Festive Sunday at Manchester Craft and Design Centre

Sun, 12 Nov 2023

Type of event:	Performance
Venue:	Manchester Craft and Design Centre 17 Oak Street, Manchester M4 5JD
Description:	Singing in the rain So, we have had Halloween, Bonfire Night, and on Sunday when we sang it was Armistice Day and the start of Diwali. Clearly, it was time for our first festive performance of the year! After our warm-up rehearsal in Band on the Wall, the choir sang under the canopy outside the Manchester Craft and Design Centre and sheltered from the rain unlike our amazingly enthusiastic, if wet, audience. We did not really overdo the run up to Christmas unless you include our final Lapland reindeer song Oley le Leyla and, yes, a few choir members did put on their reindeer antlers! And to capture this time of year we also sang the lovely ‘Past Three A’Clock’ which invites us to hang on until the days get warmer and lighter. To lift our spirits even further in these challenging times we sang the glorious song ‘Be the Light’ which is based on a gem of poem read by Amanda Gorman at Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021. Joni Mitchell’s song ‘River’ captures the pain that can be there for some of us around Christmas, but it is a curiously uplifting song. Despite the wet weather, we had a great time, and the audience enjoyed our beautiful harmonies. Thanks to the Craft and Design Centre for their hospitality. William West - Bass