Brian Stokes, a retired master from Uppingham School and a churchwarden, raised money for the church organ by organizing four concerts.
They were so successful that he thought there should be more.
Within weeks he set up a committee: Jim Peschek, former Head of Music at Uppingham, Liz Frowde a professional conference organizer and her husband Geoff, with Peter Tomalin as treasurer for the first year after which Anne Quinn took up the financial reins.
Since then it has grown steadily. The consistently high quality of the performers at Music in Lyddington, most of whom have already made their Wigmore Hall debut, has been a crucial factor in the success of the society.
The light airy interior of the church has splendid acoustics.
The chancel of St Andrew's Church, Lyddington, was probably enlarged by Bishop Burghersh in the early 14th century, with acoustic pots placed in recesses near the tops of the walls to amplify the sound.
Brian Stokes (photo by kind permission of The Leicester Mercury)
