Zip A Dee Doo Dah Disney

It was my pleasure see the Saltburn Songsters in their production of, “Zip A Dee Doo Dah Disney”. This concert featured choral versions of beloved Disney classics and was set at Emmanuel Church in Saltburn. I feel that there is something special in the link between a choir and a church. The venue directly strengthened the timbre of the vocal performance and aided the creation of the harmonious walls of sound that filled the space. I was very impressed to see so many members of the local community come and support this community choir. The choir is made up of women and has a good representation in age. All of them looked so very happy to be there. The event felt warm and inviting, and it’s a shame it was only performed for a singular evening as I would have implored all of you to go and see it.

In my experience, with most community ventures there is always a last-minute hurdle to overcome. For this venture there was an emergent problem with their PA system. This meant that the tracks that they had rehearsed with could not be used and there was no amplification for the choir. For many organisations this would have resulted in failure but not for this choir. Luckily, Gillian Ash, their accompanist throughout the rehearsal period, stepped in and played the church’s grand piano to keep the event going. Apparently, Gillian hadn’t accompanied these numbers in a few months, but you would never have guessed that for her performance – well done. I know that you will be disappointed in this, however it resulted in a stripped back, acoustic performance which, in my opinion, suited your venue perfectly and was a joy to listen to.

Daniel Matuszak conducted the entire performance with skill and energy. He maintained pace throughout and assisted these ladies through difficult numbers to perform to the best of their ability. Not only did he conduct he also sang in a couple of numbers – well done.

The choir presented white blouses and blue music notation scarfs which gave them a very uniformed, professional look. The choir were well balanced in harmonies, very articulate (even without amplification you could hear every word) and had an amazing energy that allowed an audience member to feel the rousing heights of Disney to its calmer moments.

I would like to mention a couple of stand out ensemble numbers throughout the show. Firstly, ‘Feed the Birds’ from ‘Mary Poppins’. This was very well done, the blend and dynamic you managed to achieve throughout was phenomenal but especially so in the ‘ah’ section. Your collective voices soared and created a very memorable number indeed – well done.  

Secondly, your title track from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was also a standout. Leaded by Linda Cross who performed with an authenticity that could be only rivelled by the late Dame Angela Lansbury – well done! The number was then supported by the ensemble with lovely harmonies and rounds.

Moving on to solo numbers I would like to mention Jenny Ash’s and Becki Stowe’s ‘I see the light’ duet. Becki led the number with her warm tone of voice and was joined by Jenny who then both provided an incredible blend of harmony. They went on to also sing ‘A whole new world’ which was also just as good – well done to the pair of you!  

Thank you for inviting me to see this performance, I had the best time. I look forward to future productions nearer the festive period. Well done to you all.

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