomorrow, friend. Mum’s taking me in for the practise, so we’ll be in town.”

On the way to Willow’s home, Jasmin asked why Gina was going to be already at the Cathedral.

“She is taking her turn on the organ Sunday, for the service and Evensong. Saturdays, we go and run through the entire list, with the choir there to sing. Often, there’s quite a crowd of sightseers that sing along. It’s quite a happy occasion. I’ll be doing it for the last time on the next weekend, and then their usual organist is back in the seat after that. We’ve been alternating for about fourteen weeks.”

At her home, she bade them goodnight and unlocked her front door, going in and getting undressed. She hung the black dress and went to cleanse, before putting on a nightie and gown, going to the kitchen join her parents with a nightcap before falling into bed.

She was allowed to sleep late on Saturday and woke refreshed. She dressed casually and went to the church to check out the hymns. Reverend Russell greeted her.

“Good morning, Willow. My sister rang this morning to pass on her appreciation of your performance last night. She told me that the TV crew were happy with the result, and that they will still be there tonight for the live performance. She asked me to tell you to have an encore handy, and that they would like you to do the national anthem at the very end, then get straight down to stand beside Howard.”

“All right. I’ll see what I can find. Something simple for tomorrow, I hope.”

“On the keyboard.”

She went up, fired up ‘Old Betsy’ and played through the hymns, all something she had played before. She went home and turned her laptop on to look at something by Saint-Saens that would be good for an encore. She found a piece called ‘Elevation ou Communion in E Major’, written in eighteen sixty-five, which she found fascinatingly simple. There was also ‘Benediction Nuptiale in F Major’, written in eighteen fifty-nine. Both were simple keyboard pieces that ran about six minutes.

She downloaded both sets of music and played them on her Nord. By the third time, she could play them without needing the music. She went back out and to the church. On the way in the reverend popped his head out of the tearoom.

“Back again?”

“I’ve found two early works by Saint-Saens which I want to try on the organ. They’re both good to play before or after a service as they were both written for a church organ. Tell me what you think?”

She went up and turned the fans on again. He went and sat in the pew nearest the sweet spot and waited. What he heard was his organ playing something so sweet, it brought tears to his eyes. Both pieces were, to him, wonderful. With one, he could hardly breathe. When Willow turned off and came down, he hugged her and the tears in his eyes told her everything that she wanted to know.

“Will either one be good after the symphony and before the King?”

“They will be good at any time, Willow. If the Bishop isn’t crying, then I’m buying you lunch tomorrow.”

She left him and walked over to the club, to join her parents for a lunch. In the afternoon, she played the two pieces again a couple of times and the anthem to make sure she had it right. Then she got ready for the performance, starting with a shower. Sebastian picked her up, wearing a suit, with his wife, Andrea, next to him. She was a hugger and already had a CD for Willow to sign. At Jacob’s house, he got the same treatment, as did Brent.

At the Cathedral, Gina was already there and got the hug and signing treatment, looking at Willow, who just shrugged. They said hello to Maisie and then went to the Chapter House to wait for the others. Miss Russell was there already.

“Do you have an encore, Willow?”

“I have, Miss Russell. It’s a very early church piece by Saint-Saens, gentle and a good intro to the anthem.”

“All right. As long as it fits. I had thought that you may do one of the other movements from the ‘Seven Variations’.”

They relaxed as the rest of the orchestra arrived and checked their instruments that had been stored there overnight. Jacob went off to do his duties. Gina leaned close to Willow.

“At the beginning of term, I never knew that Jacob played the guitar, never thought that he would have the nerve to play publicly, let alone tell important people where to go, even it is showing them where to sit. He has constantly surprised me.”

“He has only found that he can do these things by trying, Gina. I could say the same thing about you last year. You found the bravery to try things, and then found the inner woman.”

“All thanks to you, my friend. Without your own abilities to lean on, I would still be nothing.”

“You would never have been nothing, Gina. You would have broken free of the chains sooner or later. I just helped it be sooner. I’ve invited our security guys to our party, by the way. They’ve become friends with seeing them so often. Sebastian impressed Yvonne as a hunk, but I can take his wife or leave her.”

