Many SfP members will not have known Andrew Pierssené but, if you have benefitted from a bursary towards summer school fees from the Neil Webster Trust or, for older members, you ever enjoyed participating in the Norwich Sing for Pleasure Festival, you have Andrew to thank.
After completing National Service and university, Andrew was involved in youth work in London, where he founded the OK club, a charity which is still running. In 1964 he moved to Norwich to work as a Youth Officer for the County Council. At some point around this time Andrew became involved with SfP. I’m not sure how this came about, but he seems to have been involved when the first constitution for SfP was being developed and went on to serve on the national committee in the 1970s.
As part of his youth work, he set up a group which developed into The Melody – a choir which Andrew ran and conducted for many years. He introduced many of the members to SfP, taking groups from the choir to events. He also set up and organised the Norwich Sing for Pleasure Festival which he ran for many years with assistance from the Melody members. This was non-competitive festival which involved choirs from across the UK and a few from abroad and continued, run by SfP East, after Andrew stepped back.
Andrew moved on from youth work, but continued to run The Melody until he moved further away from Norwich. He then set up the Suffolk Singers, and then, after retirement from conducting them and moving again, he set up the Gissing Singers in his home village. Both of these choirs are still singing.
Neil Webster was a former Melody member who went on to run choirs in Norfolk and then Newbury. After Neil’s untimely death in 1998, Andrew was involved in founding the Neil Webster Trust in his memory and served as a trustee until the trust was dissolved in 2020.
Andrew worked tirelessly to give opportunities to sing. Fundraising events for the NWT, a group participating in the Alnwick Festival and a tour of the Swanage area all involved members from Neil’s old choir in Newbury as well as Andrew’s current and previous choirs.
Thank you, Andrew, for introducing me to SfP and all the musical opportunities and experiences this made possible and the many friends I have made through singing.