Christmas Carol Concert 2011

Our Christmas Carol Concert on December 17th at Congleton Town Hall is really going to be what you have asked for! There will be plenty of singing from the choir, and some well-loved favourites for you to take part in.

Five of the carols we are performing will be having their very first Choral Society outing.  Sally Drage is the organist at St Mary’s Church, Astbury, where she trains and conducts the choir. She has arranged two carols, Christmas and Hark! what mean those holy voices? especially for us.  How exciting! They are sure to become part of our Christmas repertoire.

Bob Chilcott is a well-known Oxford composer, taking his place alongside John Rutter.  His ‘Lully, lulla, thou little tiny child’ is quite enchanting and is our third new carol. ‘In the bleak mid-winter’ is probably a carol we all sang at school, but here it is in Chilcott’s arrangement, called simply ‘Mid-winter’. We can feel the strength of the wind and the desolation of the stable place, offset by the brightness of the angels.

‘The little road to Bethlehem’ is a delightful carol, with words by Margaret Rose and music by Michael Head, copyrighted in 1948!  Again, it is a carol you will not have heard us sing before and we hope it will become a favourite with you as it has for us.

Other carols for the choir include arrangements of Silent night, We wish you a merry Christmas, Past three a clock, and The holly and the ivy.

There are plenty of favourites for audience participation, with carol sheets provided.

Christopher Cromar, our new Musical Director, really wowed our audience in October and we are looking forward to his working that magic again at Christmas.  The choir will be accompanied by a professional organist playing a top-flight organ, to fill the Town Hall with glorious sound.

Our own Cheshire Poet Laureate, W.Terry Fox, will entertain us again with Christmas readings in his unique style, to add something different to the evening.

So, get in the joyful Christmas spirit by coming along to the Town Hall on Saturday December 17th.  Tickets are £10, or £2 for under 16s.

Tickets are available from any choir member from our website at wwwcongletonchoralsociety.org.uk  from the Ticket Secretary on 01260 276957 from the Congleton Tourist Information Centre on  01260 271095.