Choir honoured to receive Lord Mayor’s Commendation Award

Exeter Philharmonic Choir is among only a handful of organisations in the city to have received a special Commendation Award from the Lord Mayor. 

Two representatives of the Choir, Vicki Henderson and Geoff Poad, attended a reception at the Guildhall on Friday 10th May to receive the Award from the Lord Mayor of Exeter, Councillor Kevin Mitchell, for the Choir’s services to vocal music and cultural life in the City of Exeter.

The Lord Mayor awards his own Commendations once a year to people or organisations who have gone above and beyond for the City. Presenting the award, Cllr. Mitchell said of the Choir, “Your performances are absolutely stunning, absolutely professional and Ian (the Lord Mayor’s Consort and husband) and I have very much enjoyed every single event that we have come along to, particularly the ones in the Cathedral, with the acoustics – it’s mind-blowing!” 

He added, “Exeter Philharmonic Choir has been around for many, many years and, in my opinion, you haven’t always had the recognition that you deserve, hence why we are giving you this Commendation tonight. We very much look forward to coming along to your future events, and even when the Mayoral year finishes, we will be attending your events in the future, because we enjoy them so much. Thank you very much for all you do for culture in our City.”

Accepting the award on behalf of Exeter Philharmonic Choir, Executive Secretary Vicki Henderson said, “We are very honoured to receive this Commendation from the Lord Mayor in recognition of what we contribute to the vibrant cultural life of Exeter. We are Exeter’s oldest choral organisation and have performed in the city every year since 1847, always with professional orchestras and soloists to maintain high-quality performances for our audiences. It’s wonderful to hear that the Lord Mayor and his Consort enjoy our performances so much!”