The warm weather is still here and so it was good to go to a summer evening concert at St Nicolas Church, Abingdon.

Abingdon Community Orchestra performed during the first half. They were established two years ago by the Abingdon Music Centre as a way of getting people of all ages and abilities to play music. Donations were welcomed towards the Music Centre.

They were followed by a choir from twin town Sint-Niklaas in Belgium. Earlier this week they performed at Oxford’s Cathedral at Christ Church, and then did a workshop at Larkmead School in Abingdon.

In the audience at St Nics were 18 people from our twin towns over on an English learning visit. The Mayor was also there to watch the performances and received from Dieter, the conductor of the choir, some of their CDs.

Abingdon is twinned with some interesting places on the continent. Sint-Niklaas is just one. Their choir were excellent.

There was Opera in Abingdon tonight to celebrate forty years of Abingdon being twinned with Lucca – a beautiful Tuscan City. Silvana Froli came all the way from Lucca to perform.

Michael Matthews was the Mayor of Abingdon at the first ever Abingdon-Lucca twinning ceremony – forty years ago. He is still very involved with the twinning society in 2012.

At his initial meeting with the Mayor of Lucca forty years ago he was asked whether Abingdon had an Opera House.

This evening the Amey Theatre, at Abingdon School, served as The Abingdon Opera House.