Dear All,
Another great sing last night and lots and lots to report so please read this newsletter with particular assiduousness. (Not that you wouldn’t anyway.) As you know, there are a lot of coming events – please make sure you have the details in your dairies.
For most of these, our repertoire will be taken from the standard carols in the purple carol sheets / white booklets (i.e. Hark the Herald, O Come, In the Bleak, See Amid, Silent Night, O Little Town, It Came Upon, Once in Royal, Joy to the World, Away in a Manger, While Shepherds) together with some of this year’s “featured” carols / songs: Boar’s Head Carol, Deck the Hall, Hark What Means, Fait Dodo, Hosanna, Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer and The Truth from Above.
There have been TWO suggestions as to what good cause our carol singing on 19th December should support: Crisis, the UK national charity for homeless people, or the 2020 Tree Planting initiative led by the Shaftesbury Tree Group and Town Council. We will take a vote next week.
Finally, if you have an item or two that you would like to perform at our New Year Party please let me know over the next couple of weeks.
COMING CHOIR EVENTS
Monday 2 December Shaftesbury Christmas lights etc. Assemble by the tree / Town Hall shortly after 5.30 with a view to singing from 5.45 until Santa arrives! Normal dress code (i.e. shades of red above the waist, black / dark beneath).
Saturday 7 December Life Celebration for Diane May at East Stour village hall. 2.00 p.m. We will be singing “Wake up” and “Heart To Heart”. There will be tea and cake after the formalities are over. Again, normal dress code. Rehearsal arrangements next week.
Saturday 14 December Singing for the Friends of Westminster Hospital Christmas Bazaar. 10.45 – 11.30 (We will be singing at the hospital itself, NOT the Quaker Meeting House)
Sunday 15 December Motcombe Christmas Procession. Assembling at 5.00 p.m. at the Coppleridge (Elm Hill, Motcombe, SP7 9HR). There will be a pit stop at Motcombe Grange (SP7 9HJ) and we should arrive at the Village Hall about 6.15. We will be singing en route with the Shaftesbury Town Band as well as doing some numbers ourselves at the Coppleridge and the Grange but probably not at the Village Hall.
Wednesday 18 December Choir Christmas Party. Mulled wine and mince pies of course.
Thursday 19 December 10.45 – 11.30 Carol singing in Shaftesbury High Street with coffee and mince pies at the Arts Centre afterwards.
Christmas Day and New Year’s Day No Choir. (Two weeks off this year!)
Wednesday 8 January 2020 Grand Choir Party herald in 2020 and to celebrate 10 glorious years!)
… and looking much further ahead
Friday 8 May We have been asked to take part in the Shaftesbury VE Day celebrations (75 year celebration). 6.30 – 6.55 p.m. on a specially erected stage outside the Town Hall. More details later … much later.
OTHER EVENTS
Wed 27 Nov - Tues 10 Dec Andrea (alto) is curating a group exhibition at the Arts Centre gallery, Perguadeo II. Seven artists of various styles and disciplines. We are invited to 'Meet the Artists' on Saturday 30th from 4 - 7pm. See earlier flyer.
Fri 29 – Sat 30 November Enjoy a little pre-Christmas Japanese culture in the company of Yuko (soprano) at Niwaki, Semley. See attached flyer.
Fri 6 – Sun 8 December The Spirit of Christmas at Riversmeet, Gillingham. See earlier flyer.
Saturday 7 December Emily Burridge (cello) Candlelit concert for the Amazon. 6.30 pm St Peter’s Church, Shaftesbury. See attached flyer
Sunday 8 December Wincanton Choral Society Christmas Concert. See earlier flyer. Tickets available from Mary, Linda (sopranos) or Janet (tenor)
Saturday 14 December Spectra Musica Christmas Concert. Wincanton. See last week’s flyer
… also Gillingham Singers concert. See attached flyer.
Tuesday 17 December Roses, Berries and all that is Green. Palida and the Shaftesbury Ukeleles. 8.00 p.m. Town Hall. See attached flyer
Friday 20 December Here we come a-wassailing… Gillingham Arts Workshop at Gillingham Library. 5.3-0 – 6.30. See attached flyer.
SING MESSIAH FROM SCRATCH
Hilary Drake, whom many of you will know, has one alto ticket: Cost £41 to “Sing Messiah from Scratch” at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 7th December at 7pm. A taxi is booked to leave Gillingham in the afternoon at a cost of £40.....wait and return! Please contact her if interested by this Friday at the latest by e-mail (hilarydrake@outlook.com) or phone 01747 825856.
David