Posted on 25 October 2010
A concert held in memory of musician Les Beresford has raised over £800 for the Musicians Benevolent Fund.
Les Beresford, who died on 22 April 2010, was one of the most popular and enduring figures of Shropshire music. His memorial concert which was held on Saturday 2 October at St. Michael’s Church in Madeley was a fitting way to celebrate Les’s life and his love of music. Performers on the night included the Abbey Chorale and the Darby Singers, the Telford Orchestra String Ensemble, and the New College Chorale performing selections from Mozart, Rachmaninov, folk songs of the British Isles, and many more. The second half saw a performance by a number of talented jazz musicians, all of whom had either performed with Les or were people he admired. They included trumpeter Jamie Brownfield, a rising star on the UK jazz scene, as well as Les’s sons Steve and Pete Beresford.
Les always had high standards when it came to musical performance, and his love of a wide variety of music, which widened as he grew older, was always an inspiration. “I think that was what made the concert so special”, said Les’s daughter Anne, “that there were friends and colleagues of all ages and representing so many different styles of music”. This is also why the Beresford family felt it was particularly appropriate to donate the proceeds of the event to the Fund, as in Anne’s words, the concert was about celebrating music “for the sheer joy of it, and to celebrate musicians of all ages and at different stages of their career”.
Recently Anne, her husband Andrew, daughter Poppy and her brother Steve came into the Fund’s offices to present the money which they collected at the concert in a homemade collection box. They met members of the staff team, including Susan Dolton, Director of Communications and Awards. She said “It is so touching when people think of us in this way – we are so grateful. It was really lovely to meet the Beresford family and to welcome them to our offices”.
Les had a passion for music from a young age. He loved being a choirboy, and through the 1930s and 1940s he followed the great swing bands of the day, adding dance music to his passions. Through the war he had the opportunity to experience a great deal of live music, attending several shows a day to go dancing with his wife. Whilst never being a musician by trade, Les was a consummate music professional. He picked up a basic technique on the guitar, and used his natural ease and grace as a performer, as well as his talents as a born raconteur, to delight audiences of any size. He performed with many choirs and small groups over the years in the Shropshire area, including a solo performance at the Birmingham Symphony Hall. Christine Hollis, a frequent musical companion, writes that “Les always gave a professional performance, with amazing breath control, wonderful expression and a marvellous memory for the words and history behind his songs.”
We’d like to say a big thank you to the Beresford family.