“She is a bit full-on, isn’t she?”

“I doubt that she’s met girls with a gold record before. It’s just being a fan. When we go out for signings, we’ll meet a lot more like her. Being huggable is something we’ll just have to accept.”

Mister Bamborough came over to them.

“Willow, I’m told that you have an encore that fits the occasion.”

“Yes sir. It’s a very early opus written for use in a church.”

“I’ve brought in the scores for the anthem. When the audience is applauding you after you play the encore, I want you to stand and bow. When you sit, Brent will give a roll on the timpani’s and the whole orchestra will be playing along with you. As soon as it finishes, come on down to be with everyone for a final bow.”

“Understood, sir. We just need to get enough applause to warrant an encore.”

“We live in hope, Willow, but we’re increasing the number of voices for the choir so give that last movement everything you’ve got. This is going out live, tonight, and the BBC will be gone tomorrow.”

The orchestra settled down, had comfort stops, and then lined up to go on stage. Willow, at the end of the line, spoke to Yvonne.

“The hunk has brought his wife, tonight. She’s a celebrity hugger but seems nice enough.”

“I guess that’s the price of fame, fortune, and adorability, Willow.”

The doors opened and everyone except Willow and the conductor walked out, with applause greeting them. They settled and went through the tuning.

“Good crowd tonight, Willow. Lots of important people.”

“That’s good for the school, isn’t it, sir?”

“Very good. Now, let’s go and entertain them.”

He took her hand, and they walked out to applause. He paused for a moment before letting go of her hand. He went to the rostrum, and she went up to the organ, making sure that it was all set. The audience settled and the baton was tapped. He nodded to Willow, and they were off on the wild ride that is performance.

The first half went as expected, with more appreciation than the previous night. After the break, they repeated the process to be in place. The orchestra started playing before Willow needed to add her input. With the last movement, she hit the keys rather than pressing them, and the orchestra played with added energy. When the choir came in sounding like sixty voices, the movement ended with a rush of energy that seemed to leave a vacuum as it ended. The applause was deafening, and the conductor picked out the stand-out players before pointing up at the organ.

There were calls for ‘More!’ and Willow turned to sit. The audience sat and quietened. Mister Bamborough was waiting to be surprised by what Willow had chosen, expecting something intricate and flamboyant. What he heard was a gentle wave of sustained notes that fitted the surroundings perfectly. He looked at the audience, many with their eyes closed, and a few crying quietly. When Willow finished, there was silence for several seconds, then the audience were on their feet. Willow stood and bowed, Mister Bamborough turned to the orchestra, baton raised. When Willow sat, he brought the baton down to start the anthem.

Those who hadn’t stood, now did, and they sang with gusto. At the end, there was cheering, and Willow walked from the stairs to join the conductor, with Abbie, the leader, on his other side. A grinning Jacob came out of the Chapter House with two sheaves of flowers, giving one to Willow and one to Abbie. Then, with Howard leading, they all left the stage to go to the Chapter House.

Tonight was different. Everyone was extra excited by what they had achieved. The teachers knew that they had produced a memorable evening of TV viewing, confirmed by the Head when she joined them to hug everyone in sight. She was followed by the Bishop, several local politicians, members of the local council and a few celebrities.

The Head, mindful that there was a room full of young teens, made sure that they were allowed to leave to get on the coach and get some sleep. The four friends left, with Willow carrying her flowers. They saw Sebastian and the three went to him after the girls had a hug, Gina going off to find her mother. In the vehicle, Willow gave Andrea the flowers as a short-lived keepsake, which brought on a long hug. Then they were taken home. When Willow got out, she told the couple not to forget the party on Friday night, then unlocked the door and went in.

She was home before her parents, so went up to her room to undress first, giving the black dress a sniff. She hung it on a hook and pulled out a similar one to wear on Sunday, then stripped off to have a shower before dressing for bed. Her parents had arrived, and she was hugged and kissed when they saw her, then they all sat in the kitchen with hot drinks while they raved about the performance, with Ashley checking the recorder to see that he had captured it on disc.

