CORNWALL’S musical community recently came together in an emotional celebration of the life and talent of Elizabeth “Liz” Sidebotham, as more than 100 singers filled Saltash Wesleyan Methodist Church.

The memorial concert, featuring choirs from across the county, raised £1,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support in honour of the award-winning Quethiock musician.

Liz, regarded as one of Cornwall’s most versatile and gifted musical figures, was admired for her mastery of multiple instruments. She played regularly at St Ive church and performed internationally with the Rame Male Voice Choir, one of several choirs she accompanied.

Her talents stretched far beyond performance, she was a teacher, poet, arranger, lyricist and a composer. She twice won the four-part harmony category at the British International Male Voice Choir Festival and wrote hundreds of scores, often producing arrangements for her choirs in minutes.

The tribute reflected the breadth of her creative legacy. A massed choir led by former Cornish Federation chairman Phil Taylor opened the programme with Verdi’s Slaves’ Chorus.

The Rame choir, under Jonathan Lewsey, performed five of her arrangements, while Keltique, her ladies’ choir from Looe, delivered five more under Lorraine Forsdick. Cornish organist Jonathan Delbridge performed one of her piano works.

Rame’s folk and shanty group, Halfway Harmony, added two pieces, and extracts from her musical The Curse of the Skeltons were introduced by author Andy Copp. The St Piran Singers and the Clocktower Singers also took part.

Liz began studying piano at six and held Associate and Licentiate diplomas from the London College of Music by age 16. She accompanied choirs at major venues including the Royal Albert Hall, National Symphony Hall and Plymouth Pavilions, yet was equally at home leading pub shanties on the accordion.

As the concert closed, husband Dennis and the audience were left uplifted by the sense her music will continue to live on through every song performed.