A concert celebrating the life of a popular island singer has raised £2,000 for charity.

An array of island singers and musicians joined forces to pay tribute to the renowned professional soprano Margaret Curphey at St Andrew’s Church in Douglas.

While admission to the concert was free, there was a collection box in aid of the local ‘Forget Me Not’ charity, with the generosity of audience members contributing to a significant cash boost of £2,000.

Members of Glenfaba Chorale, whose musical director is Margaret’s sister Muriel Corkish, presented a cheque to Chris Kilford, one of the island’s admiral nurses.

These nurses support island residents with dementia, along with their carers and relatives, and are partly funded by Forget Me Not.

Margaret, who passed away last March the age of 86, was remembered in a programme of light music, featuring excerpts from her career which included acclaimed performances on some of the world’s most prestigious operatic stages.

Margaret’s career began at an early age - studying for many years with local singing teacher Douglas Buxton, it was a period in which she won the ‘Cleveland Medal’ and ‘Blackpool Rose Bowl’.

Margaret soon decided to study at the Birmingham School of Music, but those studies were cut short after she was invited to join the English Arts Council’s ‘Opera for All’ tour in 1963.

An invitation to join the Glyndebourne chorus, where she understudied Montserrat Caballe, followed after which she became a principal artist at ‘Sadlers Wells Opera’ (later the English National Opera).

It sparked a 13-year period with the company, with numerous starring roles such as the Countess in ‘The Marriage of Figaro’, Mimi and Musetta in ‘La Bohème’, Violetta in ‘La Traviata’, and Elizabeth in ‘Don Carlo’ among others.

Despite being in worldwide demand Margaret always returned to the island, and performed much closer to home many times, featuring as a guest vocalist with the ‘Band of the Royal Horse Guards’, with ‘Scottish Opera’, the ‘Irish Guards’ and with Vera Lynn on ‘Tuesday Night is Gala Night’ on BBC Radio 2.

At her official retirement concert in 1994 at the Erin Arts Centre in Port Erin, she performed with Heldentenor Alberto Remedios and her baritone husband Philip Summerscales.

An organiser of the commemorative concert said: ‘Margaret continued to be a much-loved and respected supporter of music in the island after her retirement, amongst her roles as Patron of the Mannin International Opera Festival and as president of Glenfaba Chorale.

‘The concert saw this year’s Cleveland Medal winner Neil Taverner perform, as well as Simon Fletcher and Kristene Sutcliffe, Margaret’s former students.

‘Pieces included the ever popular folk song “Go Tell it on the Mountain”, the Cole Porter classic “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”, Freddie Mercury’s sentimental favourite “Love of My Life” and the much-loved Irish ballad “Danny Boy”.’

A spokesperson from the Forget Me Not charity said: ‘Thank you so much to Glenfaba Chorale who raised a fabulous £2,000 at their event celebrating Margaret’s life.

‘The cheque was presented to our admiral nurse Chris Kilford, who supported Margaret and her family during her illness.’