Andrew Stephen David Pierssené (17.11.29 to 17.01.25)
| Type of post: | Choir news item |
| Sub-type: | News |
| Posted By: | Tilly Farrands |
| Status: | Current |
| Date Posted: | Mon, 3 Mar 2025 |
On Friday 14th February 2025, an ensemble of Suffolk Singers, including past members, were privileged to sing at the funeral of Andrew Pierssené, to honour his memory as founder of Suffolk Singers. The occasion was a true celebration of a well-lived life of 95 years and our contribution of ‘My Spirit Sang All day’ was very fitting for a man with such a positive attitude to life. As is common at the passing of someone of advanced years, we learned that there is so much more to Andrew than we ever saw through the small window of the time he spent with Suffolk Singers.
Andrew was a man who made things happen. He spent much of his life working with young people and was instrumental in setting up groups and organisations in order to share his many interests, including a love of nature and concern for the environment as well as his passion for music. Andrew loved music and spent much of his free time in encouraging others to share that love, for example by setting up choirs and running choral festivals. It is thanks to Andrew that Suffolk Singers exists today. In 1991, Andrew gathered a small group of singers together, thereby creating the choir of Suffolk Singers. Edith Peck was among that small group of singers and her continued membership is testimony of how much she values the choir. Suffolk Singers remained ‘Andrew’s choir’ until 2004 when he stepped down and the choir set up a formal committee and appointed an official music director. Andrew would never have dreamt that his choir would evolve into the Suffolk Singers we are today, a choir not only esteemed for beautiful blended singing but valued internally for being friendly and caring, truly reflective of Andrew’s own ideals. Despite already failing health, we were delighted that Andrew was able to attend our 30th anniversary concert in 2021 and so appreciate that success story for himself. He was an intelligent, hard-working, kind, lovable, sometimes eccentric, modest man who went out of his way to help other people. He leaves a great legacy in Suffolk Singers and we will cherish his memory with gratitude.
Alma Gower
Andrew was a man who made things happen. He spent much of his life working with young people and was instrumental in setting up groups and organisations in order to share his many interests, including a love of nature and concern for the environment as well as his passion for music. Andrew loved music and spent much of his free time in encouraging others to share that love, for example by setting up choirs and running choral festivals. It is thanks to Andrew that Suffolk Singers exists today. In 1991, Andrew gathered a small group of singers together, thereby creating the choir of Suffolk Singers. Edith Peck was among that small group of singers and her continued membership is testimony of how much she values the choir. Suffolk Singers remained ‘Andrew’s choir’ until 2004 when he stepped down and the choir set up a formal committee and appointed an official music director. Andrew would never have dreamt that his choir would evolve into the Suffolk Singers we are today, a choir not only esteemed for beautiful blended singing but valued internally for being friendly and caring, truly reflective of Andrew’s own ideals. Despite already failing health, we were delighted that Andrew was able to attend our 30th anniversary concert in 2021 and so appreciate that success story for himself. He was an intelligent, hard-working, kind, lovable, sometimes eccentric, modest man who went out of his way to help other people. He leaves a great legacy in Suffolk Singers and we will cherish his memory with gratitude.
Alma Gower
