What another great night and we even had some 'new' songs peppered in amongst the old favourites. I think the highlight has to be Gareth's face when he realised the soloist wasn't there to sing Heal the World and with two seconds' notice ended up singing the solo himself (pay back time!).
The Tree of Life Service at Cransley Hospice in Kettering was outside on a bleak Sunday evening in wintery conditions and for many it was the third successive day that choir members had sung. As a worthy charitable cause for which we have raised funds previously the experience of singing al fresco, in the dark was unique.
One of the most rewarding elements of the choir’s activities over the last decade has been the smaller gigs when we visit intimate church communities where the church comes to life with young and old alike on their feet clapping and swaying with us. There is something about the ambience of a church with hundreds of years of history alive with song and good cheer. In the case of St Andrew’s, Yardley Hastings it is a venue which we have played previously and the church reflects the vibrancy of the village community. Despite the constrictions of Covid regulations such that masks, sanitising and social distancing we inspired the locals to dance and sing and temporarily forget the realities of Covid seemingly dominating our daily lives.
As part of the focus week on Black Lives Matter the Choir were asked to perform at the Northampton General Hospital to the employees. Unfortunately because of the 'mask wearing' policy whilst on the premises it meant we could not sing live but instead we sent a video of two of the Choirs' favourite songs recorded in Wellingborough School Chapel. A huge thank you to Katie for singing the solo. To see the video please click on this link.
Oh what a night! Thank you to everyone who came to sing at Clopton Church last night,( "it was just like old times") and incredible to all be back singing together indoors in one of our favourite Churches and the collective sound we made was magical. Thank you and congratulations to all our new members who performed in their first concert with us; the debutants were really thrown in at the deep end but they all rose to the challenge magnificently! Thank you also to our soloists, Matt, Katie, Leony and Toni who always fill us with awe as they get up and sing so brilliantly with 30 seconds' notice! Special thanks to Dennis, who rushed away early from the Saints game to set up the sound system for us we could not exist without his hard work on the balance of the sound and as ever he got it just right last night.
Although the pandemic prevented this event from taking place last year little had changed since our last appearance. “Lovely Day” was rather apt as once again we entertained the dozens of supporters on the finishing straight as they joined us in and we seemed to inspire the runners to discover hidden reserves of energy. There were a number of well-deserved special mentions such as the guest appearance by Dolly and Lucy but also Judith who not only ran but also joined in to sing when she had finished!
On two consecutive Tuesday evenings the Choir, through the Club and committee’s generosity, held open-air rehearsals in the gardens of Wellingborough Golf Club and had no problems in filling the quota limit of 30 socially-distanced choir members for both sessions.
Because of the Government restrictions we have not been able to rehearse together for 15 months and although zoom has been a great substitute it has not been the same as all being together. After a long wait, we finally had an opportunity to be together and what a couple of magic nights of singing we had!