…like Christmas!
December is always a busy month for us, but one of the most enjoyable as we get thoroughly into the Christmas spirit with a number of concerts.
We’re thrilled to be making our debut at the Sam Wanamaker Theatre at Shakespeare’s Globe on Saturday, November 28. We’ve been part of the annual Christmas concert for the Friends of the Globe for about 10 years. Traditionally it has taken place at St Giles in the Field church, but this year it is being held in the wonderful ambience of the Jacobean indoor theatre at the Globe. As usual, there will be music from the choir alongside readings by actors from the Globe company, this year including Patrick Driver, Ryan McKen and Sheila Reid.
Our other main Christmas performance this year is another longtime engagement in support of the Prince Alice Hospice in Surrey. We’ll be part of their Candlelight Christmas concert on Saturday, December 12 in Claygate. This is always a warm and festive occasion in the charming Holy Trinity Church. As ever, Frank Renton will compere the evening, with seasonal and other readings by Michael Aspel. Our programme includes music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, William Mathias, Peter Warlock and John Rutter, as well as carols for the audience to sing.
We’ll be supporting another hospice – Trinity in Clapham – on December 10 at their annual Light up a Life carol concert at Trinity Church. There’ll be celebrity readers there too (do you sense a theme to these events?).But in past years, even our best musical efforts, not to mention the reciting skills of the likes of Prunella Scales and Timothy West, have been upstaged by the choir of children from local schools.No one can compete with adorable kids singing and waving streamers!
Finally, for the first time this year we’ll be singing at the Christmas carol service for Charterhouse in the City of London. Having sung in the chapel there several times, most recently with a programme of French music last September, we’re looking forward to returning with seasonal music for the residents of Charterhouse and people from the local community. And then it will be time for a well-earned Yuletide rest…