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People We Have Lost

This page tells you something about people who have been very important in the life of the choir, but who are no longer with us


David Aylett - Founder

A celebration of the life of a pianist, organist, timpanist, singer, conductor and composer – and architect.

David Aylett passed away on Saturday 13th September 2014 while on holiday in Guernsey with his wife Pat. Barbara Fell, a founder member of AFC, and Pat recall these memories of David.

David was born in Aylesbury in 1931 and lived all his life within about a 2 mile radius of his birthplace. He had 2 children – Mark, who sadly died in 2002, and Kathryn, and was the proud grandfather of Carl, Craig, Layla and Ross.

David was an architect by profession and a musician by inclination and talent. He started learning the piano when he was 7, and also learnt the organ from the age of 11. For a number of years he was the organist at the Congregational Church which once stood in the High Street. He attended Aylesbury Grammar School where his love and enthusiasm for music was nurtured by the head of music, Charles Pope, who trained him in choral singing, music appreciation, score reading and many other skills he would need to open the doors to the musical world. Charles became his mentor and life-long friend.

Aged 17, David was undecided whether to become a professional musician or ...

Thelma King - Accompanist

Aylesbury Festival Choir dedicated their April 2018 concert to the memory of Thelma King who sadly passed away in March of that year. Thelma became the choir's accompanist in 2004 but retired due to ill health in 2017. An added bonus of her appointment was that her late husband Tony joined the choir as a bass!

She was born in Leamington Spa, and became the official accompanist for Leamington Male Voice Choir and Warwick and Kenilworth Choral Society while still at school. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music and moved to Buckinghamshire where she taught for many years in Chesham and Milton Keynes. She then became a full-time accompanist, and played for Princes Risborough Music Society, Marlow Choral Society, Chesham Musical Theatre Company …