Winter Concert 2023
This winter's concert took place on December 8th at the Methodist Church and was a sellout!
The programme followed a similar pattern to previous years where we sang a mixture of non-Christmassy songs in the first half and then, in the second half we 'tuned' into Christmas and the audience joined in too with some well-known carols and songs.
There were two amusing poems included in the performance which delighted the audience and in both halves of the concert a small group sang two lovely pieces - "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" in the first half and "Silent Night" in the second.
The evening was much enjoyed by both audience and performers and mince pies and a hot drink in the interval made it feel very festive indeed.
The generosity of audience members in supporting our charity was, as always, outstanding!
Summer Concert 2023
We held our summer concert on Friday June 23rd and, gratifyingly, we performed to a full house!
The evening's programme was varied and included songs from the full choir as well as small group performances and, for good measure, one or two poems and an instrumental piece from Faye, our conductor, on the clarinet and Jane, our accompanist, on the piano.
Comments from our audience were delightful -
"....best concert so far....the singing was excellent.... 'Rhythm of Life' was performed brilliantly!.....there was a real 'buzz' in the audience by the end of the concert...."
Songbirds have many loyal supporters for whom we love to sing and who are very generous when it comes to supporting our charities too.
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Winter Concert 2022
Warming up before the start of the winter concert.
Our winter concert on December 9th was in the middle of the pre-Christmas cold snap when everything was iced over and pavements were treacherous. In spite of this the concert was really well attended and audience and choir alike had a really good evening listening to poems and singing songs.
Our talented in-house poet produced a new poem, especially for the occasion, about Songbirds' rehearsals, written in the style of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas'.
It was particularly nice to have a proper refreshment break with mince pies and drinks - something we hadn't done since before the Covid-19 outbreak! A new addition to the evening was a Christmas craft stall selling home made gifts produced by choir members.
Summer Concert June 2022
On June 30th this year Songbirds Choir performed its first public concert since December 2019 and what a lovely evening it was! After an eighteen month absence from the ‘stage’ we were keen and nervous in equal measure! One of the key purposes of this concert was to celebrate a return to singing together and in public after the Covid-19 experiences of the previous year and a half.
The first half of the concert included ‘Moon River’, ‘Psalm 23’ (The Vicar of Dibley version!) and ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo’ and the concert began with ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ (from The Lion King) which became a particular favourite during Zoom choir sessions throughout lockdown.
Also during the first half the audience were treated to a really entertaining piano duet performed by Jane Holyland (Songbirds accompanist) and Gillian Bindley. Just before the refreshment break we heard from Alison and Becky from the charity ‘Spectrum’, (which Songbirds currently supports). They updated us all on the work they had been doing.
In the second half of the concert the audience was invited to sing three songs with us to acknowledge the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee - the three songs were all ‘hits’ in 1952/1953. The choir then performed a number of songs arranged by Mac Huff entitled ‘Leading Ladies’ which included such numbers as ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ and ‘The Sound of Music’.
Also in the second half, one of our members, read a humorous poem about Songbirds, that she had written during lockdown and which the audience thoroughly enjoyed.
Summer Concert 2019
This Summer the Songbirds invited friends and family to join them at the Methodist Church Market Harborough as they “sang for their supper”.
The programme was a wonderful mixture of music from the 40s to the ‘noughties’ not forgetting the mid-13th Century round, “Sumer Is Icumen In” performed beautifully by Ali, Frankie, Liz, Gill, Alison and Charlotta!
The evening opened with “California Dreamin’” followed by “May It Be”, a song written by Irish recording artist Enya for the 2001 film “The Lord Of The Rings”.
The audience showed great appreciation for the choir’s performance of the “Les Misérables” medley (all fifteen minutes of it) including the solos and small group sections. Thanks to Ali, Frankie, Lucy, Gill and Charlotta.
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Later in the programme a seventeenth century Irish folk song, “A Bunch Of Thyme” included a duet by Helen and Gill. The melody is very sweet but the words carry a hidden meaning - a warning to all young women to ‘always beware’!
“Remember Me” is a poem by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) and the choir performed a Bob Chilcott arrangement of it which he created in 2012 as a response to the tragedy on the island of Utøya in Norway where 68 young people lost their lives. The music underlines the beauty and sadness of the words and makes this a very moving song.
The closing section of the concert really raised the tempo as Songbirds swung through the 50s to finish with a rousing ABBA medley from the film “Mamma Mia”. Audience participation was essential!
It was a busy night for Songbirds who not only sang enthusiastically throughout, many of them also introduced the songs and recited poems. Finally...... audience and choir members enjoyed a supper together of sandwiches, snacks, savouries and sweet stuffs - all provided, of course, by Songbirds and their friends and family!
Songbirds’ current chosen charity is the VASL Young Carers Group and Kate Hawkins, the Group Manager came to talk to everyone about her work and managed to recruit four volunteers during the evening!
Winter 2018 - Tenth Anniversary Concert
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The songbirds Concert on Friday November 30th at the Methodist Church in Market Harborough was very much enjoyed by an appreciative audience who also thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to participate in a lively version of, 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' towards the end of the performance.
The first half of the concert featured a range of songs including 'Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend' by Robyn and Styne and 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters' by Paul Simon. There was also a short talk from Hannah Carrington about the support and activities provided for young carers in our local area. (Hannah leads the VASL Young Carers Activity Group which is currently Songbirds' local charity.
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In the second half (after hot drinks and mince pies) the choir performed, amongst other songs, a version of the traditional Jewish song 'Hava Nageela' and Barry Manilow's 'One Voice'. The concert ended with a selection of Christmas songs and carols.
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