Sunday morning, the church was filled with villagers who had watched the show, and Willow was hugged, almost to death. At the club, it was a jolly group that watched Gina perform at the Cathedral for the last time. Willow hoped that it wouldn’t be the last time for either of them. They had lunch in the club and Willow and her mother walked home.

“That encore, love. I’ve never heard it before. It was so sweet and seemed to surround us all with love.”

“It’s his Opus Nine, Mum. I came across it yesterday. It’s called the ‘Nuptial Benediction’, so I expect that it had been written for some special marriage at the time. It’ll be handy if I do more weddings.”

She pottered about, asking Wendy if she could take the dress to the dry cleaners on Monday. Then she showered and dressed to be picked up for the final performance. She felt proud at what the orchestra had achieved. When it had been announced that they would do the concert, it had seemed like a giant hill to climb. Now, they had reached the top of that hill, with a bigger one beyond it in the form of the Messiah.

Jack, one of the other team, picked her up today. His was a bit older than the usual team and called her ‘Miss Rose’. His wife was called Emerline and a bit shy. Willow tried to thaw them out with chat, and, by the time they picked up Jacob, they had broken the ice. He knew where to go to get Brent. Emerline wanted to know where Gina was, and was told that, about this time, she would be on the Cathedral organ playing for Evensong.

When they walked in, the first person to come over was Sally.

“Hello! Hasn’t this been great! I never thought that I would sing in here, but Dad told me that it would be good for my development. Mum’s here tonight, to hear me and enjoy the concert. Last night was a real blast! Dad told me that we’re invited to your party next Friday. What should I bring?”

“Just yourself, Sally. I don’t need anyone to give me things except love and their presence. Do you know if Chris, the usual organist is here?”

“He was here last night with a few of his friends. He said that there were a few other organists that he knew and has been getting in touch with them. Dad had to pull a few strings to get them seats.”

“The Dean told me that he would be here next Saturday when I come for the practise session. He told me to make sure I bring Gina as well. I expect that he wants to thank us for holding the fort while he’s been away.”

They moved towards the Chapter House to wait for the start of the show. They found Gina, having just changed into her black dress.

“How was it today, friend?”

“Really good. Several people wanted to tell me how good the concert was. Mum went home as I started Evensong. Are we doing the ultra-ending again?”

“We’ll need to ask that, but it did work well. Dad recorded it but we haven’t watched it. One thing that Sally reminded me of. The usual organist is back and was here last night. I’ve been asked to bring you with me when I come next Saturday. You’ll need to check in the church in the morning, then come to mine. I’ll get Mum to drive us in so we can get some lunch and look in the shops before we come here.”

“All right. I’ll tell my Mum. Do you think that the others have invited their drivers to Friday night?”

“I doubt it. They are all boys, after all. I’ll talk to Jack on the way home. Thinking about the party, I wonder if we could give all the women who don’t have a pendant one as a keepsake. I like the idea of handing out gifts, rather than receiving.”

“That would be nice. If we go halves on a hundred and fifty, we’ll have plenty to hand around later on. I’ll get Peter to courier them to my place, seeing Mum is usually home. What did the gold chain ones cost?”

“I think that it was ten pounds each. I still have a few. You’ll find out on the next statement.”

They saw Mister Bamborough come in and went over to ask if they were doing the mega-finish again. He grinned.

“That’s something that everyone will be upset about if we leave it out. I’ll set the rest up for that before we go out. That was one of the most amazing encores I’ve ever heard. It should never have worked after such a loud symphony, but it did. What was it?”

“It was a Saint-Saens piece, his Opus Nine, and called the ‘Nuptial Benediction’. I found it when I was looking for something of his to play. There was another, about the same length, but that was even more sleep-inducing.”

“I wondered if it may be a good opening item at the Proms, so that it settles everyone down. It sounded simple enough for you to play on their organ.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025