Sing Christmas

I had the pleasure to cover for my colleague and attend St Andrew’s O.S. who can always be relied upon to provide the most festive of Christmas concerts and this year’s was no exception. The programme was varied and included traditional, popular, and choral arrangements meaning there was something for everyone. The beautiful venue of St Andrew’s church provided the perfect ambience and acoustics for the show.

Many of the arrangements were performed a cappella which takes great skill and musicality, and the company carried this off with composure, style, and beautiful harmonies. My personal favourites from the Act 1 programme were “The Bee Carol”, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” and “Gaudete”. The organ solo of “silent Night “played by Colin Wood was also lovely to hear, Colin together with Pam Bell provided all the accompaniment throughout the show. There were many opportunities throughout the programme for the audience to sing along with the well-known standards whilst accompanied by the splendid church organ playing. After being served mulled wine and mince pies at the interval, Act 2 had a more informal feel, but the music quality was still excellent and opened with the wonderful “Carol of the Bells”. The popular “Sleigh Ride” song involved some audience participation with lots of sleigh bells shared amongst the audience and musical director Ken working hard to try and keep everyone in time, great fun. My personal favourites in Act 2 were “Love Came Down” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” but every number was well sung. The readers Gilly Beck, Joan Cook and Michael Beck were good and clear, and the readings also reflected the traditional and the modern elements of Christmas.

Overall, this was a delightful Christmas celebration which was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. Thank you for your hospitality and I wish you all the best for your 80th anniversary production of “HMS Pinafore” in 2026.

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